Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More - View Single Post

01-20-2005, 08:07 PM

dgk <sonicechoes-spamless@hot-nospamp-mail.com> wrote:

>Mark Hickey <mark@habcycles.com>wrote:
>>dgk <sonicechoes-spamless@hot-nospamp-mail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Anyway, there is going to be one very angry biker in the LBS in an
>>>hour or so.
>>
>>What makes you think that the flats had anything to do with anything
>>other than you running over debris, thorns, glass or "Michelin wires"?
>>
>>And you should learn to change your own flats if you're going to bike
>>commute. Otherwise you're going to be in a bad mood quite often.
>>It's cheap (a LOT cheaper than having the LBS do it), quick (a LOT
>>quicker than having the LBS do it) and easy (a LOT easier than
>>dragging your bike to the LBS).
>>
>I usually do my own flats, just not in snow and cold. It hurts my poor
>hands. Trying to get the tire over the rim, that final piece, is not
>something that I'm good at. I'm a good computer programmer but a lousy
>mechanic. One thing I did learn was to run my hand around the inside
>of the tire feeling for anything sharp. Perhaps they don't do that.

It's certainly not hard to miss something that doesn't intrude too far
into the tire's casing (we've all done that before). There are ways
to make getting the last bit of tire over the rim easier...

1) push the bead toward the center of the rim all around - that'll
give you a bit more slack at the "tight end".
2) don't try to push the last bit on with your thumbs, but grab all
the way around the tire AND rim and twist it like a motorcycle grip
away from you.
3) if you can't get the tube to work to the inside of the tire
(meaning it's in the way and helping prevent the tire from sliding on)
work the loose end around the rim, allowing an equal amount on the
other side to unseat. Since the tube is already inside the rim there,
this should make it easier to get the tube inside the tire (makes
sense if you actually do it - probably not as much reading it though).

>My experience, while limited, is that flats on consecutive days
>indicate that the cause of the flat was not removed from the tire
>completely. It is possible that I simply hit something three times,
>but wouldn't you say that three flats in three days is very unusual? I
>do watch the road for glass.

I've had three flats on one ride. It does happen.

>I had hoped that a bike shop would be far better at doing flats than I
>am. I could be wrong.

And it's possible you're wrong about the cause of the flats, too...
they could have done a wonderful job and you just had some bad luck.
Or not... but I wouldn't suggest murdering anyone just yet. Now FIVE
flats would be different of course... ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

01-20-2005, 08:07 PM	#26 (permalink)
Mark Hickey Posts: n/a	Re: upcoming MURDER at the LBS dgk <sonicechoes-spamless@hot-nospamp-mail.com> wrote: >Mark Hickey <mark@habcycles.com>wrote: >>dgk <sonicechoes-spamless@hot-nospamp-mail.com> wrote: >> >>>Anyway, there is going to be one very angry biker in the LBS in an >>>hour or so. >> >>What makes you think that the flats had anything to do with anything >>other than you running over debris, thorns, glass or "Michelin wires"? >> >>And you should learn to change your own flats if you're going to bike >>commute. Otherwise you're going to be in a bad mood quite often. >>It's cheap (a LOT cheaper than having the LBS do it), quick (a LOT >>quicker than having the LBS do it) and easy (a LOT easier than >>dragging your bike to the LBS). >> >I usually do my own flats, just not in snow and cold. It hurts my poor >hands. Trying to get the tire over the rim, that final piece, is not >something that I'm good at. I'm a good computer programmer but a lousy >mechanic. One thing I did learn was to run my hand around the inside >of the tire feeling for anything sharp. Perhaps they don't do that. It's certainly not hard to miss something that doesn't intrude too far into the tire's casing (we've all done that before). There are ways to make getting the last bit of tire over the rim easier... 1) push the bead toward the center of the rim all around - that'll give you a bit more slack at the "tight end". 2) don't try to push the last bit on with your thumbs, but grab all the way around the tire AND rim and twist it like a motorcycle grip away from you. 3) if you can't get the tube to work to the inside of the tire (meaning it's in the way and helping prevent the tire from sliding on) work the loose end around the rim, allowing an equal amount on the other side to unseat. Since the tube is already inside the rim there, this should make it easier to get the tube inside the tire (makes sense if you actually do it - probably not as much reading it though). >My experience, while limited, is that flats on consecutive days >indicate that the cause of the flat was not removed from the tire >completely. It is possible that I simply hit something three times, >but wouldn't you say that three flats in three days is very unusual? I >do watch the road for glass. I've had three flats on one ride. It does happen. >I had hoped that a bike shop would be far better at doing flats than I >am. I could be wrong. And it's possible you're wrong about the cause of the flats, too... they could have done a wonderful job and you just had some bad luck. Or not... but I wouldn't suggest murdering anyone just yet. Now FIVE flats would be different of course... ;-) Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame