B
beerwolf
Guest
Or if you do, don't ride it there very much. This story reflects
badly on my powers of foresight, but if it saves just one person
from the same experience, it will be worth telling.
Last Saturday, the island was open to the public for a day of free
live music. I went there with my wife and both our bikes, and we
had a great time exploring the place and listening to the bands.
Then, on the way home, about five minutes from journey's end,
my rear tyre went flat.
I got the bike home, pulled out the tube and patched it, looked at
tyre and found culprit was a tiny flake of iron such as might be detached
from a metal lathe in use. Yeah, riding a bike in a place where lots of
grinding and cutting of metal once took place, was not such a smart idea.
In spite of thoroughly (I thought) inspecting the tyre inside and out,
and removing all gunk, the tube went flat twice more - but sequentially,
each time after patching and inserting into the tyre again. I was about to
ditch the tyre, but it has survived 30 kms of riding since, and I've got
fingers crossed that this is the end of it.
Strangely enough, the front tyre was free of debris, and my wife's bike
did not get a flat although we found a nasty piece of glass in one tyre,
that probably would have done damage eventually.
So, Cockatoo Island is best enjoyed on foot!
beerwolf
badly on my powers of foresight, but if it saves just one person
from the same experience, it will be worth telling.
Last Saturday, the island was open to the public for a day of free
live music. I went there with my wife and both our bikes, and we
had a great time exploring the place and listening to the bands.
Then, on the way home, about five minutes from journey's end,
my rear tyre went flat.
I got the bike home, pulled out the tube and patched it, looked at
tyre and found culprit was a tiny flake of iron such as might be detached
from a metal lathe in use. Yeah, riding a bike in a place where lots of
grinding and cutting of metal once took place, was not such a smart idea.
In spite of thoroughly (I thought) inspecting the tyre inside and out,
and removing all gunk, the tube went flat twice more - but sequentially,
each time after patching and inserting into the tyre again. I was about to
ditch the tyre, but it has survived 30 kms of riding since, and I've got
fingers crossed that this is the end of it.
Strangely enough, the front tyre was free of debris, and my wife's bike
did not get a flat although we found a nasty piece of glass in one tyre,
that probably would have done damage eventually.
So, Cockatoo Island is best enjoyed on foot!
beerwolf
