One the best things about being off work is that I have been able to get back to doing a bit of cycling. Nothing too flash-no illusions of a start in the Tour de France this year are beguiling my thoughts but it’s nice to be out and active on the bike again. It’s been soothing and relaxing, especially now I am past the “grovelling” stage and am able to get into a bit of rhythm. I have been doing loops around Tuggeranong. Mainly the bike paths and the back streets of the local suburbs. Nice, quiet, no hassles with the minority of drivers who I could confidently describe as self entitled bullies and psychopaths who believe they own the roads.
My old road racing bike, which I have actually only raced on once, many years ago is a bit on the ancient side but does me well. No new racing machines for me, just replacement of vital parts. Of course the one vital component which wears out faster than others is tyres. Tyres are the bane of a cyclists existence. It’s great to put on a new piece of rubber, knowing it’s thick tread will see you right (you hope) for a little while, but you have to keep an eye on them. You can check them one day and consider them good for a few more kilometres and then all of a sudden, seemingly within days, they can be down to the fabric, all but done for.
My father, a keen cyclist, has been having an issue with tyres. Well, not so much tyres, but tubes it seems. For a while it seemed as if he was having a puncture every other day. He was examining his tyres after every ride with the concentration of a scientist peering through a telescope, sure that there was a flaw or anomaly in their manufacture. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it was cheap tubes he had bought that were causing the problem. He had purchased them at the local bike shop and they appeared to have punctured on the bottom, rim side of the tubes, not the top where the tube runs up against the fabric of the underside of the tyre- the place most likely to be pierced by a foreign object. He changed his brand of tube and his problems seem to have evaporated.
I have been blessed in recent times by a lack of punctures. The last significant period I spent cycling regularly, probably 2 years ago, saw me ride for months without a flat tyre. It was unusual, especially riding around the local bike paths which are adorned by broken glass, courtesy of the local delinquents, and you often find yourself dodging twigs and branches blown off trees among the assortment of debris which finds it’s way onto the bitumen. Of course my luck had to run out eventually.
First of all, recently, I had a run of punctures caused by a back wheel that had reached it’s used by date. The rim was cracking and I needed a quick replacement. Whilst my new wheel was being built I rode my old mountain bike and had another run of flats. Then, after receiving my new wheel, all seemed promising. Unfortunately, I got caught on wet roads a few weeks back and I picked up a sliver of a twig in my front tyre. And just yesterday, a kilometre or so after leaving home I heard the unmistakable sound of a blow out coming from the front wheel yet again. Lovely. It did cross my mind to turn around and go home but I changed the tube and pushed on in case I didn’t get a ride in today (which was the case). And so, I got caught in a heavy downpour and arrived home soaking wet. I checked the tyre and couldn’t find a cut anywhere in it whereby an alien object may have slashed it’s way through but, with some consternation, I found that the blow out was on the bottom of the tyre next to the rim. Hmm. It occurred to me that I had bought that tube at the same place Dad had bought what appears to be dodgy stock. It was the same brand albeit a different size. Perhaps time to shop for replacements elsewhere. I will check my front wheel just in case it is a problem with the rim but it is a bit of a coincidence to have such a puncture. In any case, I need a new repair kit to fix the five tubes I have hanging from a hook in the garage!
The problem with having a run of bad luck like this is you start second guessing your equipment and yourself. I am doing something to cause a problem? Is there something wrong with my riding style? Are my tyres okay? I’m sure it’s just one of those things and balance will be restored in my world soon enough but it is frustrating.
Will try my luck again tomorrow. I’ve come too far with my fitness now to let it slide. I’ve even installed the Strava app on my phone to get a bit more sense of what I am actually doing out on the bike. Linda has shown interest in coming out on her e-bike so I will probably get a workout as she likes to rev up the motor and give me something to think about on the hills. In fact she seems to get some perverse pleasure out of it!
So, onwards and upwards, and may you always have a tail wind.
Until next time.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 