JonBailey

1. Just this last Monday I went for a longer-than-usual bike ride along the Boise River Greenbelt in Idaho. I hit a wood screw on the way back and punctured the rear tire and tube. I pulled the screw out with my fingernail clippers and tried to inflate it with my emergency CO2 device. No luck. The green Slime would not seal the flat tire. It was just after 5 PM and getting dark and cold fast. I was about 2 miles from home and I thought I'd push the bike back. I was afraid of a big bill if I were to try to call a taxi on my cell phone. I got about a mile then my legs started hurting badly. I had already pedalled for about 3 miles before the flat. My head was feeling weird and my heart was beating fast and I was winded. I stopped and rested for about 5 minutes then tried to call a cab with the number in my contacts list. The recording said that number was no longer in service. I had about another mile to go to get home. I was feeling somewhat better so I tried to push it again. I got another quarter of a mile and was starting to have chest pains so I called 911 for an ambulance. I chained my bike to a lamp post while I was talking to the dispatcher. The paramedics and a fire engine came near the giraffe house of the Boise City Zoo in Julia Davis Park where I was. I was feeling so bad I could hardly take another step. So, about five hours later the doc releases me to go home after the enzyme heart blood test and chest x-ray came back normal. You, see I am age 54, male, non-smoker, non-drinker but 65 pounds overfat. The damn flat tire caused all that. I felt fine again after a long rest in a warm ambulance and ER room combined. I then called a cab to go home from the hospital. The cab was a dinky little hatchback. I told the dispatcher that I had a bicycle with a tall ape hanger handlebar and he said the hatchback would work fine with the back seat folded down. I had called another cab company and they said they had no vans available but they had Ford Crown Vics and assured me that my bike would fit in the trunk with the lid strapped down. I told her I did not want my frame scratched and then I tried another taxi outfit and ended up with a dinky hatchback about the size of a Toyota Matrix. The cabbie and I played hell getting my bike in that thing. I tried to get the front wheel off but couldn't release the front brake as the cable was too tight so the noodle wouldn't come loose. He put the bike in the back and bungied the hatch on the bike with the front wheel hanging out the back. He hit a speed bump and my bike slid back. He stopped and tightened up the bungies and I held the bike with my left hand by the rear wheel while sitting up front. We got home finally. He only charged me $9 flat fee and I gave the old man a $5 tip since the bike was a lot of trouble to deal with. My plastic mirror got cracked during the trip and I fixed it with crazy glue the next day.

I was also lucky I was able to call 911 because my battery was almost dead. My phone died at the hospital when I called for a cab so I had to use the ER lobby phone there.


2. After the Monday evening horror, I made new resolutions about going out bike riding in my condition:

a. never leave home without a fully-charged phone: the WiFi mode drained my phone fast as I had it on during the eventful bike ride gone bad
b. I programmed the current telephone numbers of not one but three local cab companies that I got off Google: two of them I know have large Crown Vics and/or vans: one of the numbers is for Yellow Cab
c. I will never go out again with carrying all the necessary tools to put in a new inner tube
d. I will never go out again, more than a mile from home, without at least one new tube and some Slime to put in it: the Slime works like magic for goat heads but forget it for a big screw: I've never had any luck with patch kits: the cement doesn't seem to adhere well to the tube even after sanding it with the included pad: I want to get home in a hurry should I get a flat, it's dark or cold out or really hot out, so a new tube is the quickest and most reliable way to go: about 10 minutes on the road to get a new tube in and rolling again if I hustle: it's a lot less exerting on my older body to roll on a bicycle a mile than try to walk it a mile

3. this stupid bike of mine uses a weird inner tube size: stock from pacific Cycle 700 x 35/42C, 45mm Schrader valve stem:Walmart only stocks a Bell tube in 700 35/43 with a stupid short 32mm Presta stem that was barely long enough to protrude from my stock Schwinn deep-V aluminum rim and put the nut and cap on so I had to buy one of those and improvise for now. I hate Presta valves. I did buy the Schrader adapters for it at Wally-World for $1.99. Presta is a pain to put Slime in. I saw a YouTube video on how to do it. It was hard but I managed to get the Slime in and the bike operational again. I ordered a 4-pack of Kenda tubes in 700 x 35/42C, LONG 48mm Schrader valve from amazon.com for $27.99 with shipping included.

