’tis the season …

… for rain and all the ‘benefits’ of riding in the rain. The first real series of storms for this winter started last Thursday. After riding to work in the rain on that Thursday I had a flat on the rear. Friday it rained harder. Made it to work and home without problems, but then on Saturday I found that the front tire on my commuter was flat. Rode that bike again on Monday, in the rain. As I as pulling into the office park I could feel that ever so subtle softness in the handling of the rear as I came around the corner, sure sign of another flat on the rear wheel. Three days of bike commuting over that 5 day stretch of rain, three flat tires. Not a pattern I want to continue.

This morning was my first day of commuting since that stretch; I have worked from home, due to a cold, for the past two days. As we loaded onto CalTrain at Mt View one of the cyclists, a young woman, was a bit frantic. She had a flat, her second in two days and she was caught without a set of tire irons. I loaned her mine and offered to help, but she refused the assistance. A while later she came and asked me for an opinion; she showed me a 3cm gash in the sidewall of the tire and asked it I thought it was the reason she was getting the flats. Since one could stick a finger through the gash I was fairly confident there was a relationship. She did not seem to know about ‘booting’, so I dug in my bag for a piece of Tyvek (FedEx envelope) and ‘booted’ her tire sufficiently for her to get from the train to shop for a replacement.

It is the season to be prepared. Flats are going to happen, especially with the wet roads. Best to be prepared and carry all the tools and materials needed to keep yourself on the road.