No Luck

I went for another ride today. Yes, I said another.

I rode off with Alan towards the Rillito and then said “till we meet again” as I turned right and he turned left to ride foothills suburban assault.

I planned on riding 30-40 minutes and never being further than 2 miles from home, so I brought nothing. I was floating along with a swift tailwind when my bike began handling a little “funny.” Sure enough, my rear tire was flatting–fast. I would normally do what any self respecting mountain biker would: ride the rim home. But this rear wheel has <=4 rides on it. I couldn't bear to ride such a true rim. After walking for 15 minutes, I started riding, then walking, then riding some more. I actually was looking forward to patching my tube when I got home. How sick is that? How deprived of two wheel goodness do you have to be to LIKE patching tubes? And it actually was enjoyable--the first time I fixed it. The tube was slimed (of course), so there were minimum 6-7 holes. I thought I got them all in the first round. Likewise for the second round. As I walked out of the house to engage round 3 I saw Monkey cat lurking behind the pond. Then, I didn't see him. He went for the 4 doves by the pond and landed in the middle of it. Only his head was spared a complete soaking. I nearly died laughing–he’s never fallen in before.

It seems that my 3rd round effort has succeeded. My rear tire is holding air once more after 5 patches. The conclusion: specialized air lock tubes are no better than standard (non-slime) tubes. Back to real slime tubes for me.