Bike maintenance 😔
NorthCascades
Posts: 10,968 Member
I went out for a long lunch ride, but my watch told me to change the batteries in my pedals. It's been telling me for days, I can only ignore it for so long or in back to using heart rate. 😳 And: if it's not on Strava it didn't happen.
After finding the right ones and getting them in, I went back out and ran over some glass, traffic was too thick and fast to be able to avoid it. I just totaled a $90 tire. It might still work with a tube, I'll see if Bike Works wants it.
I forgot what a pain it is to change a tube. I got a pinch flat on my spare wheels a year and a half ago, and haven't used them since. Can't believe I used to do this by the side of the road.
I'm about to clean and re lubricate the drive train for the rest of my lunch break and ride after work. 🚴♂️ 🙂
A good friend of mine told me this is why she prefers running.
After finding the right ones and getting them in, I went back out and ran over some glass, traffic was too thick and fast to be able to avoid it. I just totaled a $90 tire. It might still work with a tube, I'll see if Bike Works wants it.
I forgot what a pain it is to change a tube. I got a pinch flat on my spare wheels a year and a half ago, and haven't used them since. Can't believe I used to do this by the side of the road.
I'm about to clean and re lubricate the drive train for the rest of my lunch break and ride after work. 🚴♂️ 🙂
A good friend of mine told me this is why she prefers running.
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Replies
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I can't remember the last time I had to change a tire. I run tubeless in my MTB and bow at the alter of Stan's. Yesterday right when I was about to leave to meet my friend for a ride she texts us and says she just pulled a rock out of her tire while pumping up and there was a hole and it's leaking so instead of riding she has to take it to the bike shop to get more Stan's put in. I text back quick and tell her to start spinning her wheel to disburse the Stan's in there so it can plug the hole. Thankfully that worked, she called me a genius, and we got in our ride!
Sadly, I probably fall into the category of :"if it's not on Strava it didn't happen". But mainly I want it in Training Peaks because I'm addicted to my TSS number.1 -
I've been doing road tubeless for years, it takes every swear I know to get the tire on and off the rim, but you usually only need to do that once I've the life of the tire. In this case it was a large enough cut that there's no way it could seal, a tube probably wouldn't hold without a boot and that's verboten.
I find that power is so much more useful for pacing and good judging my fitness.1 -
Tubeless can come with the headaches of installation.
- I find it very helpful to use the groove in the center of the tubeless rim. Secure one side of the bead in the groove and then begin to move to the other.
- Once you have the tire nearly mounted, leave a small section, on one side, off the rim (6 inches).
- Pour Stan’s or Orange Seals (my favorite) in until you have a pretty good amount. You can use a new AVID brake bleed or ROCKSHOX bleed syringe to get the measurement exact to the directions from the manufacturer.
- Put on a glove to roll the remaining section of tire back on the rim. (This will save your from tearing up your hands).
- Once the tire is on, check to make sure the area near the valve is covered by the loose tire.
- Remove the valve core to allow maximum air flow.
- I have found pumps like the Bontrager Charger to be very effective, but nothing beats an air compressor! (Efficient Velo makes a great presta attachment for this).
- As you fill the tire with air, it may seat immediately (lucky you!). If not, try rolling the tire and applying pressure to the areas that are not quite getting the hint.
- Once seated, and holding air, shake the wheel around on a vertical and horizontal plane allowing the sealant to get to any small area leaks.
- A quick ride afterwards ensures that the sealant is truly mixed and dispersed.
- MOST PEOPLE NEGLECT THIS PART! Sealant drys over time. Be sure to add sealant every 6 months or so. Yes, your tire may still be holding air, but is there enough sealant in there to seal up your next flat?
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@NorthCascades - Not sure what you use to clean your drivetrain. Pro Gold makes a product called Blast Off. It is awesome! Iso Alcohol works well in a spray bottle too, and it’s cheaper. For lube, I have been using Ceramic Speed UFO drip lately. It is pretty darn good, but very expensive.
Hope you had a great ride!3 -
Changing flats on the side of the road is something you need to experience ONCE. However having to do it multiple times in a few weeks makes you want to take up jogging.3
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NorthCascades wrote: »I've been doing road tubeless for years, it takes every swear I know to get the tire on and off the rim, but you usually only need to do that once I've the life of the tire. In this case it was a large enough cut that there's no way it could seal, a tube probably wouldn't hold without a boot and that's verboten.
