Tires i.e. flats on the trail

I started getting into biking in '03. I have taken one ride where, I was
going to ride from Duluth, Minnesota southeast to Granite Falls, Minnesota.
The distance is 100-150mi.. About 65mi. into the trip, the inner tube on
the front tire of my Specialized Allez' 24-Speed racing bike
(www.specialized.com) blew. I know I probably should have checked my
tires, before I left and during the trip. Anyway, I had a 'on-board' bike
pump made 'Serfas'. When I tried to take the bad tube out and, put the new
one in, I had trouble using the tool that pulls the tire up, to expose the
tube. I finally gave up. I went to a nearby home and, the owner happen to
run his on construction company. The problem with that was, he put the new
tube on a pressurized pump and, the tube sounded like it exploded. Now, I
was really stuck. Since it was somewhat obvious that this guy was not
going to let me spend the night so I could figure out what to do, he
dropped me off at a local convenience store. I had been up since 6am, the
previous morning and, it was already 2am. I sat in that convenience store,
essentially, for the next 50hrs., having already been up for 18hrs.. The
Lord(I am a Christian) must have been watching over me because, the Asst.
Mgr. of the convenience store had to bring his son to Duluth for surgery
two days after I arrived at the convenience store. His son was having
surgery at 8am(CST) but, they had to be to the hospital buy 630am(CST). By
the time that I got to sleep at 10am(CST), in my own bed, I had been awake
56hrs. consecutively without a chance to lay my head down.

The links below go to, what I have:

1. Bike- http://www.specialized.com/SBCBikes.jsp?my=2003

2. Portable Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/BS-1a.html

3. Stationary Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/FP-100a.html

Considering the harrowing ordeal I went through, I would appreciate any
feedback.

Christopher

"chrisrange" wrote in message
...
I started getting into biking in '03. I have taken one ride where, I was
going to ride from Duluth, Minnesota southeast to Granite Falls, Minnesota.
The distance is 100-150mi.. About 65mi. into the trip, the inner tube on
the front tire of my Specialized Allez' 24-Speed racing bike
(www.specialized.com) blew. I know I probably should have checked my
tires, before I left and during the trip. Anyway, I had a 'on-board' bike
pump made 'Serfas'. When I tried to take the bad tube out and, put the new
one in, I had trouble using the tool that pulls the tire up, to expose the
tube. I finally gave up. I went to a nearby home and, the owner happen to
run his on construction company. The problem with that was, he put the new
tube on a pressurized pump and, the tube sounded like it exploded. Now, I
was really stuck. Since it was somewhat obvious that this guy was not
going to let me spend the night so I could figure out what to do, he
dropped me off at a local convenience store. I had been up since 6am, the
previous morning and, it was already 2am. I sat in that convenience store,
essentially, for the next 50hrs., having already been up for 18hrs.. The
Lord(I am a Christian) must have been watching over me because, the Asst.
Mgr. of the convenience store had to bring his son to Duluth for surgery
two days after I arrived at the convenience store. His son was having
surgery at 8am(CST) but, they had to be to the hospital buy 630am(CST). By
the time that I got to sleep at 10am(CST), in my own bed, I had been awake
56hrs. consecutively without a chance to lay my head down.

The links below go to, what I have:

1. Bike- http://www.specialized.com/SBCBikes.jsp?my=2003

2. Portable Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/BS-1a.html

3. Stationary Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/FP-100a.html

Considering the harrowing ordeal I went through, I would appreciate any
feedback.

Christopher

How about carry more than one tube?

Ride with a group?

Learn to work tire irons?

Doug Thomas

Agree with the follow up poster.
Get a basic book ( I used ot have the Anybody's Bike Book... a true remnant
of the hippy 60's). Or check the net for yer basic instructions on how to
change flats. It's more knuckle busting than brain power. Get some good tire
irons. I finally got a smoothe pair made of some alloy, that are about 10"
long.There are some shorty ones with little 'spoke hooks' that are okay...
but harder on your knuckles. The cost of the irons will more than offset
your inconvenience one day when you are way out there.

Take care in peeling the tire off. YOu don't want to pinch the tube and
puncture it again. CArry a basic patch kit. Easy as pie. Practice on a
ballon tire bike or, if you have one, your kids bike.
"chrisrange" wrote in message
...
I started getting into biking in '03. I have taken one ride where, I was
going to ride from Duluth, Minnesota southeast to Granite Falls, Minnesota.
The distance is 100-150mi.. About 65mi. into the trip, the inner tube on
the front tire of my Specialized Allez' 24-Speed racing bike
(www.specialized.com) blew. I know I probably should have checked my
tires, before I left and during the trip. Anyway, I had a 'on-board' bike
pump made 'Serfas'. When I tried to take the bad tube out and, put the new
one in, I had trouble using the tool that pulls the tire up, to expose the
tube. I finally gave up. I went to a nearby home and, the owner happen to
run his on construction company. The problem with that was, he put the new
tube on a pressurized pump and, the tube sounded like it exploded. Now, I
was really stuck. Since it was somewhat obvious that this guy was not
going to let me spend the night so I could figure out what to do, he
dropped me off at a local convenience store. I had been up since 6am, the
previous morning and, it was already 2am. I sat in that convenience store,
essentially, for the next 50hrs., having already been up for 18hrs.. The
Lord(I am a Christian) must have been watching over me because, the Asst.
Mgr. of the convenience store had to bring his son to Duluth for surgery
two days after I arrived at the convenience store. His son was having
surgery at 8am(CST) but, they had to be to the hospital buy 630am(CST). By
the time that I got to sleep at 10am(CST), in my own bed, I had been awake
56hrs. consecutively without a chance to lay my head down.

The links below go to, what I have:

1. Bike- http://www.specialized.com/SBCBikes.jsp?my=2003

2. Portable Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/BS-1a.html

3. Stationary Bike Pump- http://www.serfas.com/pumps/FP-100a.html

Considering the harrowing ordeal I went through, I would appreciate any
feedback.

Christopher

doug thomas wrote:
"chrisrange" wrote in message
Considering the harrowing ordeal I went through, I would appreciate any
feedback.

Christopher


How about carry more than one tube?

Ride with a group?

Learn to work tire irons?

Doug Thomas

My approach:

Any place is walking distance if you have the time.
- Steven Wright

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"