BSLeVan

Yesterday's ride was an adventure right from the start. As I pumped up the tires, the back tire went flat from a failure where the valve stem enters the tube (This is the fourth such failure this season ) So, I'm off to a late start. I get three miles into the ride and come across two riders who flag me down. They have a flat, have used all of their air cartridges, and have no pump. I offer the use of my pump, and the guy doesn't know how to use it. I show him how, and then suffer the insult from his riding buddy: "I guess you ole timers are used to using that sort of stuff." I bite my tongue and don't say anything. OK, so now I'm back on the road, and it's hot and humid. I reach for my water bottle; it slips out of my hand and goes bouncing along the road. After the traffic passes, I retrieve the bottle; the top's been knocked off and it's empty. I'm about half way through my ride, and figure it will be OK. Then as I approach the last four miles, I get stung right on my throat my a bee (yellow jacket I think). This almost causes me to crash, but I manage to get it under control and stop. I'm able to pull the stinger out, but it really smarts. I make the last four miles without any other issues. Despite all of this, I found myself whistling in the shower. Sometimes I think that adversity actually makes the ride special. Am I alone on this thinking?

Catweazle

"Variety is the spice of life." The distractions, diversions and annoyances make the ride enjoyable because they make it memorable. Perverse creatures, aren't we?

The Weak Link

That which does not kill you makes you stranger.

Rick@OCRR

Adversity and Adventure make an otherwise forgetable ride memorable! My toughest rides provide the best stories for years and years after the ride is over.

Rick / OCRR

cooker

Do you only have a hand-held pump? If so, is it possible you are damaging the valve stems by rocking them as you pump? In that case, you need a floor pump at home.

chevy42083

I dunno... I've never had a ride that "bad".... and I consider most of my rides good

And yes, I'd say either a floor pump, or a small file around the rim hole is needed.

10 Wheels

83.7 miles, one flat from a 2" sheet rock nail (new tube). Galled backside from perspiration, Temperature 98* in the Hot Sun on the bike.

Try This on your tubes.

Place the valve nut on the inside of the rim. We ride 1,100 mile plus a month. Air up tires everyday.

Artkansas 

My definition of an adventure is an event that is more fun in the telling than the experience.

Glad you survived and in retrospect enjoyed it.

leob1

Check the inside of the rim around the hole, i'll bet there is a burr there. Or a sharp corner. The corner or burr can be removed with a large drill bit. just put the drill against the hole and twist it with your fingers. Use just enough pressure to ease the edge of the hole.

I lost a Zefal HP to traffic, hit a bump and the pump took a left turn. I stopped to try to get it, look behind me and it was already very flat. I really liked that pump.

BTW, as far as the insult, a good come back would have been "Yeah, that new stuff is good, if you know how to use it"

Beverly

The small file around the rim hole ended my rash of flats a couple years ago Five flats in 25 miles before I found the offending bugger

rocoach

In the old days (Wolber tubulars) I NEVER had problems with valve failures, despite never having ever used a floor pump. I've had 3 such flats in the past month with my new Mavic Open Pros and Bontrager tubes. I assumed it's because I'm too rough with my Zefal hand pump, allied to cheap rubber/tube manufacture. Next time it happens I'll look for roughness in the rim and I think I'll try that retaining nut trick (which I had thought of doing, but figured the nut itself would damage the tube).

AngeloOldSpokes

see, the difference between a nice guy like you and a ******* like me is this is the point where I take back my pump and ride off into the sunset, leaving them to fend for themselves.

cranky old dude

IMHO the quality of any ride is entirely dependent on the Nut holding the
handlebars!

cyclinfool

Bad rides are the ones that never happened in the first place. This can be because some family emergency or other catastrophic event that makes you miss. A flat, an unthoughtful kid, a spilled bottle and a bee sting don't count because at least you got out there and rode.

Wanna talk about bottle issues - I tossed a bottle out of my bottle cage a couple of seasons back - bounced up in my spokes (flat blade spokes) and cut the bottle wide open.

BSLeVan

Thanks for the suggestions regarding the flats. I do use a floor pump, always have the valve nut installed, and have checked the edges of the valve holes. Hence, I'm inclined to think it's a less than great tube, but since I bought a dozen of them when on sale, I'm still using them.

lighthorse

I agree with cooker, since I have switched to a floor pump style mini pump I have not had a failure at the base of a valve stem. When I was using my Blackburn frame pump I caused a lot of failures in that place.

BSLeVan

I am using a floor pump. So, that is clearly not the cause.