I find that power is so much more useful for pacing and good judging my fitness.
I have no problems installing tubeless on my bike. My husband does it and I close the door to the garage so I don't have to hear him swearing.
But don't listen to him, he loves working on bikes.
I don't ride power on my MTB because I'm afraid of a crash being even more costly in breaking my PM and I'm too cheap to buy the hub ones. I don't figure on MTB it's as telling as road either since rarely are you sustaining that power for very long depending on the terrain. I do have it on my road bike which is now pretty much just my trainer bike (I used to only do road).
The TSS score thing is because due to a couple of issues the wheels came off my fitness about this time in 2019. My fittest I ever was on a MTB was June 2018 when I completed my longest and best race. My goal is to get my TSS number back to where it was on that day. I got pretty far this past summer, my goal is to hold it through the winter and get it back this summer.
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riffraff2112 wrote: »Changing flats on the side of the road is something you need to experience ONCE. However having to do it multiple times in a few weeks makes you want to take up jogging.
My bestie would get a flat every time we rode. Changed many flats on the side of the road. Couldn't figure it out. Finally changed out the rim tape and that fixed it. Now when we ride we point out all the places where we've changed flats as a nice tour down memory lane.2 -
I road my bike everywhere I was allowed to go as a child, until we moved to a steep hill in the middle of nowhere when I was 11. I picked it up again when I lived in Miami. I would only use the car if I had to use a highway to get there. 2 miles to the grocery store, 4 miles to work, 9 miles to the beach. Hills were definitely not a problem! All of that and I never had to change a tube. I didn't even know that was a thing! A few years after leaving Miami, I decided I wanted to start biking again. The day my bike came I went for a ride around the neighborhood and had to walk the thing two miles home. I had managed to run over a thorn. Luckily, the man who is now my husband had just moved in and happened to have brought with him the one bike that had the same sized tubes as my new bike.
We were quite a sight, me on my bright red folding bike, him on his bright yellow and blue rowing bike. On paths, I had to go in front, because people would stop in the middle of the path and turn and watch him go by, stepping in front of me in the process. You could usually tell whether they were staring at the machine or at the shirtless torso
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@NorthCascades - Not sure what you use to clean your drivetrain. Pro Gold makes a product called Blast Off. It is awesome! Iso Alcohol works well in a spray bottle too, and it’s cheaper. For lube, I have been using Ceramic Speed UFO drip lately. It is pretty darn good, but very expensive.
Hope you had a great ride!
How do you like the Ceramic lube? I use good stuff, but not that good. 🙂0 -
sheclimber wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I've been doing road tubeless for years, it takes every swear I know to get the tire on and off the rim, but you usually only need to do that once I've the life of the tire. In this case it was a large enough cut that there's no way it could seal, a tube probably wouldn't hold without a boot and that's verboten.
I find that power is so much more useful for pacing and good judging my fitness.
I have no problems installing tubeless on my bike. My husband does it and I close the door to the garage so I don't have to hear him swearing. But don't listen to him, he loves working on bikes.
I don't ride power on my MTB because I'm afraid of a crash being even more costly in breaking my PM and I'm too cheap to buy the hub ones. I don't figure on MTB it's as telling as road either since rarely are you sustaining that power for very long depending on the terrain. I do have it on my road bike which is now pretty much just my trainer bike (I used to only do road).
The TSS score thing is because due to a couple of issues the wheels came off my fitness about this time in 2019. My fittest I ever was on a MTB was June 2018 when I completed my longest and best race. My goal is to get my TSS number back to where it was on that day. I got pretty far this past summer, my goal is to hold it through the winter and get it back this summer.
I practice bike monogamy, although I sneak out occasionally and have a brief fling with a sexy mountain bike. But I have this beauty at home, the love child of a road racing and a gravel bike. I was going somewhere with this, now I'm just rambling about bikes. 😆
I would love to measure power on those times on a MTB, but I wouldn't pay for it either because of the crashing. And like you said, it's more about accelerations than sustained output.
