7/26/14 11:44 AM

I was riding on the local rail trail a few days ago. The trail is well defined and well maintained, except for a stretch where the town foolishly used sand rather than stone dust to level some wash outs. Regardless, the likelihood of a puncture on this surface is low - no broken glass, no screws or nails, nothing much thornwise.

So I'm maybe a mile from returning to the trailhead where I had parked my truck. A jogger with a stroller and dog was taking up most of the trail. He heard me coming up behind and moved as far right as he could. To give him maximum clearance, I hugged the left side going so far as to ride into the low scrub brush just off the trail. I hadn't gone more than 50 yards when I realized my rear tire was absolutely flat and something was repeatedly knocking against my seat stay and chain stay.

An inspection turned up a three inch long chunk of heavily corroded wire - possibly the telegraph wire that originally ran along side of the railroad. (The poles are still there, although scavengers long ago salvaged the glass insulators.) The wire had completely pierced both sidewalls and was sticking out far enough on one side to whack the stays. The tire was brand new, but with two substantial holes in the sidewall, I judged it to be ususable/unrepairable. Made for a long walk back to the truck.

Even the rim tape was ruined. Enough stone dust got by the tire and tube that all sorts of small shards were embedded. Nothing big enough to cause an immediate puncture with a new tube, but it would have been like leaving a piece of sandpaper in there. So, new tire, new tube, and new rim tape were all needed. Oy.

Let's see, two other bad luck occurrences:

I was riding with a friend and he rode over a single edged razor blade. Apparently the front tire rocked the blade up just long enough for the rear tire to catch it edge-on. It neatly sliced the tire almost completely off the rim. We were 10 miles out and the tire was too damaged to try a boot. Had to call for a lift.

Another time I rolled over a patch of glass on the road. Within a short distance it became obvious that the rear tire was going flat. I found the glass shard and removed it, threw in my spare tube, pumped it up and started on my way. It only took a few moments to realize the front tire had also punctured, just a slower leak. I had a patch kit, but I figured the gods didn't want me to ride that day, so I called home.

Anyone else had an unusual flat?

7/26/14 12:12 PM

I had just left my LBS. The first indication of trouble, a block away, was a "ping!" every time the head of the nail hit the stays. I have no idea how it got into the tire, but that was sort of the end of that! This was c. 1997.

7/26/14 12:45 PM

10 penny nail through top and out side near bead on MTN bike. Road bike was a flat piece of metal the front tire lifted and a brand new rear tire got cut to the rim straight across. This was 2 minutes after the previous flat repair too in the rain, argh! This on a day that 5 riders had 13 flat in 12 hours. ;)

7/26/14 10:13 PM

A small belt buckle along the stretch of freeway where cycles can use a short stretch of shoulder to connect with the frontage road.

The buckle's latch punctured the rear Continental tire and remained attached.

That Conti tire was a bear to remove and replace from my Super Champion rim, I remember that, but a simple patching repaired it fine.

A fellow rider once tore open his new GP4000 tire on a, you guessed it, single-edged razor.

I picked up one of those 3" nails once while riding solo to a ride start.
It slapped the chainstay bridge and rear caliper hard enough to do some cosmetic damage.

A 1-1/4"-square piece of 1/4" steel got flipped vertical by my front tire and then pinch-flatted my rear tire.

I ran over the tines of a crushed pine cone which promptly flatted my rear tire.

I dodged a coil of strip steel only to just catch the sharp end of it with my rear tire, which was really gored.

7/27/14 9:17 AM

I once saw, in a remote location, a full length of bicycle chain lying on the side of the road. I wonder what happened to the rider?

7/27/14 3:36 PM

On one of the steeper climbs here, I came across pieces of a Shimano cassette sprocket laying in the shoulder.

I guess if the rider had one of the nicer cassettes with alloy spider, they could have just chosen a different gear and kept on riding.

On the return trip from today's ride, I saw fresh chunks of what looked like a Wally-Mart bikes pedal laying in the gutter, same location where last year it was a broken V-brake arm w/pad attached.

Long story, so I'll skip explaining where this rare, folding Colnago turned up:

7/27/14 4:32 PM

OK, that's scary.

7/27/14 10:09 PM

Yeah, working in poor lighting I was getting extremely frustrated with trying to get the front derailer cable routed, so I went at it with a bat.

Crash-replacement warranty should cover it(?).

7/29/14 2:51 PM

How about memorable non-punctures?

I bought a pair or 23x700 Supersonic Contis around 1999-2000, 160 Gram each, and they ran a little big. I looked at them before mounting, and I am sure I have told this tale before... but I thought 'no way, these look so fragile!!'

So I decided to use then as fronts with an Axial Pro 23x black on back. Which also ran big, so comfy setup as well. I got 2k plus on the front with no flats. Cut up pretty well, but no flats. Pulled it and put on the other one, got an en'tire' season on that one with no flats. I was riding other bikes so again over 3k on this one no flats before I re'tired' the second one. Never expected that! But it looked like swiss cheese. I picked more shit out of that tire every time I stopped... That probably had more to do with it that anything else.

Sorry if the story is tiring... But really more sorry for the bad puns [maybe] ;)


Also, Clement Tourmalet folding tires that I got 1/2 dozen for $12.00 ea. Yellow sidewalls, and I still have one and never got a flat on one of them.

7/29/14 3:10 PM

Where's that trail, Pat? I was out your way on one of my regular hilly loops Saturday, but on roads almost entirely.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/#activity/550741850

7/29/14 5:31 PM

The proper name is the Hop River State Park Trail. There are a number of trail heads in Manchester, Vernon, and Bolton. I most often use the one in Manchester by the intersection of Parker St and Colonial Rd. From there I get about an 18 mile out and back ride to Steele's Crossing in Bolton. The trail continues to Willimantic and beyond, so it's easy to achieve any extended distance you desire.

The rail trail is great. I feel perfectly safe to go helmetless. It's also cooler on a hot day with shade covering 98% of the route. Highly recommended.

7/30/14 9:34 AM

Sounds nice, Pat. I may get out that way some time. I tend to look for hilly routes on my weekend rides (I get half my miles on my flat commute), so I think of rail trails as flatter than I prefer. But they can be nice for a change.

7/30/14 9:47 AM

"It's also cooler on a hot day with shade covering 98% of the route. "

Not to mention the dew on all the leave gives a nice swamp cooler effect until it all evaps off. But you get a late morning extra time window before the oven finishes the pre-heating. ;) 1-2 hours here...

7/30/14 6:08 PM

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Not to mention the dew on all the leave gives a nice swamp cooler effect until it all evaps off.

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7/30/14 6:18 PM

I assure you the dew point goes down as the day goes on.

"In the woods means no wind. "

Not here it doesn't.

7/30/14 7:15 PM

quote:

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I assure you the dew point goes down as the day goes on.

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7/30/14 7:33 PM

Yeah, I left that pretty open ended, didn't I?

Was thinking this time of year, and of course if raining or getting there another story as well.


You'd think after living in TN I would not say such things. Please excuse the comment...

Heat index, yes?

7/31/14 8:58 AM

quote:

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You'd think after living in TN I would not say such things. Please excuse the comment... \

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7/31/14 9:30 AM

"you really adopted that west-coast weather perspective"


No doubt. But I miss the middle TN valley summer pressure cooker, NOT! ;0