Re-tired

January 22, 2019

Today looks like this:

So we look like this:

So, no biking today. Actually, that’s not quite true - none for me, but Rachael biked over to Keizer for an appointment with her doctor, and to test out her new rain pants (they passed).

Why the post then, if there’s nothing to report? Two things.

First, there’s a clarification/further specification on our upcoming tour. Some of you have been confused or misunderstood our constraints, proposing such unseasonal but otherwise enticing destinations as Morocco and Estonia. I neglected to mention our tour dates: we’ll depart in late March, after the foreign film festival ends; and return in June sometime, to be back in time for my mother’s 95th(!) birthday celebration. This doesn’t seem like quite the right time window for either Estonia and Morocco, to us anyway. Keep those ideas coming though!

Secondly, this is a public service announcement. We’re just hanging around the apartment keeping warm and dry, so it’s a good time to chip away at our task backlog. One of my tasks is to order a new set of tires for the Bike Fridays. We ride Schwalbe Marathons, which are long lasting and beautifully flat resistant. We won’t need new ones for the upcoming tour, but after that we’ll have about 8,000 miles on the current ones and it will be about time to re-tire. Might as well do it now and throw them in the storage unit.

We get our tires from Bike Tires Direct. I’ve been thinking about re-tiring for awhile now, so it is a pure serendipitous coincidence that today, when I finally got around to acting, is day one of a two day tire sale. Remarkable timing. Even more remarkable is that even though BTD carries many brands, this two day sale applies only to Schwalbe. How great is that? For only $95 and free shipping, I’ve ordered a complete set of four.

So, if you use Schwalbe tires and need then anytime soon, you might consider placing an order. Act now. This is one of those situations where a fast decision is called for. The sale ends tomorrow, January 23rd.

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Andrea BrownWe love our Schwalbes but man are they a pain to put on.
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownThat are hard, but worth the pain. In 10,000 bike miles on our last tour, we had total flat count of ➡️ One ⬅️. We could have taken four hours repairing it and still have come out way ahead.

Actually, I don’t really have that much trouble with them any more. I used to bend or break normal tire levers on the Schwalbes and even ended up bending the heavy duty ‘quik stik’ yellow rod-shaped levers. Now though we use Pedros, which are fully up to the task. You might give them a try.
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5 years ago

Andrea BrownTo Scott AndersonYou gave us some Pedros! Fortunately we have not had occasion to use them. We also have the other person pinching in the other side of the tire toward the inside of the rim, which miraculously provides enough room for bead to finally jump into place. It really helps to have two people work on it together. And yes, totally worth it. We’ve had one flat on two long trips and it was a flaw in the tube, not a puncture.
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownFunny. I remembered that after posting this. And yes, four hands make light work. Or three, anyway. It takes us three levers, all on one side, to remove the tire. Rachael holds one in place as the base while I advance the others.
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5 years ago

Ron SuchanekI don't understand how you only had one flat in 10000 miles, while we (I) destroyed 2 beautiful Schwalbes in 2300 miles.
Sure, you can point to my complete lack of proper bike securement prior to a storm and during a pickup truck shuttle, but why point fingers?
If I was you, I'd order a replacement tire, have it sent general delivery to a remote town somewhere and try to time your riding to catch it. It's fun!
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5 years ago