I got another flat tire on the 520 trail part of my ride yesterday evening. That’s two flats in six days, not that I’m counting. They were both in the rear tire, so you might think they were related, and in a way they were. But the first flat was a slow leak from some small thing that poked a tiny hole, and I was able to ride on it for a couple miles as it went flat (and as I fruitlessly hoped it wasn’t going flat). The second one, last night, was a 1/4″ to 1/2″ long slit that emptied my tube in no time flat (so to speak).

I say they’re related because together they tell me it’s time for a new tire.

I changed my flat, again appreciating the well lit nature of the 520 bridge path, but riding along I could feel the tube bulging and going lump lump lump as the wheel turned.

So, once again, I stopped at the bike shop. This time I got a new tire, and since it was time anyway, a new chain too. They also threw my cassette into an ultrasonic bath, which was super cool. If it didn’t cost like $700 I’d consider getting one myself!

That did give me the idea of using an old Sonicare toothbrush on the cassette, though. Much cheaper and I wouldn’t have to disassemble anything. Could be messy, though…

Anyway, I eventually got rolling again but didn’t get home until after 7, thanks to all the shenanigans. I was a little damp, but for a day that featured continual rain from dawn to dusk, I was fortunate. The rain actually tapered off by the time I got going, and it was one of my drier rides this month.

Anyway, I’m thinking of last night’s mishap as lemons, and my getting a replacement tire and chain (and clean cassette) as the lemonade. Still… Hopefully from here on out I have uneventful commutes for a while.