I wrote recently about a ride up Mt. Diablo that was accomplished in spite of a slow leak in my rear tube. That was on a Saturday. On Monday I changed the tube. I think Tuesday’s ride went fine but then on “Thursday I had the same problem – the rear tire kept going flat over and over and over – it was SO annoying. It made me stronger but what a lousy way to go.
I vowed to my riding partner, Dr. McBikey that I would get a new tire so we didn’t have to keep stopping so on Thursday night I got out some tires I purchased some time ago and attempted to make the switch. I pulled off the old, got out a new tube, got the tire into the rim on one side and then, when I had all but the last 4 inches on the rim all progress stopped. I couldn’t get it to budge. I pushed and pushed with my thumbs until it hurt too much. My head was screaming “USE YOUR PALMS!” but I ignored it and put on a pair of gloves and just kept pushing.
I gave up and took the glovee off and was greated with tihs:
That’s a blister that split and then had the skin roll under, leaving a ridge of skin. mmmmmmmmmmmm… You can also see how swollen the joint of my tumb is. Owie.
The next day I took the wheel, tire and tube to my local Sports Basement and they were kind enough to mount it. It took 3 guys to get that last part on – the third one was the only one with strong enough hands. I was so vindicated.
After I got home I managed to unroll the skin so the blister looked like this:
I rode for 3 hours on Sunday and all was well with the rear tire. Dr. McB was out of town and didn’t have the pleasure of my new tire.
Today my thumb looks like this:
Just a dead skin rim around some fresh pink skin.
So today’s PSA is this – USE YOUR PALMS not your thumbs when you change the tire.
hshahahaha… to those of you who tought I would write some dirty. Gutter brains!
21st-century-mom.com 
OR you could use tyre levers?
OMG that looks so nasty, ew. I was given a snazzy tyre-changing doover for that last bit – email me your address and you can have it, I do ok with the levers
OR you could use tyre levers?
OMG that looks so nasty, ew. I was given a snazzy tyre-changing doover for that last bit – email me your address and you can have it, I do ok with the levers
OR you could use tyre levers?
OMG that looks so nasty, ew. I was given a snazzy tyre-changing doover for that last bit on – email me your address and you can have it, I do ok with the levers
OUCH!
OwOwOwOwOwOW!!!!
OK, look, I know you sport-o types are always saying “no pain no gain” and all, but really now. This is taking things just a BIT FAR, isn’t it?!
OK, I’m going to go cringe in a corner shaking my hands in sympathetic pain now…
Owieeeeeeeeeeeee
Hard lesson=good advice.
🙂
Is there NO END to the amount of pain this crazy sport inflicts?!?!
Did the bike guys know why you kept flatting? I’d kind of want to know that.
Couldn’t Dr.McBikey change the tires out? And heal your wound?
Ew. I never would have thought to try that with my fingers. Tire levers might be the best 3 bucks you ever spend.
that’s got tire lever written all over it. ouch!! good job getting up that hill with a tire that was soft, though, you’re getting t-u-f-f tough, mom!
eeewwwwww – why is it you have McBikey? I’m thinkin’ – blister = McBikey = cure = yep, you know what I’m sayin’
eeewwwwww – why is it you have McBikey? I’m thinkin’ – blister = McBikey = cure = yep, you know what I’m sayin’
you should have put eyes above that. you could have had a t humby puppet.