Bloubosrand to Sandton

I have moved house as of this weekend, so I now have to commute slightly further than before. Douglasdale (where I used to live) to Sandton used to be a trip of just under 12km for me, and took roughly 31-35 minutes outbound / 23-26 minutes return.

I went by bicycle for the first time since moving. For now, much of my route is the same as before, actually passing by my old complex. There is an extra 4.7km added onto my trip now, and this morning it took me almost exactly 40 minutes to get here. I suspect the return trip should now be around 30-35 minutes at the most, but I will see this afternoon.

It seemed as if the longer trip was actually more pleasant than the old one. The 12km trip was short and extremely intense, whereas the new 16km trip allows me to get into more of a rhythm, warming up slowly and steadily. So I actually felt really good at the end of it. We''ll see what the return trip is like!

Solution: arrest motorists

Just read an article about a man in Durban being arrested for skipping a red traffic light: Main Jailed for jumping red light. They should do some of that in Johannesburg. It absolutely astounds me, every single day, how ordinary motorists disregard the rules of the road. I'm even convinced it's gotten worse even in the few years since I've moved here. You used to find plenty of people recklessly running amber (orange) lights before, but now they not only go through on red but even go through when the other side has already changed to green!

Yup, rim tape it is

Took my wheels to the LBS (local bicycle shop) on Thursday, and the guy took one look at them and before I could even suggest anything he was already telling me, "Oh ok, it's the rim tape".

I now have brand new Shimano rim tape on both wheels - apparently it's plastic and designed especially for high pressure tyres; anyway, it's blue and it looks a lot more smooth than the old ones ever did.

Did 36km on Saturday and 54km on Sunday, without any hint of flat tyre issues. So I think I may finally have solved this problem.

My only gripe is that the new rim tape seems to have made it much harder to get the tyres on and off the rims. Possibly this is because it has made the gap a bit shallower than before Anyway, it took three strong guys to put the tyres back on the rims!

Psssht! Tyre goes flat in my office!

A few minutes ago, my rear tyre suddenly made a loud whooshing noise and promptly went flat in about two seconds!

The bicycle was just sitting there. And the tube is brand new, replaced only this morning. So now I know for a fact I have a serious problem. I took the tube out and sure enough there was a single hole. I also noticed something interesting - the hole was in one of a number of regular "bumps" that had formed in the tube, suspiciously spaced and sized exactly like the small indentations where the rim tape has sunken into the holes where the spokes meet the rim...

So maybe the rim tape is to blame - perhaps it should be flat and smooth but has become uneven over the years, and the tube therefore expands into the holes and becomes weak at those points.

Just had a look at it again now... Yup, it must be the rim tape. I can see exactly where the air escaped - it is along a section where the rim tape is very narrow and actually worn at the edges, exposing parts of the metal to the tube. And the tape has sunken deep into the hole where the spoke is joined.

First post-winter commute this morning

The early morning temperature has improved a lot lately, with the sun actually coming up at a humane hour.

Regarding my tyre troubles (see yesterday's post): I replaced the rear tyre again this morning, and... well, so far so good. The guy I bought the tubes from yesterday (at Morningside Cycles) suggested I clean out the tyre and the rim thoroughly, and also check for any sharp edges, etc. on the rim. I checked the rim carefully but all I found was a section where the rim tape was a little less straight-down-the-middle than elsewhere, possibly exposing a little more of the metal to the tube surface. I'm not sure if that is causing the problem; anyway, there are certainly no sharp edges I can see. Time will tell. If this is the problem, I suppose at least I will finally know. On the down side, it will require actually replacing the rim tape completely. I really just hope it doesn't decide to rip my tube during the cycle home this evening.

On to other matters....

I tried seriously reducing the weight of my backpack on this ride, which turned out to be a really good choice. I did it by bringing some of the heavier items (e.g. shoes, jeans, warm top) in the car at the beginning of the week, and leaving these at the office. The "purist" in me objects to this on some level, but in any case I already do this with other items (e.g. my laptop).

Reducing the weight on my back makes for a significantly more comfortable ride. The road bike - with its hard, narrow tyres and a seating position made for aerodynamic efficiency rather than comfort - can be quite tough on the back, neck and shoulders at the best of times, and having a heavy backpack simply compounds the problem.

