When I'm wrong I'm wrong - number four, number four, number four...

[dgk]

Tomorrow I go apologize to the LBS. At least I didn't make much of a
scene about them messing up my flat(s), which is good, because they
appear to be innocent of incompetence.

Tonight I'm riding home through Astoria, Queens, having passed over
(all together now) the 59th Street Bridge. Flat number four for the
week. The SECOND today. I suppose the LBS could have screwed it up
again, but having read your posts I have to assume that something else
is up, and it must be that bridge.

This time I didn't curse. I just started laughing. I sat down on the
sidewalk, pulled out the tools, and changed the tire, putting in the
spare tube. I pulled out two pieces of glass. I didn't even have too
much trouble getting the bead back on. I'm getting better at it. Ten
minutes total. Then I stopped at Taco Bell, had a few tacos, and
patched the hole.

All I can think is that someone, likely intentionally, seeded broken
glass in the middle of all of that salt on the bridge. As I was riding
home (in the dark using my full array of lights) I saw all the shiny
reflections of road salt. I just can't tell what is glass and what is
salt.

I think perhaps I'll walk over that bridge until it gets cleaned. My
thanks to all of you for pointing out the likelihood of changing road
conditions being the culprit.

 

[marco007esq]

dude, you are so paranoid....

 

[Zoot Katz]

Fri, 21 Jan 2005 01:12:28 GMT,
<[email protected]>, dgk
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Tomorrow I go apologize to the LBS. At least I didn't make much of a
>scene about them messing up my flat(s), which is good, because they
>appear to be innocent of incompetence.

You might recommend to them Andrew Muzi's practice of having the
Yellow Jersey's wrenches cello-tape offending foreign objects to the
repair tag.

That way the client knows the flat was properly repaired.
--
zk

 

[dgk]

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:18:59 -0800, Zoot Katz <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Fri, 21 Jan 2005 01:12:28 GMT,
><[email protected]>, dgk
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Tomorrow I go apologize to the LBS. At least I didn't make much of a
>>scene about them messing up my flat(s), which is good, because they
>>appear to be innocent of incompetence.
>
>You might recommend to them Andrew Muzi's practice of having the
>Yellow Jersey's wrenches cello-tape offending foreign objects to the
>repair tag.
>
>That way the client knows the flat was properly repaired.

I'm sure they find one object. The question is do they search for
more. I found two.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
dgk <[email protected]> writes:
> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:18:59 -0800, Zoot Katz <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>Fri, 21 Jan 2005 01:12:28 GMT,
>><[email protected]>, dgk
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Tomorrow I go apologize to the LBS. At least I didn't make much of a
>>>scene about them messing up my flat(s), which is good, because they
>>>appear to be innocent of incompetence.
>>
>>You might recommend to them Andrew Muzi's practice of having the
>>Yellow Jersey's wrenches cello-tape offending foreign objects to the
>>repair tag.
>>
>>That way the client knows the flat was properly repaired.
>
> I'm sure they find one object. The question is do they search for
> more. I found two.

Bike shops themselves might be the sources of some of the
most hard-to-find, pernicious tube puncturers -- short,
almost invisible, little strands of inner cable that
somehow migrate from the shop floor to the interiors of
your tires. Using a flashlight to lluminate tire
insides from various angles sometimes helps for finding
the little buggers, along with the usual tactile methods.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Kenny]

How does one "seed" broken glass onto a road surface?

Kenny

 

[marco007esq]

Like I said..... PARANOID

 

[dgk]

On 22 Jan 2005 03:12:18 -0800, "marco007esq"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Like I said..... PARANOID

Seed was perhaps a bad word. I think they just spread broken glass.

The bridge pathway is sort of narrow, really just one tight car lane.
So sometimes pedestrians, skaters, and bikers get annoyed with each
other. Not often but I have seen a few heated "discussions" about
right of way. It wouldn't be the first time that I've ridden on a bike
path that seemed to be a magnet for glass.

On the other hand, perhaps someone just dropped a beer bottle. But
that sort of thing happens more during warm weather.

 

[Stan DeHaven]

dgk <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> On 22 Jan 2005 03:12:18 -0800, "marco007esq"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Like I said..... PARANOID
>
> Seed was perhaps a bad word. I think they just spread broken glass.
>
> The bridge pathway is sort of narrow, really just one tight car lane.
> So sometimes pedestrians, skaters, and bikers get annoyed with each
> other. Not often but I have seen a few heated "discussions" about
> right of way. It wouldn't be the first time that I've ridden on a bike
> path that seemed to be a magnet for glass.
>
> On the other hand, perhaps someone just dropped a beer bottle. But
> that sort of thing happens more during warm weather.

