Tires and air pumps...

Quick check of the website shows that the stock tires with the S32 are Continental Sports, not the top of the line but not exactly crap.

Slime inner tubes add weight where you want it least, along the perimeter of your wheels. Presents a rotational inertia, one gram of rotational weight is equal to 4-5 grams on the frame. They do make puncture-resistant tires that add less weight and will be more effective, as I have heard the Slime doesn't work well with high pressure skinny tires.

Not sure what could cause so many flats. Is there decent rim tape inside your wheels? If not the spokes could be poking the tube. Are you finding the source of the flat every time? If not, the same thorn, particle of glass, etc. could be causing the same flat over and over. Are you watching where you ride?

Knock on wood, but I haven't had a flat in months, probably 2,000 miles.

Oscillate: to swing backward and forward like a pendulum. Does your tire really swing back and forth?

Regarding proper inflation: invest in a floor pump. These are a lot more efficient than a frame pump, you can get from 80 to 110 psi in about three strokes. Get one with a built-in gauge, and check your pressure before every ride. It would get expensive to use CO2 before every ride.

I love my frame pump, the Topeak Road Morph. Converts to a mini floor pump, has a built-in gauge, and gets the pressure over 100psi fairly easily. I only use it on emergencies, though.

Edited by the bear 2004-07-29 6:27 AM

I have both CO2 and a frame mounted pump with a gauge. I had a bunch of flats right when I started riding my road bike too, but lately things have been alright. I would suggest bringing the "oscillating" tire into your LBS and asking them to check it. I had the same trouble and it ended up that some of the spokes had to be tightened. Happy riding! :-)

aphoric,

funny coincidence. I own a Felt B2. I got a pinch flat before I'd gone 1/10th of a mile on my first ride. The tires and tubes they put on it were very thin and lite, not meant for hard every day training. I've replaced them with sturdier Michelins and will switch back to the racing stock for my events.

how is the bike? I love it, feels fast sitting still.

I love the bike, it motivates me when I see it in the garage, so I go ride. I put some tougher Continentals on it and it seems to be much better. I actually broke a bead on the front tire on my first ride. The roads are not too smooth here either, I never noticed it on my MTB, but those cracks in the road seem to be a mile wide!

You keep your bike, your pride and joy, IN THE GARAGE!

Bear,

When I travel with my bike on the back of the truck, its got 2 locks on it and I remove the front wheel. I'm so paranoid, when we have to make a stop, I park the truck so I have an unobstructed view of it at all times. My girlfriend just rolls her eyes when I look out the window of some restaurant longingly at that bike, hanging on the truck, wishing I were on it, carving up the asphalt somewhere.

Yeah, that bike stays under lock and key. Its in the garage only because my girlfriend won't let me keep it next to me in the bed at night.

People, people, where are your priorities? The bikes go in the house. I have two stacked on a rack in my foyer (think of it as modern art) and my Litespeed has an honored place in front of the fireplace.

Bring the bike in. Next time the girlfriend rolls her eyes, banish HER to the garage.

I'm not even going to address that "back of the truck" abomination, except to say "get thee an SUV"!

;-)

Bring the bike in. Next time the girlfriend rolls her eyes, banish HER to the garage.

That's a classic - thanks for laugh Bear. Does that apply to wives too? Mark

Bear,

It is an SUV, its a killer black Lexus LX470, the only vehicle worthy to carry my B2 (and it gets babied on a nice swingaway Yakima rack when on the road). We call it the Truck around the house, just sounds more rugged than referring to it as the grocery-getter or the SUV. It gets to see some actual off pavement action, so it gets called the truck.

However, I like your attitude. I will need to have a sit down with the girlfriend as you bring up a few very good points. First of all, I like the thought of bikes and bike gear as decorative items in the home. In the garage, it is stuck with things like cat poop boxes, paint cans, and recycle bins. Something with those lines and that form should be shown off, it should enjoy a place of prominence and honor in the home, don't you think?

Secondly, I like the thought of multiple bikes. That will take some real work, though. I'm selling my Canondale Roadie and will have to plan the new bike's color scheme around the room in which it will be stored. Should I call a decorator?

This may be part of the solution as well: Hanging in the foyer, above my Specialized Allez entry-level-road-bike-cum-pimp-my-ride-tri-bike-wanna-be, is my wife's practically new Specialized Sequoia. Perhaps if GF had a machine of her own, she wouldn't be so cavalier about storing the Pride and Joy among the cat poop boxes.

As far as multiple bikes, buying her the Sequoia worked wonders for softening her up on the idea of the Litespeed last year. Problem is, I think the tandem has supplanted the tri-bike on the current wish list, as she is tired of being left behind and I am tired of waiting for her.

I bought a pump with a pressure gauge, Performance has one with a digital guage with 2 programable pressure alarms for $19, and saw that I had my tire pressure at 40psi, which is low, correct? I am used to that kinda pressure with a MTB, but since my tires said maz 120psi, I pumped them up to 90, is that about right?

Low pressure could explain why you're having so many flats. When your pressure gets below 80 psi or so it becomes possible for the tire to get pinched between the road surface and the rim, especially if you hit a bump or pothole or run over something. This is called a "pinch flat."

Yes, 90 is OK, 100 might be better. Pressure levels become a personal preference, some folks I ride with swear that 140 psi is the most efficient (make sure your tires are rated this high) but I have seen articles that say 100psi is just as efficient and more comfortable than the higher pressures.