Cleaning Up the Bike...

My last mountain bike ride was in Hawaii, right at the end of July/beginning of August. I may have had an opportunity or two to ride since then, especially San Diego, but I was too lazy to go. One problem with my hobbies is if it's extremely inconvenient for me I don't want to do it. In San Diego distance was the problem. The city kind of tries to make it easy by installing bike racks on city bus's but I felt it was just too hard and didn't go. No big, I can always ride another time...

So, my bike has been stored in my room on the ship for going on 6 months now, stuck behind the door, completely covered with dust and some dirt from my last ride. Front tire is flat, just sitting there, mocking me, reminding me of just how lazy I can be at times.

Actually, it's not dirty anymore, I took some time to clean it up. It shines like a new penny and I'm working up my motivation to finally pull it out and take it home. My goal is to ride to work at least 3 times a week but I haven't started yet so I don't know how it's going to go.

About the flat tire, I have to tell a little story here. I was plagued with flat tires since my Muroran, Japan port of call in November 2007. On the 1st day I flattened my front tire on a nice drop and just replaced it figuring I just pinched it. Morning of the 2nd day, it was flat again. Pumped it up, it held, figured I was fine, which I was for the day. 3rd day, had to put some air in but had to replace it again halfway through the day. After that I didn't ride again until Hong Kong in April 2008. I replaced the tube again once on that 4 day trip. I figured I was the bad luck king for flat tires and everyone enjoyed poking fun at my expense. At least motivation was high.

Needless to say I had the same problem all summer long, most times I could pump up the tube but I replaced it 6 times that summer. And it sat in my room, flat tire and all, mocking me, for almost 6 months.

When I decided to clean it up and get back in saddle I pumped up the tire once again to see if it would hold air. This time, there was no hope for it. I removed the tire from the rim and turned it inside out to make sure I didn't have anything stuck in there, which I had already done a couple times previously. And wouldn't you know it? I found a quarter inch worth of thorn jammed in there, sticking up, and always into my tube. How I overlooked this thing all these months I will never know.

I keep it on my desk as a momento of the good times had by my friends giving me a serious ration for every flat tire for the past year...