Have they started selling a kevlar belt for bike tires? I have seen some
options on new bikes (mostly commuter folders) that feature kevlar tires.
I am thinking of a lightweight kevlar ring that would go inside bike
tires to prevent a sharp piece of glass (from a beer bottle or such) from
puncturing the innertube.

Maybe that does not exist yet? I have been thinking about upgrading my
Giant Cypress with fenders for commuting, but having flat tires is a show
stopper for me. Maybe I am a bit paranoid as well.


Stan

 

[Bob Dole]

Personally, I would guess liquor bottle. Standing in the middle of a
bridge at night seems like a picturesque place to get drunk.
Have you considered "Mr Tuffy" type liners?

 

[Bill Baka]

Stan DeHaven wrote:
> dgk <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>
>>On 22 Jan 2005 03:12:18 -0800, "marco007esq"
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Like I said..... PARANOID
>>
>>Seed was perhaps a bad word. I think they just spread broken glass.
>>
>>The bridge pathway is sort of narrow, really just one tight car lane.
>>So sometimes pedestrians, skaters, and bikers get annoyed with each
>>other. Not often but I have seen a few heated "discussions" about
>>right of way. It wouldn't be the first time that I've ridden on a bike
>>path that seemed to be a magnet for glass.
>>
>>On the other hand, perhaps someone just dropped a beer bottle. But
>>that sort of thing happens more during warm weather.
>
>
> Have they started selling a kevlar belt for bike tires? I have seen some
> options on new bikes (mostly commuter folders) that feature kevlar tires.
> I am thinking of a lightweight kevlar ring that would go inside bike
> tires to prevent a sharp piece of glass (from a beer bottle or such) from
> puncturing the innertube.
>
> Maybe that does not exist yet? I have been thinking about upgrading my
> Giant Cypress with fenders for commuting, but having flat tires is a show
> stopper for me. Maybe I am a bit paranoid as well.
>
>
> Stan

You might want to experiment with steel shipping strap. The kind that is
about 1/30 of an inch or so and about a half inch wide. I you could get
that inside your tire it should be impervious to just about anything. In
a former life before I got into electronics I used the stuff to anchor a
load to a pallet and that stuff was strong, like spring steel.
Just an idea.
Bill Baka

 

[dgk]

On 23 Jan 2005 16:03:03 -0800, "Bob Dole" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Personally, I would guess liquor bottle. Standing in the middle of a
>bridge at night seems like a picturesque place to get drunk.
>Have you considered "Mr Tuffy" type liners?

I have them in another bike that I don't use much anymore. One of
those items that you can never really know is doing anything. If it
works, you don't know it. I think that perhaps I will get some for
this bike.

 

[Mike Kruger]

Bill Baka wrote:
> Stan DeHaven wrote:
>>
>> Have they started selling a kevlar belt for bike tires?
I have seen
>> some options on new bikes (mostly commuter folders) that
feature
>> kevlar tires. I am thinking of a lightweight kevlar ring
that would
>> go inside bike tires to prevent a sharp piece of glass
(from a beer
>> bottle or such) from puncturing the innertube.
>
> You might want to experiment with steel shipping strap.
The kind that
> is about 1/30 of an inch or so and about a half inch wide.
I you
> could get that inside your tire it should be impervious to
just about
> anything.

A plastic Mr. Tuffy liner can eventually wear a hole in a
tube after some years of service. Steel shipping strap might
cause similar problems sooner.

 

[dgk]

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 21:05:33 -0600, "Mike Kruger"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Bill Baka wrote:
>> Stan DeHaven wrote:
>>>
>>> Have they started selling a kevlar belt for bike tires?
>I have seen
>>> some options on new bikes (mostly commuter folders) that
>feature
>>> kevlar tires. I am thinking of a lightweight kevlar ring
>that would
>>> go inside bike tires to prevent a sharp piece of glass
>(from a beer
>>> bottle or such) from puncturing the innertube.
>>
>> You might want to experiment with steel shipping strap.
>The kind that
>> is about 1/30 of an inch or so and about a half inch wide.
>I you
>> could get that inside your tire it should be impervious to
>just about
>> anything.
>
>A plastic Mr. Tuffy liner can eventually wear a hole in a
>tube after some years of service. Steel shipping strap might
>cause similar problems sooner.
>
Considering that my tubes are getting holes a lot quicker than that I
might be willing to live with the limitation. I have been warned that
it is important to keep tire pressure up if using Mr. Tuffy to prevent
the tube from shifting and getting cut by the tuffy.