Flat Tire: Round Two

I got my second flat tire today whilst riding to work. This seems to be a trend for me. Only get flats when I'm on my way to a paying gig. Wonderful. I walked back home, since it was marginally closer to walk back than to continue on towards the Loop. I already made that trek and am not interested in repeating it. Of course, I was lazy and did not patch my other tube before venturing out onto that treacherous bike path, so when I got off my bike to roll up my pants (cause I'm awesome like that) the tell-tale hissing noise coming from my rear tire made my stomach plummet. I mean, twice in one week! What are the odds? (Actually they are quite good, since my laziness means that I don't pump up my tires before rolling out. Major fail.)

As promised, I said I would detail my adventures in tube patching, so here goes!

Tubes as it turns out are made of pretty thick rubber. I suppose this makes sense when you think about filling them with air to 120 PSI, but I guess I always thought of them as being rather fragile. Well, delicate prairie flowers, these are not, and consequently, it's not always easy to tell where the hole is in a tube. According to my handy patch kit, the best way is to blow the tube up and put it underwater and see where the bubbles come out. This works fantastically well, so I highly recommend it.

Next you have to sand the area around the tube to create an even scored surface that the vulcanizing agent (aka glue) can bind to. Patch kits usually come with a tiny square of sand paper just for this task. Then you have to apply the glue and let it set for about ten minutes. Then put the patch on like a sticker and you're done! Well, you're done if you make sure that there is enough glue on the tube to bind to the entire patch. If you're awesome, like me, you'll only add a dollop of glue to the place where the hole is, smear it around for good measure, and then have to reapply more when you realize that the entire patch has to bind to the tube, or else no dice. Moral of the story, don't be like me. Be sure to make the glue spot big enough the first time around. It's not like you're going to use that vulcanizing agent for anything else, right?

I'm letting my patches get some rest overnight and then tomorrow we're off to the races. By races, I mean commute to work. Same thing. This time I will DEFINITELY bring a spare tube and tire levers along with me. Speaking of which I seem to have lost my second tire lever. Good thing they're horrendously expensive (actual price $1).

Lesson learned: No really, don't leave the house without supplies to change a flat! And also take the extra 30 seconds to top off the tires.

Next up, FUNdraising: the trials & tribulations, what NOT to do, and of course, audience participation!