Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The War against Thorns


It was unbelievable when my son came home late from school yesterday, pushing his bike with two flat tires. Yes, TWO flat tires. Talk about Murphy’s Law! He had a string of punctures lately no thanks to thorny twigs along the bike path he takes. But getting two punctures in one day must surely be the Hole-in-One for cycling.
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In the last few weeks, we have consumed no less than 6 tubes so much so that the blokes at George’s Bike Shop at Willetton said to me that the number of times I have been at their shop for tubes, I should be paying rent!
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It appears that the thorns are declaring war on us and war calls for serious counter-measures. I was recommended Tioga Thorn resistant tubes and the bike shop guy said, “If this doesn’t do the job, I don’t know what will!”


These tubes are different because they are thick and feel somewhat like pig’s intestines. They are nearly as stiff as a PVC pipe and mounting them on was quite a challenge. However, once fitted, it gives instant peace of mind, if you believe the marketing. Riding it though, the suppleness of the wide 32c tires seem to be compromised.
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We shall see if this new weapon works against those pesky thorns. Stay tune. Otherwise, I have to use secret weapon No 2 (recommended by CW) - Mr Tuffy!

1 comment:

mat touring said...

perhaps can try schwalbe marathon tires. They are really good tires.