Newbie made newbie mistake

dcomp

So I decided about a year ago that I wanted to get into road cycling....never did anymore than make that decision so 12 months on, I made a new decision to enforce the original decision.

A week later and I am the owner of a Marin Argenta (went round and round in circles on what first bike to buy and decided that the offer of 30% off a brand new Marin because I live in the same postcode area as the UK distributor) was too hard to resist....

Would be interested to get people's comments on the Marin....sure it'll be fine for me for a couple of years though.

Anyway, this morning was D-Day. Bike purchased, essentials purchased, bike set, ready to go, 6:15 alarm, 6:30 I leave the house...

Approximately 2 miles later, yup, puncture....that's OK thought I, whip the back wheel off, remove the tyre find the offending location, quick fix, back on the bike and off I go....

Disaster...

Wheel off: Check
Tyre off: Check
Puncture located: Check
Puncture repaired: Check
Pump: B******s
2 mile walk home with new bike + puncture: Check.

The shiny new pump to go with a shiny new bike and shiny new everything was sitting on my shiny worktop in my kitchen.

I have learned 2 lessons from this: First, carry pump at all times. Second, carry at least one inner tube with you and fix the puncture later.

I shall visit Halfords for inner tubes later (all the independant bike shops have closed round here now sadly) and won't make that mistake again.

Was a very disappointing start to the day which I'm sure has happened to others.

Can't wait to get out tomorrow...surely it can't happen 2 days in a row....

Anonymous

if it can, then it will!

Omar Little

A newbie mistake is assuming only newbies make mistakes like that from time to time :oops:

Marin were originally a mountain bike brand, one of the big players that helped popularise mountain biking in the 1990s and were responsible for one of the first dual suspension bikes that actually worked. Think road bikes are relatively new to them but im sure they will be good too.

paul_mck

one tip bring a schrader to presta adapter then you can use a car pump in a garage if stuck.

logitech208

Gutted hopefully hasn't put you off to much, One thing I would recomend though and anybody who buys a new bike should do is replace the stock tyres straight away, new bikes seem to come with paper thin tyres that are just rubbish.

MichaelW

Marin are made in the same Taiwanese factory as most other quality bikes. It is a good brand and a good bike, as long as you bought it at a good price.
Carry a spare inner, pump, tyre levers and a patch kit.
You shouldnt get a puncture every ride, maybe every year or 2.
Check your wheels: remove the tyres and inner tubes. Check the rim for protruding spokes, twisted rim tape and sharp edges on the valve holes.

StorckSpeed

I'm not a newbie but every now and again I forget to take my pump, usually when I've spent a lot of time commuting with everything stuffed in my back-pack, then jump on the road bike for a long Sunday run. I've resorted to buying a small seat-bag for each of my bikes with a spare tube and cheap CO2 cartridge pump stuffed in them. I still grab the pump and another spare tube just in case (I've also resorted to storing the pump and tube inside my cycle helmet).
Slightly expensive I know but better than the long walk of shame, or just as bad is having to phone the other half and beg her to come and get you, this usually results in some sort of bribe involving shoes, so it's cheaper with the multiple seat-bags. :-)
So it's not just a rookie mistake - I reckon it's cause we all spend so long getting kitted out, then make sure we have water bottles, gels, cereal bars, then desperate to rush off we ultimately forget something and one day we'll pay the price. Get yourself organised and you'll reap the rewards.

cookeeemonster

logitech208 wrote:

Gutted hopefully hasn't put you off to much, One thing I would recomend though and anybody who buys a new bike should do is replace the stock tyres straight away, new bikes seem to come with paper thin tyres that are just rubbish.

+1 to this - check out the tyres threads for puncture resistant tyres - my favourite is durano pluses though others like gatorskins (and dozens of others...)

basically putting cheap/crap tyres on to their bikes is one of the ways manufacturers keep their costs down. As long as they don't burst on the test ride (unlikely, and assuming you have a test ride) then it doesn't matter to them how bad the tyres are - no one will blame the bike if a tyre gets a puncture, it's just something that happens...