Sounds like you mostly ride MTB? If so how do you measure training stress? Or am I confused?0 -
I've been wondering about tubeless. I'm looking to upgrade my bike, and most are "tubeless ready." But, am _I_ ready? I'm really good at patching a tube without even taking the wheel off. I've been riding along, suddenly heard "sssssSSSSSSssssssSSSSSSSsssssssSSSSSSSssss..." following a puncture, stopped, jumped off the bike, found the flat, removed the cause, pulled the tube out of the tire, patched it, put it back, pumped it up, and been on my way in less than 15 minutes.0
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The last flat I got was three to four years ago. Changing it takes like 5-10 minutes (w/o CO2) and most can be done without tools (some steel bead and rim combo can be a pain when the tire is new). I average one per year so far (not including the current shut down). Last I check the tires cost less and last longer. I suspect changing it in the rain, mud, and ice/snow can be... not the weather I choice to ride so limited experience. Personal bias, for road cycling it seems to be a solution looking for a problem much like disc brakes. YMMV.0
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »I've been wondering about tubeless. I'm looking to upgrade my bike, and most are "tubeless ready." But, am _I_ ready? I'm really good at patching a tube without even taking the wheel off. I've been riding along, suddenly heard "sssssSSSSSSssssssSSSSSSSsssssssSSSSSSSssss..." following a puncture, stopped, jumped off the bike, found the flat, removed the cause, pulled the tube out of the tire, patched it, put it back, pumped it up, and been on my way in less than 15 minutes.
Here's my experience.
I used to get about 8 - 12 flats in a typical year. On 23 mm road tires pumped up to a million psi like we all used to do.
This is the third flat I've had in about 5 years of road tubeless. They've all been cuts to the tire, a tube would have flatted too. There have been plenty of times I've come home to find sealant spray on the seat tube, because I ran over a thorn or shard of glass, it made a small puncture, and it sealed. (I'm on 28 mm tires now, on fat rims that balloon them to 33 mm.)
That's really the thing for most people. For me, my nice carbon wheels can only use tubeless tires (hookless), I can use tubes if I want to but what's the point?
Good tires are expensive, good tubeless ones are harder to find on sale. There aren't as many choices in tubeless, and you can't just walk into any random bike shop and find a good road tubeless tire in stock. It pays to have a couple spares at home. Finally, it can be hard to get the tires on and off the rim, it's usually a tighter fit to be airtight.
Last note: with each step up in tire width you use less pressure, and tubeless is easier to use and works better. The 110 psi you put in a 23 mm tire is going to push a lot of sealant out. At 28 mm, I use 60 to 70 psi, it works beautifully, I don't even know I punctured the tire until I get home.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I practice bike monogamy, although I sneak out occasionally and have a brief fling with a sexy mountain bike. But I have this beauty at home, the love child of a road racing and a gravel bike. I was going somewhere with this, now I'm just rambling about bikes. 😆
It's all about n+1 right? I have actually 2 road bikes, Ponyboy and JJ (never got rid of JJ when I got Ponyboy, she was my first love), my MTB, Mojito, and my CX bike which now that I don't race CX anymore I just use as a gravel bike, TriXie. That doesn't even count my husbands bikes - we like to say the bulk of our estate is in our garage.NorthCascades wrote: »I would love to measure power on those times on a MTB, but I wouldn't pay for it either because of the crashing. And like you said, it's more about accelerations than sustained output.
Sounds like you mostly ride MTB? If so how do you measure training stress? Or am I confused?
Yep, I'm almost exclusively MTB these days. Road on the trainer when weather is too bad. Gravel when weather is okay but the trails are too wet.
I'm using Training Peaks TSS number to measure my fitness. Strava has something similar.1 -
Wow, 110 psi. I haven't run 23 since my collegiate racing days, 30 plus years ago. Went even narrower at 20s but switched to 28s the third year of racing. Never had my tire above 100 psi. With the 28s, most of the time it's at 70-90 psi (depending on how lazy I get). Only my tubs are inflated to over 100 psi but they are a different animal compared to clinchers. I'm running both 25s & 28s now and at same 70-90 psi (different bikes & OEM still). I'm not light and fluctuat between 170-180#. I wouldn't say roads I'm riding on are smooth but maybe not that bad relatively.0
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I used to pump my 23s up to 110/120 F/R. I know people who did 120 in both tires. We used to think the harder you pumped the tire the faster it would roll.
