New Bicycle — First Flat Tire

Monday morning I rode my bicycle down to the community center to swim, and then took it via bus to the RiverMarket Cyclery shop. Since they open at 10 a.m. and this was 7:30 a.m., I left it hooked up to their bicycle rack outside, and gave them a call at 10 a.m. so they could bring it in and work on it.

As you may recall in a previous blog, I picked up the bicycle, new, on Saturday, but they didn’t have time to install the accessories. So today they put on the rear bicycle rack, front and rear lights, and the 9-function odometer.

When I arrived after work, the bicycle was all accessorized, and the manual for operating the odometer was attached to the rear rack. Since everything was paid for on Saturday, I thanked everyone and went out the front door.

Now on Saturday and Sunday, while riding around, I had gotten the impression that it was easier to ride the new bicycle. I could ride in top gear just fine, and shifting down and up was easier to do.  But I wasn’t able to determine whether I was actually going faster or slower.  I had been told that this bicycle should be geared higher (if by higher it means that it will go faster for the same speed of pedalling), but I didn’t have any statistical point of comparison.

Today, as I crossed the Heart of America Bridge, and then rode the bicycle up Swift Ave. in NKC, I looked at the odometer — my speed was 3-5 mph faster than the odometer readings from my previous bicycle. So assuming that both odometers were equally calibrated, that means I have gained about 3-5 mph from the use of my new bicycle.

I was thinking this somewhere around 16th Ave when I noticed something about the sound and drag of the back tire.  I was actually going quite fine, but when I pulled over, I saw that the back tire was actually quite flat.

So I started walking back the 2+ miles to the bicycle shop and gave them a call to let them know I had somehow gotten a flat and was headed back. the guy on the phone asked me if I would be able to get back by  6 p.m. when they closed. I told him it would be close. Then I called Betsy and told her what had happened and what was going to hold me up from getting home.

Well by the time I got around the corner at Swift and 10th Ave., A truck was turning the corner from Heart of America to 10th. It turned out to be Billy from the Cycle shop, who had hopped in their truck to see if he could find me to give me the fix. (I later saw that I had missed a call  from the shop sometime while walking back — presumably his call to let me know he was coming and looking for me).

So right there he pulled out the equipment and I got a full tutorial on how to pop the wheels on and off my bicycle, along with him doing a diagnostic on the flat.  There didn’t seem to be anything that had punctured the tube, it looked more like a pinch of some sort, possibly from running over a plate, he suggested. I mentioned I had specifically be trying to avoid all such things, including the drainage grates on the bridge.

Obviously his expertise made it go smooth, but even so I could see how much better designed my new bicycle was that the old one, to facilitate things like taking wheels on and off. It was even easy to change the tube on the back tire and get it back onto the bicycle.

After the repair he said there was no charge for the tube, that it was warranteed at this stage, which was nice.

Now, I need to caveat that I realize that what was done was beyond expectation. Roadside service is not anything included anywhere in any form of service package. But let me say it has sealed my appreciation and commitment to my bicycle shop — I will tell this story about them and refer them to other people talking about bicycles even more than I would have before today.

That is how having my first flat was actually a good thing.  It happened somewhere where I could get assistance, and learn more about bicycle maintenance — and remind me the things I should consider picking up and having ready to repair my bicycle for future need.

On another aside, the odometer I chose this time is different from the one on my last bicycle in a way I didn’t realize until I read the manual, and then actually looked at it. The previous odometer had a wi-fi connection between the monitor and the measuring device. This odometer actually has a cable between the sensor probe and the computer monitor. With how well it has been installed, I think this version will be a lot less prone to failure issue.