I suppose the ideal commuting bike for carrying heavier loads would have a slightly more relaxed frame design, slightly wider tyres (not too wide, however, and they should still be smooth) and even some sort of frame to carry a bag so you don't have to weigh down your back. But I simply ride the bicycle I do own, and it certainly does a speed advantage.

Spring has come, and so have the punctures!

It's getting a little warmer around these parts, and I figured this would be the week to start cycling to work again. I got everything ready, even had my cycling clothes on, and when I pulled the bicycle out of the cupboard - the rear tyre was completely flat!

This was bizarre, because I had just replaced both tubes last night, and inflated them properly. I'd even ridden up and down the parking lot in my complex a few times on the new tubes.

In my previous spate of flat tires, the culprit was pinch flats; I had simply been under-inflating the tyres. A good track pump with a pressure gauge solved most of my problems after that. Then in the last two weeks I've suddenly gone through about another 4 new tubes. On Sunday I had a particularly weird incident, where after about 36km of cycling, the rear tyre suddenly started a whooshing sound and was deflated in seconds - and this was a brand new tube (just over a day old) that had run perfectly for about 60km already (I had cycled 24km the previous day). What was even more bizarre was that while I was replacing the tube on the side of the road, the front tire went flat all by itself! Was it because the wheel had become too hot and weakened the rubber (it was a particularly hot day, and I was changing the tube in full sun)?

The rear tube showed a single hole, about a third of the way round from the valve. It didn't look like a pinch flat - those usually have two holes, hence they are often call "snake bites" - and in any case I was pretty sure the tire had remained at high pressure throughout the ride and I hadn't hit any bad bumps.

This morning's flat - also on the rear wheel - showed what I think was the same pattern: a single hole, about a third of the way round the wheel from the valve. So maybe there is something in my rim, rim tape or tyre that is puncturing my tubes? It could even be a spot where a spoke is poking through the rim tape, since I think the hole was on the inside of the tube.

I found this advice in a forum (here), which I think is useful:

i always get a clean rag and rub out the inside of the tire after i feel by hand for anything hard or pointy. then i shake a little gold bond or talcum powder around in there. then i do the tube and the rest of the action. this, kevlar tires and having good rim tape (i use zefal or velox - whatever the lbs has in stock) has given me great success after i had a similar problem a few years back and went through a couple tubes on my back wheel in short timeframe. turns out there was a lot of friction under high pressure causing easy pinch flats. it should also be noted that it is good practice to inflate the tube slowly after you get the tire popped onto the rim, and use your fingers to smush it around and kind of pull at the tire to ensure the tube isnt pinched between the tire and rim before going all the way up to full pressure. if you skip this step you may never know until you've already put the tube under duress and as soon as you put riding weight on it and roll down the block you'll blow it out. just some ideas.

I will check for the spoke and rim tape issue first, however. This requires taking the tire off completely, which can be a little time-consuming. I think the advice about handling the tube carefully so as not to pinch is wise, although it makes you wonder just how fragile these silly things are?

Fourways to Sandton CBD, mid-winter: no sweat

So I tried my first 7AM-in-winter cycle commute today. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like. Would I shiver uncontrollably? Would my legs freeze up?

As I continue my Sandton Cycle-Commuting Experiment, I'm learning that the best thing is always just to give it a go. Plan, sure; but ultimately you don't know how difficult something is going to be unless you get on the bike and see what happens.

So I gave Joburg Winter cycling a go.

I figured my biggest problem would be keeping the top half of me warm. My legs don't really feel the cold as much, for some reason - I guess it helps that they're always moving. So I wore my usual cycling clothing (short-sleeve cycling top, short cycling pants) but I put on another warm top over it all. This was not a fancy long-sleeve cycling top, by the way, just an ordinary sweater-type top.

When I set off just after 7AM this morning, it was perfectly light but the sun had only just started to really show itself. I was in very cool shade for most of the trip, and my breath was condensing so I reckon it must have been around 10 degrees (Celsius) or so.

The biggest problem is wind chill. The moment you start moving more than about 20km/h, you really feel it. My legs were okay, even with the cycling shorts, but my face and hands got cold very quickly. Clear eyewear would have been helpful - more for keeping the freezing cold out of my eyes than shading the non-existent sun. And full-length gloves might be an option, although my hands actually warmed up by the end of the ride. I found I had to take the extra warm top off about 2km into the ride, because I had gotten too hot, but then I felt cold again when I hit a downhill (60km/h+).

I took a sip from my water bottle about 8km into the ride, and found that it was nearly frozen!