It's a beautiful day for a flat... and a walk

Because rain threatened today, and I'd been working on dialing in my new titanium commuter bike, I took it, rather then the Roubaix, out for today's ride.

I discovered a bike with fenders and a rack in the wind is one way to get a workout.

I also discovered something about my wheel and tire combination when I flatted out on the closed Empire Mine Road, a couple of miles from car access. It seems the Continental Ultra Sport II 700x28C tires and the Tubeless Compatible WTB Frequency CX Team i19 rims that came on my bike make for a very very tight fit. That, and in the hubbub of getting my bikes in order I'd forgotten to pack levers...

So I sat on the ground and waited for Tricia to realize she was now riding solo. As I waited, Larry, a local triathlete stooped to offer help. Even with his levers and muscular hands and arms it was a pain. We, (OK, mostly he) got the tire back on, but we'd apparently put a hole in the tube doing it. I gave up and decided to walk out and wait for Tricia to pick me up with the car.

It's amazing how far just under two miles is when you're barefoot, pushing a bike and carrying your shoes. At least it was a beautiful day, and a lot of cyclists checked to see if I was OK.

Now that I'm home I get to make it all work somehow. I think I'll use my almost bullet proof but super hard to mount Schwalbe Marathon that I saved from my last bike. We'll see how long that takes.