Typical

[lnr]

They're just like buses: you don't have a puncture for over a year and then 3 turn up at once. Saturday's was in the back tyre, yesterday's in the front and today's in the rear again. The two I already repaired were both due to small chips of flint, and I expect today's was too (unless it's just my previous repair failing), and that I cycled over a patch of chips at some point recently and they've been working their way through the tyres since. I picked half a dozen other small chips and pieces of glass from the front tyre yesterday.

All in all it's clear the tyres are getting a bit old and worn and aren't as resistant as they used to be. So I took the bike to the local bike shop and asked them to do me some new Marathon Plus tyres, supposedly some of the most puncture resistant ones available. New tubes (since the rear is already doubly patched) and some new front brake blocks while it's there and all in all it's going to be quite expensive, but there you go. Still, it's cheaper than running a car or getting the bus every day.

Of course speaking of buses I then had to get one to work. I waited about 20 minutes for the every-10-minutes bus, but apparently it was actually 35 minutes since one of other people waiting had just missed the previous one. And guess what, two turned up at once.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

Still, it's cheaper than running a car

Speaking as the owner of a car which needed two new tyres and new front brakes earlier in the week, you betcha!

(Also needed a new radiator... bah.)

[lnr]

Some days a radiator on the bike would be quite appealing :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Ironically, having no radiator actually made my car warmer :)

But in a bad way.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

That is perfectly non-ironic. If it has no radiator, it cannot radiate.

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

I have some of the types with green goo inside that supposedly seals up punctures as they happen. It seems to work pretty well - the tyres do get very slowly flatter over time (I guess each sealed-puncture involves some air loss) but I've not had a proper puncture since I got them.

[lnr]

Tyres gradually lose pressure anyway over time, and need topping up once in a while. I think the trouble with the goo is that sometimes you have a puncture it can't handle, and then the goo gets in the way of doing a proper repair. Or so I've been told, I've never actually tried it.

Until this week I really genuinely don't think I've had a puncture since before we moved house 18 months ago though. Hopefully the new tyres will mean it's at least as long before I have another!

[damerell.livejournal.com]

On the London to Cambridge some years ago, we were with you when Mike had a puncture which spilled Slime everywhere, making the tube unfixable.

[lnr]

In that case the tyre was also buggered though, and I'm not sure if we'd have been able to fix that bad a hole even without the slime.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

I had a tyre boot with me, and I reckon we might have got a big patch on it.

[lnr]

I have to say despite the fact it was a rather non-typical occurrence it does rather put me off the stuff. Even if it does obviously work well for some people.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

TBH I don't know how well it _does_ work. Some people don't get punctures very often, but then, some unSlimed people don't either. I used to reckon on no more than one puncture every 500 miles when commuting.

[ptc24.livejournal.com]

You too? I've had a recurring front puncture which I finally changed the front tyre for, and then my rear tyre seems to have a slow one. And my pump has died, too...

Also I have a cold and need to arrange yet another dentist appointment, so the pucture gods couldn't have chosen their timing better...

[lnr]

Timing has definitely been an issue: had to repair yesterday's in double quick time and then cycle really quickly to get into the office early enough for a meeting, which was annoying when I'd got up early in plenty of time.

I do wonder if some of the extra punctures are as a result of debris from potholes, but although that's really annoying it mostly seems to be round black bits of broken tarmac, rather than pointy shards of flint.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Every time I used to get the bus, I would remember why I had a bike.

[lnr]

Actually on the way home it was almost perfect: a 5 minute wait is average for a 10-minute service, and to only take 35 minutes to do a timetabled 30 minute route at rush hour is pretty good going. Still took just over an hour to get home, once you count the walk at each end. The bike takes half an hour. I too know why I don't normally get the bus to work :)

Still, I get a lie in tomorrow because I can't pick the bike up until the shop opens at 9:30.

[catyak]

I saw three Citi 1 buses today, they were turning out of Campkin Road onto Arbury Road one after another. Two made it, the third got caught by the lights. I hope it wasn't too lonely, left on its own by its mates.

D