Category: repair

Patch your tube without removing the tire

Forget about Lance Armstrong’s tire repair expertise and the hundreds of spinoff videos. This “Patch N Ride” bicycle tire tube repair gizmo seems slicker yet cleaner than liquid tire sealants. The claim: You can repair flat bicycles tires (tubulars and clinchers, tubeless coming Real Soon Now) without removing the tire and tube from the wheel. After locating the puncture, a needle plunges a patch under the tire and into the tube.



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Rave On

My son attends Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex and has finally given up on keeping his old Dodge RAM pickup running. For many months now I have been gently guiding him toward the bicycle as a form of transportation in a town not known for elevation changes.

Of the three bikes hanging in the garage, I gave him the choice of the three. He is built to be a road cyclist with the metabolism of a hummingbird and the lithe frame of an endurance athlete, and while he did choose my favorite road bike, he is not yet comfortable with drop bars.

This morning’s task was moving parts around all three bikes to make him one helluva lean flat bar road bike. Unlike other ‘hybrids’, this one truly is a road bike, with the geometry and road calipers vs. V-brakes (my preference). I don’t know why I didn’t do this before. The good news is that not only will he be saving a load of cash and staying healthier, but the 9 speed group that was on this bike are now on my other bike. No need to go buy stuff!

Wait, it gets better.

My LBS is a mail-order/online house mostly, but has a small showroom with the best peeps on the local scene. As it turns out, while down there picking up the FD for the bike build, the guy who helped me spent four years at TTU and grew up in southeastern New Mexico, making Lubbock a larger city nearby. I am not concerned with my son’s ability to ride a bike, but I am interested in the commuting climate, security on campus, and the bike shops in the area.

He knows the shop owners, the clubs, and the environment. Talk about a sign. I’ll be driving the bike down to Buddy Holly’s hometown in a few weeks and will take an extra bike for a ride down there myself. Lots of pictures to come and hopefully continuing good news of bicycle adventures in north Texas.

Flatter than flat

It’s been a rough week for rubber. Saturday’s ride on bike #1 (the road bike) resulted in two flats (both rear, 700cx23 Michelin Dynamics with Mr. Tuffy liners), so I was hoping that was my spate for the month (or so). Sunday is my minor tune-up day for all three bikes: Clean drivetrains, adjust cables if needed, and the general once-over. Bike #2 (the cowhorn roadie) runs 700c x 23 Zaffiro’s (140 psi, using about 120 psi for the rides, no liner) was hanging in the garage, looking forward to the ride this morning when I discovered the rear was flat – I didn’t even ride this one, but did pump it up a little on Sunday. (more…)