Test your kit before going on a long ride!
sweep
Posts: 360
Did the Gospel pass audax ride last weekend.
Descending from the pass I pinch flatted after hitting a pothole (pump up your tyres before you ride too!) and pulled over to fix the problem.
Took off rear wheel and encountered my first problem. Could not remove the tyre (Panaracer Pasela 700x32c) using my shiny new aluminium Lezyne tyre levers. It was very tight fitting and the Lezyne levers lack a hook to put round a spoke meaning that you need three hands to use them. They are also a bit short so leverage can be a problem.
Luckily I had my old Topeak Hummer multi-tool and the levers built into that did the trick. I fitted a spare tube and, after inflating it with my Crank Bros Power Pump managed to break the top off the valve stem letting all the (hard won) air out. I had a second spare tube and after fitting it inflated it carefully and managed to finish the ride.
I guess the moral of this story is to test kit before having to rely upon it and know how to use it when you need it. I had not used the Crank Bros pump for 18+ months and it was my ham-fistedness that caused the problem.
The Lezyne levers are going on EBay and I am getting a decent fame pump with a screw on hose.
Descending from the pass I pinch flatted after hitting a pothole (pump up your tyres before you ride too!) and pulled over to fix the problem.
Took off rear wheel and encountered my first problem. Could not remove the tyre (Panaracer Pasela 700x32c) using my shiny new aluminium Lezyne tyre levers. It was very tight fitting and the Lezyne levers lack a hook to put round a spoke meaning that you need three hands to use them. They are also a bit short so leverage can be a problem.
Luckily I had my old Topeak Hummer multi-tool and the levers built into that did the trick. I fitted a spare tube and, after inflating it with my Crank Bros Power Pump managed to break the top off the valve stem letting all the (hard won) air out. I had a second spare tube and after fitting it inflated it carefully and managed to finish the ride.
I guess the moral of this story is to test kit before having to rely upon it and know how to use it when you need it. I had not used the Crank Bros pump for 18+ months and it was my ham-fistedness that caused the problem.
The Lezyne levers are going on EBay and I am getting a decent fame pump with a screw on hose.
It\'s Only Rock n\' Roll But I Like It!
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Comments
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At least it was only a 150km, sweep.*
Now I'm worried. I haven't used my pump for around 4 years and never give it a second thought.sweep wrote:...I had not used the Crank Bros pump for 18+ months ...
*Off topic: I used to have a pet rabbit called sweep.A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill0 -
sweep wrote:Did the Gospel pass audax ride last weekend..
At first I thought that this was a question God approves cycling as an alternative to attending church! 8)
Road to Damascus TT, anyone? Mount of Olives hill climb?
Anyway, back to the OP, I had a similar problem last week, set out on the Summer bike for its first outing of the year and came across a stricken mate by the roadside. "Have no fear!", said I gallantly and reached for my seat wedge. However, when I opened it, I discovered that it had been burgled of everything except a spare tube and an old fig roll. No levers, no multitool. zilch.
The culprit? Me. Sometime in the Winter, I must have pillaged my own first aid box. What I cannot understand is why I didn't eat the fig roll at the same time. :shock:0