That approach was called the bone shaker. 😁1 -
Tire pressure is a huge thing! We call it Total System Efficiency (one of those ZIPP marketing terms). The science behind it is really profound though. The key is in the rim bed width when mated to the tire. A wider bed in the rim causes less bottle-capping in the tire. Most wide rims on the road (25+ ID), won’t accept a tire under 25mm. The key here is contact patch. The overall deformation of the tire is less in a wider system due to increased total volume. Coupled with a lower pressure for added comfort, this decrease in rolling resistance makes wider rims and tubeless (hookless) better for everyone. Check out SRAM AXS (https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure) if you want some pressure recommendations based on weight, discipline, riding surface etc.1
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@NorthCascades - I have been using the UFO Drip for a bit now. A friend of mine works there and asked me to try it. I really like it so far. It is viscous enough to not attract too much dirt, and it coats the areas I want like a wax. I was favoring Silca’s NFS prior.
I think I may have switched for good now!1 -
@sheclimber - We keep MTB power in the spider. It is separate from the spindle or chain ring where damage usually occurs. Can you break one? Sure, but it’s not easy! If risk of breakage is your #1 barrier to MTB power, consider Quarq. If you are on the on the fence about effectiveness on an MTB, I get it. I was riding enough in the dirt that it became a necessity.
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sheclimber wrote: »riffraff2112 wrote: »Changing flats on the side of the road is something you need to experience ONCE. However having to do it multiple times in a few weeks makes you want to take up jogging.
My bestie would get a flat every time we rode. Changed many flats on the side of the road. Couldn't figure it out. Finally changed out the rim tape and that fixed it. Now when we ride we point out all the places where we've changed flats as a nice tour down memory lane.
I was underinflating, my fault but at the time I was unfamiliar with slick tires having ridden mostly mountain/trail bikes. I assumed a little less air would make the ride more comfortable. Didn't realize what a pinch flat was, and was always positive I didn't run over glass or hit anything sharp. I have learned to do some actual research and speak to experts before investing time and money into any pursuit.2 -
riffraff2112 wrote: »I was underinflating, my fault but at the time I was unfamiliar with slick tires having ridden mostly mountain/trail bikes. I assumed a little less air would make the ride more comfortable. Didn't realize what a pinch flat was, and was always positive I didn't run over glass or hit anything sharp. I have learned to do some actual research and speak to experts before investing time and money into any pursuit.
Oh the things I learned the hard way since I started cycling about 10 years ago could fill a stadium, and it's always changing. And then started doing centuries and longer, then I started racing, then I started doing CX, and then I started mountain biking and lately I've taken on gravel biking and every time there was so much more to learn. To your point I went from slick tires to CX and which are basically road tires with a bit of tread and I thought you must inflate to the same thing. Nope! That will definitely shake your fillings loose on a CX course.
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So, if you ride tubeless, should you carry an extra tire?0
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Most people who ride tubeless carry an extra tube. It's like putting a dollar bill between a tube and a cut in a tire, it isn't the best of all worlds, but it'll get you home.1
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sheclimber wrote: »riffraff2112 wrote: »I was underinflating, my fault but at the time I was unfamiliar with slick tires having ridden mostly mountain/trail bikes. I assumed a little less air would make the ride more comfortable. Didn't realize what a pinch flat was, and was always positive I didn't run over glass or hit anything sharp. I have learned to do some actual research and speak to experts before investing time and money into any pursuit.
Oh the things I learned the hard way since I started cycling about 10 years ago could fill a stadium, and it's always changing. And then started doing centuries and longer, then I started racing, then I started doing CX, and then I started mountain biking and lately I've taken on gravel biking and every time there was so much more to learn. To your point I went from slick tires to CX and which are basically road tires with a bit of tread and I thought you must inflate to the same thing. Nope! That will definitely shake your fillings loose on a CX course.
Never thought pinch flat was a thing on the road. I have punch through vertical lips but no flats. The last big one was a vertical cut in the asphalt over 3 inches deep at a culvert and road interface repair while I was descending at over 40 mph but probably hit at over 20 mph as I slammed on the brakes less than two-three cars length before hitting it. My front rim was slightly dented. The guy behind me had a bigger dent where the front rim was consider toast but we did not flat. Checked the wheels including the tire pressure after the ride and it was around 70 psi if memory serves. The only time I have gotten a pinch flat was when I over inflated my tire (>90 psi). I hit a manhole depression/recess head-on, ~1 inch vertical, without shifting my body weight. I have gone over that obstacle many times (over 50 at least). It was only time I did not stand up and let the bike bounce beneath me. I have gotten a number of pinch flats when my bike was on the trainer. All the flats occured when I wasn't using it. They still had OEM rim strips but once I switch over to Velox, it stopped. Based on my experience, technique and to some extent, equipment choice, plays a big factor.0
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