Thank Goodness for Cycle Shop Dudes
The new trainer arrived yesterday, and after mere minutes, the Madone was in place and ready for me to ride in the comfort of our living room. We selected a movie to watch while I pedaled, making the next hour slip by as I enjoyed the movie while getting my sweat on. Compared to our old trainer, this one is whisper quiet. Well, maybe not that quiet, but it's much better than the one now in the attic over the garage. At least we didn't have to turn the TV volume up all the way just to hear the dialogue. The only downside to trainer rides is it wears tires quickly, as was evidenced by the pieces of rubber littering our hardwood floor when I was finished.
So today I bought a trainer tire to put on the bike since a regular road bike tire doesn't last long due to the heat generated by the friction from the trainer. Hubby and I worked to get the trainer tire on, and with everything looking good, I pumped air into the tube. When the needle reached 100 psi, the tube blew, bringing Funny Delightful Son off the couch in a hurry, thinking the oven had blown up. Aggravated, I found my spare tube and started over. Forty-five minutes later, the tire still not seating in correctly right at the valve stem, I said enough and took it to the local cycle shop to have one of the guys help me out.
The first young guy worked at the tire, taking it off then putting it back on. The tube, though, kept bulging at the valve stem. He called the second young guy over, and between the two of them worked to get the trainer tire to seat. No go. A third guy came in, took hold of the tire, pressed it this way then that, took it off completely then put it back on. Because trainer tires are stiffer than road bike tires, it took two of the guys pressing as hard as they could to get the tire into place. In the end, the third guy was able to get the tube and tire to behave, but he walked away shaking his one hand over the pain caused trying to get the tire to seat.
After another hour on the trainer today, during which I watched the Purdue women's basketball team lose to Iowa--very frustrating--I checked the floor for little pieces of rubber. I didn't find any, giving me hope that this trainer tire will last until I can get back outside to ride.
So today I bought a trainer tire to put on the bike since a regular road bike tire doesn't last long due to the heat generated by the friction from the trainer. Hubby and I worked to get the trainer tire on, and with everything looking good, I pumped air into the tube. When the needle reached 100 psi, the tube blew, bringing Funny Delightful Son off the couch in a hurry, thinking the oven had blown up. Aggravated, I found my spare tube and started over. Forty-five minutes later, the tire still not seating in correctly right at the valve stem, I said enough and took it to the local cycle shop to have one of the guys help me out.
The first young guy worked at the tire, taking it off then putting it back on. The tube, though, kept bulging at the valve stem. He called the second young guy over, and between the two of them worked to get the trainer tire to seat. No go. A third guy came in, took hold of the tire, pressed it this way then that, took it off completely then put it back on. Because trainer tires are stiffer than road bike tires, it took two of the guys pressing as hard as they could to get the tire into place. In the end, the third guy was able to get the tube and tire to behave, but he walked away shaking his one hand over the pain caused trying to get the tire to seat.
After another hour on the trainer today, during which I watched the Purdue women's basketball team lose to Iowa--very frustrating--I checked the floor for little pieces of rubber. I didn't find any, giving me hope that this trainer tire will last until I can get back outside to ride.
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