4. it's hard to find an elegant and functional cargo solution for my bike with a rear rack to carry my emergency tool kit in: when my bike was new, I bought a rack top bag but my butt hit it when I was seated so I returned it. I don't like to use a backpack on long rides as that is uncomfortable: I use my backpack for short rides to the grocery store for milk or bread or something: I bought a pair of Pannier bags yesterday at walmart for $19.95, but the heels of my feet hit the damn things when I pedal so that is going back today. I finally used my rubber shaving bad as a travel tool kit and bungeed that on top of my rack. It seems OK but is not the most elegant thing in the world. I can get all my tools in this bag and there is enough space for a spare tube when it arrives. I have my compact hand pump bungeed over the top of the shaving bag long ways. I can also bungee my folded hat and gloves over this bag as well and my drinking water goes in the frame bottle cage. All in all, my rigged shaving bag doesn't look too bad. It is neat and compact and doesn't get in the way of seating of bicycle operation.
Inside the bag I also keep my CO2 inflator with a spare cylinder but my hand pump won't fit in the bag so it is neatly strapped over the top of the bag. I tried mounting the Bell pump and its included bracket to the frame using the stock water cage screws on the seat tube, but it did not look elegant mounted on the frame to me. I like to have the pump on top of the CO inflator for good measure.

5. I readjusted my brake cables for more slack so the noodles come off now.

washed up

Your day sucked and I'm glad you are fine but not sure why the bike is crap.

indyfabz

tl;dnr

but subscribed

burnthesheep

If you get over the Presta thing, that's an extremely standard sized Presta inner tube.

Buy a Presta tube with removable core. You just unscrew the core before ever using the tube, shoot in some Stan's, re-install the core and you're already pre-loaded with whatever your Slime would be able to do roadside. No need for roadside Slime at that point. Just your spare tube.

Most chain breaks and some spoke tools will work to loosen a removable core. Spoke wrench size #2 I think.

Next, for the phone battery part, if necessary buy one of those little battery charge cylinders. It's about the size of a roll of pennies and you pre-charge it. In a pinch you plug the phone to it and you have juice.

I take one when riding all day long and when I plan to be further than 30 miles or so from civilization.

Lastly, judging by what happened to you, thank goodness you made out OK.......I'd perhaps invest in either a phone app or a bike computer with the "live location" reporting. If something happens to you, the people you share it with at least know your last location.

Best regards and good luck.

Oh, and carry a fiver or tenner in case you need cash OR in case a tire gets trashed it can act as a pretty solid patch folded up between a tube and the tire.

katsup

The Schwinn Discover appears to be a BSO (Bike Shaped Object) from Walmart.

However, 3/5 of your complaints are about the times and not finding tubes in the correct size. BSOs are going to come with cheap tires to keep cost down, why didn't you visit a bike shop for the tube?

What I get from your post is that the bike came with tires that get punctures easily and had cheap brakes that go out of adjustment (glad you are OK). These are common issues with BSOs from my experience, I'd say you have been lucky so far as the stem kept coming loose with the BSO I had.

Charliekeet

Bandera

Ignored.

mtb_addict

that is like a franken bike...it has suspension like a mountain bike...it has wheels with strange spoke pattern like a high end road bike...it has threadless stem like non-BSO bikes...and it has swept back bar like a townie.

mstateglfr 

That was an epic rant. Kudos for taking the time, Jon Bailey.
Lets see if this thread manages to get as crazy as your threads that complain about hybrids not coming standard with ape hangars or your exceptionally terrible threads about bicycles and women or about Schwinn's history(according to you).


Oh- and after all that reading, i am not sure why your bike is crap. You hit a nail and werent prepared to fix it. Hardly the bike's fault.

indyfabz

This thread has DR85 written all over it.

bgreen

I would highly recommend that the O.P. see a cardiologist and ask for a walking stress test. In October of 2017, I felt dizzy while on a job site and a bit nauseous, which I don't normally do. Thirty minutes later, after I drove myself back to the shop, I had my wife pick me up and take me to the ER. My family on my Dad's side has a history of heart disease, so I didn't want to take any chances. I told them how I was feeling and they checked my pulse, bp, and heart enzymes. Everything was normal. They waited a while and checked them again and they were still normal. I never had any chest pain or numbness in my arm. I told them of my Dad's family heart history. Dad had 5 brothers. All worked construction and were physical. All six had at least a quadruple bypass.

Because of that information, the ER cardiologist admitted me to the hospital and ran a walking stress test the next day. The cardiologist told me the walking test gives better info than the chemical test. During the test they saw abnormalities. The following day they performed a heart cath and found four blockages. My front descending artery (widow maker) was 100% blocked. Three others were blocked 90%, 85% and 80%. The following day they performed a quadruple bypass. I was 57 years old, never smoked, don't drink, and ate a decent diet. I had been under a large amount of stress due to aging parents and a very busy work schedule.

Again, I didn't have chest pain or numbness. At the time I was just nauseous and "didn't feel right". Had I not persisted, they would have sent me home. As it was, I had no heart attack or damage to the hear muscle. It could have been a lot different...

Please get yourself checked out. It may not be anything but you are better off knowing for sure.

downhillmaster

indyfabz

See what happens when come out of a four-year hibernation and post?

prj71

Jon Bailey,

Have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe....That biking isn't for you?

