On the third day of riding, I did something that I wasn’t supposed to be able to do. I broke a Schwalbe Marathon tire.
I went downhill, maybe a bit too fast, and hit a nasty crack in the asphalt. At least I think that is what happened. The end result however, unlike it’s cause, was unambiguous: A nice big shear that cut through the tire and the inner tube.
I did my best off-road patch, meaning I placed a piece of duct tape on the inside of the tire, and forward we rode.
And it worked well enough.
But there was a slight bulge that bothered me ever so slightly. You know, like a small stone in your shoe. You never seem to be able to decide whether or not to take off the shoe and get rid of the pebble once and for all. But then again stopping and making a big fuss about it didn’t seem appealing either.
But yesterday we came across a very good bike shop in Rockwood where we got on the Great Allegheny trail, and after consulting with the mechanic we opted for a replacement. The mechanic had other suggestions as well, but replacing the tire was the one I felt most comfortable with in the long run. Then I would have one less thing to worry about.
And patchwork always seem to blow up in your face at the most inopportune of moments. Think rainstorm in an open field.
The guy also happened to have the same Marathon tire, which I rely on, so that made the decision easy.
So now I’m rolling happily with a shiny new tire under me.
No, really, it is shiny – it has a reflector band that goes all around on both sides.
Happiness is sometimes surprisingly easy.