806.4 Miles Broken CycloComputer Bracket

On December 24, 2010 When I was riding the Fantom 29 my cyclocomputer bracket broke. I had leaned my bike on the rail at the dam at Marsh Creek State Park and a good wind blew the bike over. The bracket cracked probably because it was so cold.

The bracket is integrated with the wheel sensor wire. The replacement kit is Cateye Part Number 169-9350. The cheapest I could find on the net was $16.45 including shipping. On Ebay I can get a complete Cateye Enduro 8 for $23 including shipping. So I ordered the complete kit from Ebay. That way I have a complete computer replacement, wheel magnet, battery etc for just $6.55 more.

On December 31 I received the Cateye Enduro 8. I installed the bracket & sensor wire on January 01, 2011. Now I also have a spare wheel magnet and computer.

Good instructions even in Chinese!

I used a rubber band tempoarily as a bracket.

Out with the old.

The old stuff.

The new stuff.

I used the old wire protector at the bottom near the fork.

All done.

770 Miles: Rear Flat Tire

On Tuesday November 09 I did my normal weight lifting in my basement. I noticed that my rear tire was flat. It was OK when I rode the bike on Sunday.

This is my second rear tire flat. I last had one at 285 miles . So I rode 485 miles on this tube.

So I removed the tube and did my investigation as to the cause of the flat.

I put some air in the tube and then placed it in a bucket of water. The leak was readily identifyable with several bubbles per second of air leakage.

The leak is located at a seam which is a weak spot. I have had other tubes fail at the seams.

The tube was a CST made in china 93127111.

I am replacing the tube with a Slime Smart Tube that I had purchased previously at PricePoint. These should hold up a lot better. I now have the smart tubes on both the front and rear tires.

494.5 Miles Flat Front Tire!

Today I took a ride on the Thun Trail from Birdsboro to Pottstown, then back to Birdsboro. The ride was 17 miles. This is the same ride I took on May 24, 2008 and on June 13, 2008 .
I got a flat tire about 4.3 miles into the ride.











I had just passed over the Schuylkill River when I noticed that my front tire was going flat.

I carry everything I need to change a flat. I have a spare tube, tire levers, CO2 inflator and a multi tool. However, In my over 3500 road and trail miles, I have yet to change a flat in the field. I was a little nervous using the CO2 inflator since I had not done that before and I only had one 16g cartridge.

Oh, one thing I was missing-- mosquito repellent. They were terrible!

I flipped the bike over and removed the front wheel.

Using the tire levers, I removed one side of the tire. Then removed the tube.

I checked for the cause of the flat and found 2 sharp thorns. Later at home I confirmed that it was a thorn puncture flat by the location of the hole.

I replaced the tube with a Slime SmartTube.

My inflator has a CO2 cartridge stored in it. I turned the cartridge to the proper orientation, then screwed on the valve top.

I then unscrewed the presta valve on the tire to allow the CO2 to enter. Then I slide the inflator on the presta valve. Then I lifted the handle and pulled the trigger.

The tire inflated properly. Later when I got home I checked the pressure and it was about 20 psi. I topped the tire off to 35 psi.

I then put the wheel back on and was on my way.

I was surprised at how many people passed by while I was fixing the flat and didn't even ask if I needed help.

On my way back from Pottstown I did reach 500 miles!

Right in front of this pretty building.

Back at Birdsboro.

I stopped for a cup of coffee at Turkey Hill.

285 Mile FLAT REAR TIRE!

This is my third flat tire, the first on the rear. It is way too many flat tires. To put it in perspective, I have over 2100 miles on my Raleigh Grand Prix road bike and have not had a flat.


When you fix a flat you need to determine what caused the flat or it will just happen again. Also I usually just replace the tube rather than do a repair since tubes are inexpensive ($5).I carefully removed the tube from the tire then investigated the possible causes. Here are my findings :


1.) Leaking valve : with some pressure in the tube I placed the tube in a bucket of water. No bubbles were coming from the valve. This was not the cause. There was several bubbles per seconds coming from the tube just a few inches from the valve stem location.



2.) An external object punctured the tire and tube: At the location of the leak there were no objects on or in the tire. I also checked the entire inner and outer surface of the tire, there were no objects. The defect was a very small "pin prick". I guess if there were a small speck of something it could eventually wear a hole in the tube. The defect was on the outer surface adjacent to the tread This is a possible cause.



3.) A sharp point on the rim or a spoke poking through the rim tape punctured the tube: The rim tape was intact. There were no sharp points on the rim. This was not the cause.



4.) A tube manufacturer's defect: The defect was not on the seam. It was a very small "pin prick". This could be the cause but it seems unlikely for a manufacturing defect to develop after 8 months but maybe so. The tube was a Cheng Shin 700 x 52/47 mm tube made in Taiwan with serial number 19097734. It also says "thin" on it. Perhaps these were put in to minimize weight. I replaced it with a CST 29 x 2.1- 2.55 tube that I bought a PricePoint. It is made in China with number 03127111 on it.

Because this is my third flat in under 300 miles, I will start buying better quality tubes. I will do some research a report out on my findings.

203.6 miles Flat Front Tire!

When I went down to the basement tonight I noticed that my front tire was flat. This is the same one that I fixed on March 22, 2008 after only 31.8 miles. To put it in perspective, I have over 1700 miles on my Raleigh Grand Prix road bike and have not had a flat.

When you fix a flat you need to determine what caused the flat or it will just happen again. Also I usually just replace the tube rather than do a repair since tubes are inexpensive ($5).

I carefully removed the tube from the tire then investigated the possible causes. Here are my findings :

1.) Leaking valve : with some pressure in the tube I placed the tube in a bucket of water. No bubbles were coming from the valve. This was not the cause. There was about 1 bubble every two seconds coming from the tube 90 degrees from the valve stem location.

2.) An external object punctured the tire and tube: At the location of the leak there were no objects on or in the tire. I also checked the entire inner and outer surface of the tire, there were no objects. This was not the cause.

3.) A sharp point on the rim or a spoke poking through the rim tape punctured the tube: The rim tape was intact. There were no sharp points on the rim. This was not the cause.

4.) A tube manufacturer's defect: The defect is right on the seam. I believe this is the cause.

The tube was a Nashbar serial # 20126601 made in Taiwan tube. The replacement is from PricePoint. The markings on the replacement tube are CST 05127111 made in China. CST is Cheng Shin Tire which was actually the manufacturer of the original tube I replaced in March. They may also be the manufacturer of the Nashbar tube. I googled Cheng Shin and found that they are the 12th largest rubber manufacturer in the world. They go by the name of Maxxis in the United States.

I will see how this replacement performs. If I get another seam defect I will start buying better quality tubes.

Bent Derailleur Hanger Repaired

I repaired the bent derailleur hanger today. Since the bend was slight i was able to bend the hanger back with my hand by just slightly twisting the top of the derailleur. Probably not the right way to do the repair but it seemed to work. I then went through a complete derailleur adjustment procedure.

I also received my derailleur hanger from bikesdirect. It is the correct hanger and I will use it as a spare. The only difference was that the replacement is silver and my original is black.