And yes...You have a cheap bike shaped object as noted above...it is crap.

tagaproject6

In all fariness, your bike was the least of your problems. But you may want to buy a different bike NOT from Walmart. Try again.

rumrunn6

nice rant, epic bad day, many of us have had them cycling, with varied circumstances. I bailed with a cab this summer & the air conditioning was wonderful. these are the days that make us tough. "turn your head & spit" & move on with your life is what I've heard ppl say

badger1

qft

Those, those were the days ...

mtb_addict

Do you have high cholestrol?

JonBailey

I was afraid to call up local bike shops here for inner tubes because my experience indicates they are high price for things. I got that Bell tube at Walmart for under $5 with the Presta. I improvised and made that tube do until my Kenda tubes arrive via shopping. Te brakes are actually decent and I lost the slack in cables so the noodles pull out easily. Yes, my stock rear carrier is the one shown in the picture but it is not set back far enough so that saddle bags hanging on either side aren't kicked by pedaling feet. They did not design this stock rack very well for panniers and whatnot. The rack also does not have pannier guards to keep bags from hitting the wheel. I'm not a rich man so I had to make do with a BSO.

VegasTriker

nteresting reading but I came away with a bunch of questions about you and your bike. If a 3 mile ride on a mostly flat trail (river trails like rail trails have a very gradual change in elevation) you are either seriously out-of-shape or have a medical problem that needs diagnosis.
Is the bike properly assembled so that the wheels turn freely and the brakes do not rub? Either of these can make a bike much harder to pedal. No telling what your bike weighs but many of the department store bikes are more suitable for weight lifting than for cycling.

You expect too much of slime. It probably works well for tiny punctures like a thorn or piece of tire cord but to expect it to seal a hole the size of a wood screw is expecting an awful lot and you will be disappointed. Personally I hate the stuff and would never use it. I prefer presta valves and slime can make it very hard to fill because it gums up the valve core which has to move freely in order to fill and then seal. You can have a similar problem with Schrader valves. If you get slime on the outside of the tube and then try to patch it, good luck because no patch will ever adhere to even a small amount of slime. It's a good reason for not using slime if you intend to patch the tube on the road. At home, clean the tube with a small amount of solvent and a q-tip– paint thinner or camper's liquid fuel.

There are lots of inexpensive mini-pumps that can be stowed in a small handlebar bag. The Bell Stowaway 300 bag is large enough to fit the pump, a multitool, a spare tube, a patch kit, and tire tools. I bought mine on eBay for $8 (including shipping) and see it is available even now for that price.https://www.ebay.com/itm/BELL-Stowaway-Handlebar-Bag-for-Bicycle-Stowaway-300/283333458698?epid=13023921919&hash=item41f7fd7b0a:g:eJYAAOSwXh9cNlDD:rk:1f:1&frcectupt=true

JonBailey

No

JonBailey

It was not pedalling the bike that hurt my body. It was the attempt to walk it home with a flat tire about two miles that got me in trouble with the paramedic call. I rode my bike too far from home to comfortably walk it. Physically, I can ride a bicycle much farther than I can walk. Those river bikeways like I have are low grade. Going east from apartment is going uphill slightly and takes more effort or low speeds and gears.

If a car breaks down, one can call AAA or their auto insurance carrier if they have tow coverage. It does not seem like the bicycle world has its own emergency roadside service.

Coming back down river is almost like coating but walking the bike that distance is killer for me. Boise is also 2,750 feet elevation and I am used to northern California living most of my life at below 200 feet.

I don't think this tool bag will work on my 9.50" tall cruiser handle bar with a head light. The bag must not obstruct my light for night rides. The shaving bag on the rear rack with bungees works fine for me.

indyfabz

In the case of this thread, "turn your head and cough" is more appropriate.

mtb_addict

I routinely walk 10 miles on the weekend for exercise and stress relief.
It was difficult at first. Now I have no qualm about that. Once I walked 25 miles in one day.

In all these years, I have had to walk home only twice due to bike problem. And I ride nothing but BSO.

The reason is I keep my BSO in top condition at all times. Once I obtain a BSO, I tear it apart and grease the bearings and put it all back together. This ensures it's part together correctly. My BSO never failed me. Only two times I had flat tire and had to walk a mile or two. No problem.

People ride sucessfully around the world on BSO.

katsup

For reference tubes are about $9 installed here locally. You did fine with your presta adapter. After I got use to presta, I prefer them over schrader valves.
Both of these issues sound fixable, the brakes should be easy. Are you able to adjust the rack? Maybe watch a few youtube videos about installing racks will give you an idea of how to fix yours.
Shop used? You learn a lot once you get an idea of what you like.

Edit: I checked out the Boise craigslist out of curiosity, and there are quite a few decent bikes at good prices. I don't know your height, but spending ~$100 on a good used bike, they adding your personal touches ($50-$100) may be an option to consider.