So Chugg's rear tire was flat yesterday. Odd, because i hadn't ridden in several days. Regardless, needs changing. So I find the culprit, a very small little leak on the sidewall of the tube. I don't know what caused it, the tire was fine and it should have been pumped up enough to prevent a pinch flat. I didn't dwell though, I sanded and patched the wound and fed the tube back into the tire. I put the wheel back on the bike (my tires are fat enough that i cannot easily fit them through my brake pads when pumped up). I'm pumping pumping pumping, keeping an eye on the pressure gauge. Then you wouldn't believe it:
Somebody shot my tire!
A stray gunshot went right through tube!
Well, it was loud enough at any rate; I was certainly rattled. While it wasn't really a gunshot both my wife's and my ears were ringing. a lot. I'm not sure exactly what happened. I was still 20 psi away from the 150 i usually keep my tires at (i love my Vredstein Tricomps, and their recommended 160 psi). But boy did that that tube explode. The concussion kicked half the tire back off the rim (which normally takes me five minutes and two skinned knuckles to do) and tore a three inch gash in the side of the tube (far away from my patch job, incidentally).
Maybe this is common for all you seasoned roadies, but I havn't ever had flat that wasn't just a fast hisSSSsss.sssSSSsss. (that's the sounds of the tire spinning) sssSSSsss. Scared the bejeezus outa me.
So much for the patch, I had to use my last spare. Guess that means a trip to the shop for more, I don't like to ride without a spare tube. Otherwise Murphy pretty much guarantees a gauntlet of broken beer bottles, metal springs and windshield debris fields.
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It was team Davis/Ro in the bushes with the blowdart.
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