Tired, just plain tired!

     It all started the day before I went on the week long trip too and from Zion Ill.  I was riding Byron down the street when I spied a little metal something one split second before my rear tire hit it.  It cut an ugly slice in the tire and made the tube irreparable.  Things happen right?  Fortunately, a new tube got me home.   I knew it wouldn't hold up long with that kind of gouge in it, but I had a spare tire in the garage.

      Then, my son came home from work to announce he'd had a flat coming into the garage.  Well, I was leaving for the week and he had the weekend to fix it.  Then it started raining.  The wet weather on the first day gave me two punctures on the trip from Chicago to Zion.  Admittedly, the tires on the Hunq were a season old, so I wasn't too surprised.   Then, a valve on the patched tube broke.  I bought a new tube from the shop in Zion for a spare.  Then I got another puncture, back to the bike shop to get another tube because, I apparently did an inadequate job patching the the other and it had a slow leak.  So two more punctures and repairs on the way home got me through the trip and my front tire was beginning to look like Swiss cheese.  I took both off and decided it was time to order new Big Ben's.  Incidentally they are made in two grades, one with Racegaurd tread and one with Kevlargaurd.  This time I bought the plain black, more expensive, grade with Racegaurd.  The stylish boutique colored Big Ben's have the cheaper Kevlargaurd.

      In the meantime, my son had his problems because  the spare tube he used wouldn't hold air.

I got home to check it out and found a hole, tried another tube and it blew!  I couldn't find the problem, replaced the rim tape examined the tire and tried another tube.  It held up alright....

until I came back out two hours later to find it flat.   I then I held the tire up to the light and found a small hole in the sidewall near the bead.  It had to be replaced.  

     So, the decisions all made, damage all done.  I thought.  I rode Sam to help paint the route for an upcoming charity ride and a rusty jagged piece of metal ripped my rear tire straight across.  I had to call for a ride on that one.  

We had three bikes tirelessly hanging in the garage because the tires I ordered have been delayed in a storm somewhere.  It also creates a serious issue with the LBS' in the area.  None of them keep Panaracer tires in stock, certainly not Schwalbe Big Ben.  Why?  Because they are either pushing high end uselessness to spandex hamsters who need Continental tires to fit their kit, or entry level utilitarian bikes to people who want ultra cheap.  Thanks to the interweb thing I survived the catastrophe and the fleet has new shoes.

 I think I changed 15 tires and/or tubes in 10 days and ordered 6 new tires to get through this
That's more than the past 5 years!  Hell, once I went 17 months without a flat.  This event caused  religious debate.  The experience invalidated Buddist fundamentals.  Karma does not exist!

I did nothing to deserve this shit!