Basic Maintenance and the general public.
 

On 8/3/2015 6:44 PM, wrote:
I cringe whenever I see a rider go by and his rear tire is so underinflated that you can see he is barely keeping the rim off the ground. But I see it all the time! Pretty much ever day. You can see them bouncing along with each pedal stroke.
I can't understand how someone can let their tires get that low and if they did, wouldn't they notice it at the first bump and move to correct it?

Then there's the issue of people who screw down their quick release instead of closing it properly. I never know if I should intervene or just mind my own business. Oh well.

A friend told me last week about setting out on a long solo ride, then
meeting another cyclist way out in the country.

He told the other guy that his rear tire was nearly flat. He said the
guy denied it for several miles before finally conceding that it needed
attention.

Then the guy said "I've got the tools, but I don't know how to use
them." So my friend changed his tire for him, teaching him how in the
process.

I guess if the guy's tire had failed from being ridden flat, he'd have
used his cell phone to call for a ride. :-/

--
- Frank Krygowski

Basic Maintenance and the general public.
 

On Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 12:15:05 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/3/2015 6:44 PM, wrote:
I cringe whenever I see a rider go by and his rear tire is so underinflated that you can see he is barely keeping the rim off the ground. But I see it all the time! Pretty much ever day. You can see them bouncing along with each pedal stroke.
I can't understand how someone can let their tires get that low and if they did, wouldn't they notice it at the first bump and move to correct it?

Then there's the issue of people who screw down their quick release instead of closing it properly. I never know if I should intervene or just mind my own business. Oh well.

A friend told me last week about setting out on a long solo ride, then
meeting another cyclist way out in the country.

He told the other guy that his rear tire was nearly flat. He said the
guy denied it for several miles before finally conceding that it needed
attention.

Then the guy said "I've got the tools, but I don't know how to use
them." So my friend changed his tire for him, teaching him how in the
process.

I guess if the guy's tire had failed from being ridden flat, he'd have
used his cell phone to call for a ride. :-/

I punctured yesterday and had the tube replaced and back in the dropouts in 18 minutes, too much of which was spent inflating it with my pump--over 60 strokes with a Blackburn frame-fit pump to inflate a 700c by 23 mm Gatorskin. I was grateful I don't have one of those shorty pumps I see on more modern frames.

When it comes to basic maintenance and the general public, what gets me is those who ride squeaky bicycles with no thought of the energy they're wasting or the damaged they are doing to their bicycle. I am not satisfied with the state of maintenance of my bicycle unless I can hardly hear it when I am pedalling on smooth pavement.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO