2014-02-10 - Around Park on Single Speed

Miles: 5.5
Start Time 2:52
Moving Time: 34:21
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.6
Max Spd(M): 14.5
Temp Out: 72
Temp In: 72

Miles: 5.8
Start Time 4:55
Moving Time: 36:50
Elevation(Ft): 0
Avg Spd(M): 9.3
Max Spd(M):
Temp Out: 70
Temp In: 70

A quick 5 laps around park. Before the ride I spent 1-2 hours fixing the slow leak in the SS front tire. It has been there several days and I have been pumping it up every day but decided to deal with it today. I put on about 5 patched before I got a good one then found a second hole in the tube. I could find nothing in the tire so I guess it was an in and out puncture. The second hole appeared to be the result of a partially exposed spoke nipple. I re-positioned the rim tape and hopefully that will end that problem.

The secret seems to be the glue. In this climate once the glue is opened it does not seem to last long, certainly not through the summer. Once I got out a new patch kit and used the new glue I got results. With a previously opened tube of glue the patches would not hold, period. The patches held outside the tire but as soon as the tube was put in the tire and pumped up they would leak. Frustrating! I have been buying single use tubes of Superglue for some time. I need to find the equivalent tire patch glue. It does not make sense to use a $4-5 patch kit for each flat. At that price a new tube makes more sense. I had no choice this time because I have no extra tubes for this bike.

The tires and tubes are the old 26 x 1 3/8 size. I think Walmart carries the tubes. I bought a 26 x 1 3/8 tire there some time ago thinking it would fit my 26" mountain bike. Wrong! 26" mountain bike rims are a different size than the old 26" road bike rims. Of course I did not know that at the time. 26" mountain bike tire sizes are expressed in decimals, i.e. 26 x 1.5 while the road bike sizes are fractional s in 26 x 1 3/8.

There is a new metric ISO standard for bike rims and tires which makes much more sense but the old inch and metric sizes are used universally in the market. 26 x 1 3/8 is ISO 590, 26 x 1.0 to 2.125 is ISO 559 and standard modern 700C road bike rims and tires are ISO 622. The ISO number is the bead seat diameter in millimeters. Just to add more confusion to an already illogical standard the new 29" mountain bike tires and rims are also ISO 622 which means some 700c road bike tires can be used on 29" mountain bikes if the road tire is fat enough to engage the wider mountain bike rim.

While I was on the ride the new tires for the second mountain bike I am refurbishing came. After the ride I went to my mailbox and the grips were there so I have all the stuff to finish this bike except the rear brake cable. I may mount the tires and grips this evening. I will get the cable on my next trip to or through Yucca Valley, either on a shopping trip or on the way to deliver the bikes to LA. I have to talk to my daughter so work out the delivery situation.

Update 6:30 PM I went out just before 5:00 to ride an easy 30 minutes or so. A good part of the time I rode with Ron, a Canadian here for the winter with two KTM motorcycles, a mountain bike and kayak. We chatted about bikes and the weather mostly.