Round Valley Lake : 54 miles : 3.08.2009

Well, last Tuesday's Griggstown Grind was a washout. Sunday was a precursor for The Great Flood. But today ... it's lovely. So I headed for Round Valley Lake.


You can see the route here:



Read the notes because there were one or two unpleasant sections - which can be avoided - but didn't spoil a great ride.

I had a blowout again. Fortunately, it was within 10 miles of home. I was drifting down Long Hill Road, towards Hollow Road when I ran through some chunky gravel which had washed out of someone's drive - I assume in yesterday's downpour.

I must have clipped a large piece which flicked out the side of the front wheel. There was a simultaneous bang and the front tyre deflated. Again, fortunately, I was able to stay in a straight line and brought the bike to a reasonably safe stop in the middle of the road.

On checking the tyre the sidewall had been torn, I assume by the stone, causing the tyre to blow.

The problem wasn't so much the puncture - I carry tubes, CO2, etc - but the tyre casing which had a big hole in it.

Okay, here's the Tip for the Day. I folded a $5 dollar bill and fitted it behind the hole in the tyre before inflating the new tube. Hey presto!!! It works. I dare say a £5.00 note or €10 bill would work too. Well, it got me home anyway.

*yes ... I know how to spell tyre!

Tyres, Punctures ... and more Stuff

Of course, I should have mentioned ...

Even with my recent good fortune regarding the lack of punctures - I know I'm going to regret saying that - there is still an occasional need to remove and replace tyres.

I have been using a device which people either seem to love - ***** - or think is totally useless - *.

Easing tyres, especially kevlar beaded ones, on and off a rim can be quite frustrating. And how many times do you end up pinching the inner tube between the bead and the rim with inevitable results? Well, I can't praise the Crank Brother's Speed Lever enough.

To get a tyre off, just extend the lever - it's like a telescope - hook the lever under the bead and clip the other end onto the axle, push the lever around the rim, like a second hand on a clock, and the tyre just pops off the rim.

Reverse is rather more conventional, but the lever is much more helpful at avoiding pinches than conventional levers.

Like I said, reviews of the Speed Lever are either five star or very poor. I can't help thinking the people who don't like it are doing something wrong because it just seems to work so well for me.

Tyres, Punctures ... Stuff

Over the years I have been plagued with punctures here. The sides of the road are often strewn with broken glass and wire.

I recall getting punctures on three consecutive rides. Pretty dismal.

So naturally, I've put some thought into this and there are probably more effective solutions this has worked for me.

My current road bike came equipped with Michelins which are very good tyres. However, my attachment to Continentals meant that the bike shop fitted GP 4-Seasons.

First impressions are that these are very good tyres. But, as you might expect, they don't seem as free rolling as the GP4000s I used on the my old Trek road bike. However, as the seasons change, the heavier duty construction will come into its own.

I think, though, next spring will see a change to GP4000Ss - the nice shiny black ones with silver graphics. That should match the Giant nicely ;-)

Now, paranoia means that I am also using a tyre sealant. The big seller here is Slime, but I've been trying the equally enticingly named Sludge - a big seller in Africa, apparently.

The advantage Sludge claims is that, firstly, it is thin enough to be introduced into the inner tube via a presta valve. I have done this. It is quite an easy task. Secondly, it claims to vulcanise any leak that does occur.

Does it work? Well, I haven't had a puncture ... but who knows? Maybe the Contis reinforced layer actually does it?

The Giant frame means that my lovely Blackburn frame fit pump no longer fits ... I let it go with the Trek.

About the only thing that will fit would be some sort of compact pump, but I've never really got on with those, so I'm trying this; the Genuine Innovations CO2 Air Chuck. Hopefully I won't need to know how effective this is either.

Domestic pumping duty is performed by a Joe Blow track pump. This easily gets road tyres up to 120psi. What can I say ... it's a track pump.

Punctures : update

Well, so far, so good. Last year, I was virtually running a puncture on every ride.

This year I seriously upgraded my tyres to Continental GP4000s and used a tyre sealant called Sludge from Sludge International. Apparently, Sludge is the biggest selling tyre sealant in Africa!!!

Is it working? Well, if you don't have a puncture, how can you tell? On the other hand, the Contis seem very good and have given me a lot of confidence.

I seem to drop by other riders on descents; they seem to absorb road shock better than my previous tyres even though they run at 20psi more; and they are very steady over 40mph and round even rough corners. And lastly, they're rather red ...

You can read more about Sludge and me here ...

So this seems to be a good combo and I'll stick with it.