Flat Tire

I knew this would catch up to me. I was riding my real mountain bike, the Mantis, to work cuz rusty and old blue were in the shop for overhauls (and what's taking so long with that anyway) and the mantis has tires that were last changed in the 90s. They were cracked and I knew sooner or later (probably sooner) there's be a flat.

There was.

Today.

On the way to work this morning.

A mile from work, but I could ride it all the way there.

After work I fixed the flat, but for the second time this year the patch didn't hold, and halfway home it was flat again. It wasn't taking more air (the first trick is to see how far you can get with 50 pumps), so it again needed to be repatched. But instead of that, since I was going to replace the tires real soon now, I rode the flat tire home.

Well, for as long as possible anyway.

It turned out to be pretty far!

But then I hit the point when forward movement was more effort than walking, so I walked the rest of the way home.

The tire was doing some pretty funky shit without any air in it. Flapping and flopping, and making a nuisance of itself. I thought about stuffing it full of autumn leaves, but that urge passed pretty quick. Walking wasn't too bad and it wasn't a life or death situation.

I saw some guy worse off then me.

This man's tricked out remsport mercedes lost a wheel and crashed across the sidewalk into a front yard. Luckily, this expensive car stopped a mere one inch from the oak tree in the yard.

One inch away from the oak tree.

I am reminded of the Lynard Skynard song lyric that goes "... oak tree don't get in my way..."

So I wasn't the only unfortunate soul out on the roads today. Eventually I got home, got changed, and am as good as new, unlike my bike. Heavy rains forecast for tomorrow, so once again I think I'll take my car to work.

And that's just wrong!

WRONG I TELLS YA, IT'S JUST PLAIN WRONG.