This is true of £100 bikes and £1000 bikes - they are all in a price war and the tyres are the first to be compromised...

dcomp

MichaelW wrote:

Marin are made in the same Taiwanese factory as most other quality bikes. It is a good brand and a good bike, as long as you bought it at a good price.
Carry a spare inner, pump, tyre levers and a patch kit.
You shouldnt get a puncture every ride, maybe every year or 2.
Check your wheels: remove the tyres and inner tubes. Check the rim for protruding spokes, twisted rim tape and sharp edges on the valve holes.

I got it fresh out of the box, built for me for sub £475.

Wheels checked, all ok. Just freak bad luck and weak tyres I think.

dcomp

Really appreciate all the replies people: Hasn't put me off at all but thought I would share the experience as it made me laugh!

It does lead to a question raised by one of the replies...

Can you make suggestions for good quality tyre replacements? You are right, these are paper thin and I was perhaps lucky to get even 2 miles....it's just knowing what to buy and what to expect to pay for them?

Also, inner tubes seem to be a minefield....I'm fairly certain that there can be little difference between normal and extra super-duper light tubes when I'm carrying a load of accessories and drink but the question is whether or not I go for regular 'Halfords-esque' types, latex ones, ones with stuff in them, continental or something else?

Oh and one other thing.....I must also remember that my road bike is not a mountain or BMX bike and I cannot jump it on and off curbs with no consequence.....that wasn't the cause of this morning but it was one of a few observations I made whilst on the walk of shame....(a phrase I hadn't thought I'd use in this context!)

Peddle Up!

paul_mck wrote:

one tip bring a schrader to presta adapter then you can use a car pump in a garage if stuck.

Is that wise? I would have thought that a garage air line would overinflate a road tyre in no time flat!

paul_mck

not tried it but we used to do it as kids all the time. Just go handy and use feel as I dought the gauge goes high enough.

Its very much a last resort measure but might get you out of a hole.

Gizmo_

Peddle Up! wrote:

paul_mck wrote:

one tip bring a schrader to presta adapter then you can use a car pump in a garage if stuck.

Is that wise? I would have thought that a garage air line would overinflate a road tyre in no time flat!

Strongly discouraged.

I read somewhere that the air from those machines comes out 'hot' because of the pressure too, which can cause issues. If you inflated it gently, bit by bit, maybe it'd be OK. I can't be bothered to work out the actual air volume of a 700x23 tyre vs a car's 225/50/17 (for example) though.

paul_mck

I really am talking get you home stuff here though. wouldnt be the first time Ive went to use my pump and it wont work due to a failed seal or something.

NITR8s

dcomp wrote:

Really appreciate all the replies people: Hasn't put me off at all but thought I would share the experience as it made me laugh!

It does lead to a question raised by one of the replies...

Can you make suggestions for good quality tyre replacements? You are right, these are paper thin and I was perhaps lucky to get even 2 miles....it's just knowing what to buy and what to expect to pay for them?

Also, inner tubes seem to be a minefield....I'm fairly certain that there can be little difference between normal and extra super-duper light tubes when I'm carrying a load of accessories and drink but the question is whether or not I go for regular 'Halfords-esque' types, latex ones, ones with stuff in them, continental or something else?

Oh and one other thing.....I must also remember that my road bike is not a mountain or BMX bike and I cannot jump it on and off curbs with no consequence.....that wasn't the cause of this morning but it was one of a few observations I made whilst on the walk of shame....(a phrase I hadn't thought I'd use in this context!)

Be careful with tyres, cheap ones will pucture and so will really expensive ones as they are made for racing so are light weight and not durable. Something like Schwalbe Lugano are fine as they are training tyres and less likley to pucture and will last longer. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-lugano-road-tyre/#tabCustReviews £11.84 on wiggle.

As for jumping off curbs, I used to do that on my old road bike as well as get some airtime off humps in the road but wouldnt dare do it on my new pinarello.

djhermer

Tyres: http://www.primera-sports.com/products/ ... -3788.aspx

Bought these a few weeks ago. Covered approx 800 miles on them, which is of course absolutely nothing as far as a good tyre is concerned, but it allows me to confidently comment on them. Very happy - and i got them from Primera for £27 a tyre in the sale.

Importantly, they were available with a red sidewall to match the red on my frame...

jonnoak

Lol.. Im also a newbie and got my 1st puncture as well earlier in the week (only about 5 miles out) I now have a pump fitted and carry puncture repair kit and some tools !!, put it down to experience and hope to learn from it.