back in dc and getting around on the marin, which needs a lot of work. yesterday i finally got some new brake pads, freeing me of the dangers of ramming into the cars/pedestrians that often make abrupt stops in front of me (sudden doors, too). felt good to get my hands dirty again.
but TODAY i discovered that my back wheel went flat... right before i had to rush off to an important meeting too! luckily it was a slow leak so i was able to get there fine after pumping it up. had to walk the bike back from city hall after the meeting, but since i'm back in an urban area it didn't take long to get back in my apartment (with a stop for tubes along the way).
last year i was pretty negligent about getting my hands dirty and working on my bikes. fixing that starting now!
as you can see, the marin's in desperate need of a cleaning. unforgivable!
but back to the flat. lucky for me, this was only my second flat since 2006. i'm thinking the tube might've gotten pinched while i was hauling it down the stairs yesterday. or maybe it's because i've been biking around a lot of glass. way more glass on the streets here than it's been in the bay area.
always have to inspect the tire while changing flats to make sure the flat-causing culprit's still not there. during my last flat, the tiny piece of glass that cause it was still lodged into my tire after i lugged the bike inside.
tried out marc's method of inserting the tube into the wheel first, but it didn't really work for me this time around.
instead, i tried putting the tube into the tire first, and then inserting the entire thing. worked like a charm.
i didn't even need to use tire levers to get the tire back onto the wheel. might be because i've worn out the tire from riding around so much.
didn't bother to change out of my nicer clothes when i got back since i wanted to get this done asap. there's no need anyway. managed to keep the grease from staining my garments. even if i did, it'd be a mark of pride.
when the new tube's in, it's good to pump. i have a patch kit too but sometimes it's a pain to look for the tiny little hole causing the tube to leak. i'll give it a closer look over the weekend.
got my hands nice and black and dirty.
i was itching cleaning the bike too. unfortunately i only had time to change the flat and to wipe down my chain and derailleur briefly. that alone got my hands even blacker than what you see here.
ah i've been a bad owner to the marin. bike cleaning party soon!
i got a lot of the gunk on the floor, so i had to spend a good 30+ minutes scrubbing away at the ground. stains on hands are good, but not so much on the apartment floor. time to designate some old shirts as bike cleaning covers.
but TODAY i discovered that my back wheel went flat... right before i had to rush off to an important meeting too! luckily it was a slow leak so i was able to get there fine after pumping it up. had to walk the bike back from city hall after the meeting, but since i'm back in an urban area it didn't take long to get back in my apartment (with a stop for tubes along the way).
last year i was pretty negligent about getting my hands dirty and working on my bikes. fixing that starting now!
as you can see, the marin's in desperate need of a cleaning. unforgivable!
but back to the flat. lucky for me, this was only my second flat since 2006. i'm thinking the tube might've gotten pinched while i was hauling it down the stairs yesterday. or maybe it's because i've been biking around a lot of glass. way more glass on the streets here than it's been in the bay area.
always have to inspect the tire while changing flats to make sure the flat-causing culprit's still not there. during my last flat, the tiny piece of glass that cause it was still lodged into my tire after i lugged the bike inside.
tried out marc's method of inserting the tube into the wheel first, but it didn't really work for me this time around.
instead, i tried putting the tube into the tire first, and then inserting the entire thing. worked like a charm.
i didn't even need to use tire levers to get the tire back onto the wheel. might be because i've worn out the tire from riding around so much.
didn't bother to change out of my nicer clothes when i got back since i wanted to get this done asap. there's no need anyway. managed to keep the grease from staining my garments. even if i did, it'd be a mark of pride.
when the new tube's in, it's good to pump. i have a patch kit too but sometimes it's a pain to look for the tiny little hole causing the tube to leak. i'll give it a closer look over the weekend.
got my hands nice and black and dirty.
i was itching cleaning the bike too. unfortunately i only had time to change the flat and to wipe down my chain and derailleur briefly. that alone got my hands even blacker than what you see here.
ah i've been a bad owner to the marin. bike cleaning party soon!
i got a lot of the gunk on the floor, so i had to spend a good 30+ minutes scrubbing away at the ground. stains on hands are good, but not so much on the apartment floor. time to designate some old shirts as bike cleaning covers.
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