Originally Posted by
datlas
On today's ride, it struck me that there are sometimes "quirky" things we cyclists do that are a good idea (possibly) but not commonly known or done.
Here is one of mine:
After riding near glass or even shardy looking grit, I reach down with my hand and briefly brush off the front and rear tires. This loosens any sharps before they get into the tread and, I believe, reduces the risk of flat tires. The down side is you may wear out your glove or even slightly injure your hand (if you use direct skin contact) but for me it's worthwhile.
I don't ever see my friends do this. It's a habit I picked up from my cycling days in Baltimore back in the 1980's where broken glass on the streets was common.
Feel free to critique and/or post your own gems of wisdom that are not commonly known.
I just use tire savers for this, I figure the small amount of energy lost is worth the pain of booting a tire and replacing the tube (the one bike that doesn't have them, I had to do just that a couple weeks back, so it's getting the tiresavers installed soon). I had the bike at the shop a couple of weeks back and the mechanic called and asked what they wire things near the brakes were and if they were just there to make noise.