Wanted: Live-In Bike Mechanic (LOL)

For a fleeting moment, I thought about posting an ad with this heading (haha). I woke up the other morning really excited about the 75-mile bike ride I was going to go on because the route looked like it was going to be scenic and away from high-congested areas. The start point was very close to my place, and then headed southeast towards Enumclaw (in the general direction towards Mount Rainer) and then looping back via Maple Valley - an excellent way to spend 5 hours. I grabbed my road bike and went to pump my tires like I always do before every ride. But, when I went to remove the cap, *whoosh* the presta valve went along with it. Crap!! Oh well, I was just thinking it's been a while since I last replaced my tubes, so be it. Then, I went to look at my rear tire and it was flat as well!! WTF!?!?! I think I may have jinxed myself by reading a funny article about fixing flats in my latest Bicycling magazine just the night before. Argh - and, I only had 1 spare. Note to self....*always* keep at least 3 backup tubes for times like this.

So, I stared at my bike forlornly hoping that at that moment prince velo would show up at my front door on a brand new Italian or Spanish-made bike with a matching one for me and we would ride into the sunset forever, or least to the starting point of my ride which was scheduled to start at 9:00 am. But, alas, Ivan Basso is back home in Italy getting ready to ride with his new team, Liquigas, despite his 2-year suspension for blood-doping. So, it was up to me to deal with it. Now, don't get me wrong - I am quite capable of fixing my own flats (I've had way too many flats to keep count) but, it's nice to have someone else around who is comfortable with tools and who likes to be the hero and come to the aid of his sporty damsel in mechanical distress (oh, come on ladies - admit it!). Oh well, my hero for today wasn't available until 9:00 - that was when my local bike shop opened up. Luckily, I have two excellent bike shops to choose from: Bicycle Center (of Issaquah), and Veloce Velo. I kept my cycling clothes on with the goal to get on the road no later than 11 am. I may not be going 75 miles but I was going for a ride.

I came home with 3 spare tubes (darn it - I was supposed to buy 5 so I have the 3 backups - argh!), some cute new socks (retail therapy) and new gel tape for my handlebars. I replaced the tube on my front tire in no time. However, my back tire had a puncture and I figured, since I'm replacing the tube, I may as well replace the tire itself since it was pretty worn anyway and I've been wanting to install the new tires I bought a couple months ago. A few blood, sweat, and tears later, my right rear tire was on and as good as new - new tire, new tube....sweet! But, my front tire was looking old and weathered, so I figured, "oh, let's change that tire as well." Sigh, I should've just gotten on the road while I was ahead. The new tires were a little stiff and not as flexible as my old tires so it was a little hard to get that final bit tucked into the rim. By then, my hands were tired, my fingers ached, and my fingernails black (or, what was left of them). I tried but literally had no strength left in my hands to stretch that last part into the rim. Ugh, it was afternoon and I was seriously cussing out the bicycle gods for ruining my perfect plans for an awesome bike ride. I finally quit, grabbed my rim with 1/4 of the tire untucked and went back down to my local bike shop. I must've look really pathetic because I was helped immediately, the last bit of the tire tucked in and pumped to the full 110 psi that I like, and handed a complimentary coupon for my next bike tune-up (value $70!!).

So, now my road bike is ready to go with spankin' new tubes and tires. To anyone who rides a bike, it's a good idea to check your local bike shop and see if they hold any clinics on bicycle maintenance 101 - or at the very least...how to fix a flat. It happens a lot sooner and way more frequently than you think. And, avoid reading any articles on fixing flats the night before a ride :-) I did manage a ride on my road bike yesterday. It was only 45 miles but I was on my own so I didn't pace myself and pretty much hammered the entire hilly route - it felt great to pound out the frustrations from the day before. OK, back to my local bike shop for more spare tubes.