I felt a familiar buzzing sensation on my back as I cycled home yesterday. I have my phone set to silent whenever I’m on the radio and I sometimes forget to switch it back to ring once I’m finished. While it’s on silent it simply vibrates to let me know that someone’s trying to call.
Pauline was phoning me to see how close I was to home. She was taking Emily out and James was to stay home with me. I told Pauline that I was only 5 minutes away from home. It was probably closer to 3 or 4 but I was very nearly home.
500 metres down the road I heard the sound that all cyclists hate. Phht phht phht phht …. I had just ridden through some glass and the rim of my back wheel was now making contact with the road. I haven’t had a flat for ages and one one of the rare times that I had to rush home … it happens.
After a quick call home to say I’d be a tad longer than I expected, I promptly went about changing my tube. I checked the tyre and found a piece of glass about 8 or 10 cm away from the valve, which I quickly fished out with my pocket knife.
I then put my spare tube in and pumped a few times before getting back on my bike and heading for home. Normally I would have pumped up the old tube a little to see exactly where the hole was and then check the corresponding spot on the tyre but I was in a hurry and I’d already removed the glass.
This morning before cycling in to work I used my track pump to get the tyre back up to 110 psi. Once I got to work I pulled the old tube out to patch it. I pumped it up a little to find the hole and air immediately started hissing from a large hole opposite the valve.
So, the glass I pulled out of the tyre hadn’t caused the puncture after all. The glass that did is either still in there, getting ready for another go at the tube or it was a larger piece that simply went in and out as I cycled over it.
You’ll have to excuse me for a while. I’m off to have a really close look at my back tyre.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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