Punctured

Shit! The glass on Piccadilly this morning is everywhere, just opposite Waterstones (used to be Simpsons) near Piccadilly Circus.

I was flat before I got to the circus, and pulled a 1cm shard out of the rear tyre. It had made a hole large enough that I could see through it, and both the tire and tube are screwed.

Tubes I carry, but not tyres. I don't puncture often enough to justify it, but damn I hate when I lose my tyre too.

How often is street cleaning supposed to happen? There's some places on my morning ride that seem to have debris for weeks at a time. I swear they're supposed to be cleaned at least weekly or something, it's not as if they're minor roads.

I hate road debris. All my flats come from it. Glass, screws, random bits of odd-shaped metal.

Carried my bike the last half mile, didn't want to ruin the rims now that there was zero pressure in the rear. I must've looked comical.

Next time that happens you can boot the tyre with a bit of cardboard or thin plastic (choc bar wrapper or something). Probably not worth it for half a mile, but it might be the best way to get home tonight.

I'll pop down to Condor at lunch for a tyre and tube... another £30 gone. Though the amount I save on not having a travelcard I figure I'm still winning (I ignore the cost of the bikes themselves, otherwise I know I'm losing).

velocity boy - well that sounds like a terrible morning for you.

BTW you're really stuck money makes a good tire boot, just fold it up and pop it between the tire and tube. Most modern notes have lots of very strong fibres.

Had to do this on a bike tour once (in America mind, so you could use a dollar bill). Rode for about 25 miles with a large sidewall tear.

carry a section of old toothpaste tube in your puncture kit, flexible and strong it'll easily repair holes in tyres...

Also makes cheap Tic Tacs.

Put some on your bars, cycle 5 miles, the toothpaste hardens and becomes a Tic Tac.

;)

Road debris sucks.. the fillthathole.org.uk website has an option to report it to councils for clearing. But while I can just imagine that they might bother fixing potholes they wont give ever bother sending out someone to clean up broken glass or whatever.

One flat repaired.

Had to buy a bloody bolt spanner thing though... forgot I'd put tugs on dead tight.

A month or so ago I was heading along the A13 just east of the Balckwall tunneljunction came round the corneron to the bus lane felt a massive bump and then crack. I had road over a bottle that some dirty bastard had left in the road. Middle of east London 12:30 in the morning quite pissed, pissed off and hving to fix a puncture. Punctures suck. Too many people in this city are dirty barstards.