Indeed, spring is upon us here in the midwest. As you know I had to put down the winter bike last week, and the official first sign of spring, not spotting the robin, rather the first puncture of the year occurred. On my side of town it is a peculiar tradition that when one has finished a beverage in a glass container that the appropriate disposal method is to hurl it toward the street at a velocity necessary for the container to shatter. This practice leads to an inordinate amount of glass shards on the roadway and the snowmelt reveals their collection along the gutters. I believe it is a combination of higher tire pressure and my not ready for summer sprints physique that leads to changing as many as three punctures a week. waiting for the flowers

Unfortunately this year’s passage into the season is not as simple as times past. This year, I must be carrying a few extra potato chips because I cracked the rim. What pains me the most is that this is the very time that 95 percent of the bicycling public (including passive rec riders) has their rides in the shop for repair and tuning. Since I cannot build a wheel myself, I have to wait a full week to be back on the ride.

What did I learn from this flat? –
(1)Do not disassemble the winter ride until you are confident the summer ride is in good condition.
(2)Do not start the season at such girth
(3)Ride toward the center of the lane until the street sweeper comes through.

So, I have to serve out this seven-day sentence as the sun shines and the temperature rises. Fortunately, I will be back on top again for a long season, goal 2500 miles before the end of September. This is the greatest time of the year, happy biking everyone.