First (Slow) Blowout 5+ miles from Home

[Catalyzt]

So Catalyzt is feeling hella stupid, as my younger friends would say.

I just posted about carrying my weight-weenie tool-kit, proudly describing the tools I carry... but as I raced out the door today for a 20 mile ride with a friend, did I strap those tools to the new Marin Build?

No, I did not. I had removed them from the Moto. They were sitting next to the Marin. I consciously decided not to bring them, I know, in what must have been just a moment of abject senselessness.

We did have a great ride, and fortunately, we were well on my way back when there was a curious bouncing motion to the ride... I locked out the front suspension, though I knew the bouncing was from the rear. Yup-- slow blowout. I probably had 5 PSI by the time I stopped, and no tools.

I still have a lot of work to do on The Marin Build (not named yet) -- mainly the gearing isn't right yet, and I'd already been planning to go tubeless, but I discovered a few of its finer points on this ride:

* (Unrelated to blowout.) It can do 25.5 MPH on the flats, but man, it's a lot of work to get it to that speed! 24.5 is more maintainable, but still a serious workout.
* (Unrelated to blowout) 2.3 tires with high pressure are manageable for sand with patches up to two inches deep, though my buddy's 2.7s (on his Serial 1) were, obviously and noticeably, more stable.
* It is really nice during a breakdown to be dealing with a 42 pound bike instead of a 47 pound bike, and to have a battery that is so easy to remove.
* It is really nice having a bike that is so easy to turn upside down (with the battery off.)
* The bike will fit in the back of my wife's Prius V without even taking the front wheel off.

This could have been a lot worse. In retrospect, given that I don't know how to use a patch kit, I don't know that my tools would have helped. (With tubeless tires, it might have, I do have selant.) This could have been a LOT worse, I was only 6 miles from home, nothing compared to the mishaps many of you have had. But I'm going tubeless ASAP and will always bring my tools.

 

[Chargeride]

I started one of my rides in devon with a flat tyre as I pulled the bike out of the van.
Blew it up with a cheap supermarket can of tyre weld, the white foamy stuff.
Tyre is still rock hard two weeks later.

It a tubed tyre, so didnt expect it to work.

 

[Dave Rocks]

LOL I name my bikes but I don't know how to use a patch kit.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I never go anywhere without a patch kit and a way to inflate my tires -- and the tools necessary to fix a flat. Although, I am quite capable of lame-brainedly doing something similar to your story. Live and learn. hopefully.

For what it's worth, maybe this is a matter of opinion, isn't "slow blowout" an oxymoron?

TT

 

[Catalyzt]

I started one of my rides in devon with a flat tyre as I pulled the bike out of the van.
Blew it up with a cheap supermarket can of tyre weld, the white foamy stuff.
Tyre is still rock hard two weeks later.

It a tubed tyre, so didnt expect it to work.

Ha! If someone told me that story and said 'guess which EBR member used supermarket tire sealant on their tubed eBike tire at the start of a ride?' I would have answered instantly: Why, that would have to be the master of improvisational repair, Chargeride, of course!

I never go anywhere without a patch kit and a way to inflate my tires -- and the tools necessary to fix a flat. Although, I am quite capable of lame-brainedly doing something similar to your story. Live and learn. hopefully.

For what it's worth, maybe this is a matter of opinion, isn't "slow blowout" an oxymoron?

TT

Excellent question. My opinion is that there is a clear difference between a slow leak, a slow blowout, and a blowout.

* A 'slow leak' takes place over the course of several minutes, hours, or days. You have time to get to the next exit at a minimum, maybe even to a gas station, maybe even home if you have a compressor.

* A 'slow blowout' takes place over the course of somewhere between one minute and ten seconds, when a sound or sensation or change in handling alerts you with only enough time to safely get the vehicle onto the shoulder. The vehicle never veers abruptly, you do not have to fight the wheel or the bars to stay in control, but there is no chance of doing anything but pulling off the road immediately. You won't make it to the exit or gas station, unless you happen to be passing one right at that moment.

* A true blowout is a sudden event where the vehicle changes direction abruptly, and where you have to fight the bars or the wheel to stay in control, and it's very difficult to even get onto the shoulder.

Source: None, I totally just made that up.

 

[fooferdoggie]

a true blowout is fun. I had the front tire on our tandem blow completely off and we were rolling on the rim. I found outage seller sold me the wrong version of the tubeless tire then non tubeless version. it worked well on the one rim but the narrower rim it blew off.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The Marin Build

Don't tell me you are the next person entrapped by 'Uma?

 

[Tars Tarkas]

* A 'slow leak'
* A 'slow blowout'
* A true blowout

I knew what you meant, and I don't mean to seem to argue, but I think of "blowout" as analogous to "explosion", i.e.: sudden. A bullet never slowly explodes out of a gun, for example. Leaks happen at different speeds, including fast and very fast. A blowout means one instant you're riding on air, the next you're on the rim.

That comes from the same source.

TT

 

[indianajo]

I installed a really good looking tire from a charity resale shop bike (bought for the crank arms) and got 37 miles before the sidewall blew out. 3" rip in the sidewall longitudinally. Had 40 lb groceries on the bike. Out beyond Tracfone range; had to push the bike 5 miles before a friend spotted me and gave me a ride. Had a spare tire in shed at my summer camp, and tools on the bike. Tracfone is now replaced by Verizon that works more places than any other. Roll up Schwinn tire was garbage, but now carry a fold up Panaracer tire that worked a few miles before I took it off. .

 

[BikerG]

Just got my first ever e-bike. Among the several changes I immediately made to the bike were going tubeless. Rims and tires that came with the bike were tubeless ready to begin with. I had everything else to make the change as I run tubeless on my other bikes. But I do carry a small bottle of sealant, a plug kit, and a mini pump as part of my tool kit on every ride.

 

[fooferdoggie]

should carry a tube too just in case.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Also carry extra valve cores and a tire boot or something that can be improvised into a tire boot. And wrap some strips of duct tape around your pump.

 

[m@Robertson]

Stories like this go to why I make up a complete tool kit for every bike I build, and that tool kit stays attached to the bike forever. I have to make the decision to take the time to remove it before a ride and screw myself over. I tried sharing tool kits among bikes and I found I often forgot to move the kit from Bike A to B, partly because it was too much of a PITA for the moment and I didn't appreciate the need to take the time to get the insurance policy.

If I build the cost of the kit into the cost of the bike it doesn't really sting.

The one risk remaining: I want to work on Bike A for some reason and then ride it, so rather than disable the toolkit already packed up on that bike, I walk over to Bike B and pull its tools off and use them (Knipex pliers, hex wrenches, chain tool, tire levers etc.). Then I leave the tools out say, balanced on the saddle, and go ride. Sets me up for a fail when I need to take that other bike out.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Stories like this go to why I make up a complete tool kit for every bike I build, and that tool kit stays attached to the bike forever.

Well, I'd do that for the Every Ride Carry, but for less frequently needed tools and tools I leave at home I just have "tools".