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| Michelle and her trusty Dahon Curve D3 |
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| Our first blowout, luckily, we managed to recover on the spot |
Virtually incident free.
But for Michelle's Dahon Curve D3, her bike has been plagued with tire problems. Her bike front Schwalbe Big Apple tire had a puncture earlier.
Seems like the spoke was the cause of the problem. We got the front tire tube replaced at a bicycle shop in Sungai Way, Petaling Jaya.
On Sunday, while riding back from Berjaya Times Square in Jalan Imbi to Bangsar, I heard a loud bang and I noticed that the back wheel on my wife's back was wobbling out of control.
The previous night, I noticed that the valve on the rear tire was giving some problem.
I know for a fact that the Schwalbe Big Apple can take up to 85psi at the max.
So, with that noted, I filled the tires with air up to 65psi.
This is adequate to take the bikes around and yeild a smooth ride.
The Big Apples are the best there is offering comfort.
Getting back to the blowout story, I told Michelle to pull over by the roadside.
There was a barricaded section where we can work on recovering the Curve D3's rear tire.
The first thing I did was to get my spare 16" spare tube out and get it fitted onto the tire.
We were fortunate to have Uncle Bil Choy, a veteran folding bike cyclist, Wey and Ming with us.
Their presence offered some comfort in times like such.
Michelle went to work with her wrench as I prepared to inflate the tube with my Topeak two-timer hand pump.
One of the distinct advantages of having this gadget along the rides is the C02 inflator.
Pop in a cartridge and you are in business.
Bil instructed the tube change while Michelle get her hands-on the crippled bike.
We spent about 20-minutes fitting in a new tube and before we knew it, we were back on track, cycling another 5km towards Bangsar via the city centre and Brickfields.
With the new tube fitted, the Dahon Curve D3 didn't give any problems as we worked our way back to the Bangsar LRT station for a ride to our car in Taman Jaya.
So, we were lucky because I did carry a spare tube and an extra C02 cartridge on that day...
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3 comments:
should be easier changing tubes on a 16in than a 26in right? just reading your blog i see michelle has travelled as far on the curve as you have on the p8. Is there a huge diadvantage being just 3 speed and a smaller wheel size?
Not at all dude..
On the physical aspect, changing tires are similar, but on an internal hub, you will have to take out the rim and other small parts before you could change the inner tube. Takes some getting used to.
Yeah, the Curve D3 has the same mileage as my P8..
Sam
but those hill climbs would be torturous on the 3 speed? No?
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