Thursday, April 26, 2012

Full Maintenance and More Commuting Discussion

Hi Again!  It's me, Blackie Bike, here.  Boy do I have a lot to talk about today- so let's get right to it.
First thing- a quick update on our last post and that nasty cut I had on my back tire.  Buttercup used the SuperGlue trick on the cut and it healed right up!  The extra glue on the surface will wear off with time- no biggie.


If you aren't familiar with the process, here's what he did:

  • Do a quick wipe down of the tire with a damp rag and inspect it- that way you're sure you've found all the cuts.  Clean any debris out of the tire.
  • Over inflate the tire by about 5-8 lbs.  This will spread the cut or hole opening up a little bit extra.
  • Clean with a little rubbing alcohol.  This gets any grease cleaned out- it also will displace any water that's left and it will dry quicker.  Wait until cuts are dry.
  • Squirt just enough SuperGlue into the cut to coat the whole thing well.
  • Deflate the tire completely- no need to clean off excess glue (and risk gluing your fingers together) since it will wear off when you ride!  Leave at least overnight to set up is best.
That's it!  Done.  The excess glue will wear off in time and it will probably be just fine.  If it opens back up, it might just be too bad to fix- but as expensive as tires are, you might as well try.  Right?

I'm doing a charity ride this weekend with Buttercup.  It's a super fun one and it's for a good cause: The Ride to End Hunger in Calvert County.  It's always really well organized and fun and helps out the community!  BC is even giving up going sailboat racing for this one.  Good thing- us bikes hate having to compete for his time with those dumb boats.

To get me ready for the ride and a lot of training for May and June, Buttercup is going to give me a complete overhaul over the next day or two.  I'll make sure he takes pictures- you can see me in pieces!  I saw a new set of handlebars come in the mail, so I think I may be trying them out for him.  Updates a-plenty!  But you might be hearing from Blue Bike if I'm in too many pieces to type... 

Next discussion: Bike Commuting.  Since it's still that whole Earth Day thing, and gas prices are still crazy, and May is going to be some sort of "Bike to Wherever" month- let's keep up the discussion about bike commuting!

First, the trailer that Buttercup ordered (shown in This Post) arrived yesterday from www.mayacycle.com.  The ordering process was ok, their status updates on the order were bad, but it arrived in a timely fashion.  So overall- an ok purchase so far.  I'm sure BC will have pictures and we can talk about it more once it's up and running... But hopefully it will have him riding all of us more, and using the car less!

And then, what a Cool Article from the U.K. about a guy with a coffee shop who is also providing bicycle parking for commuters!  What a cool idea for peeps who don't have a parking option at work-- and they can get a cup of Joe!  

Last thing- a while back I had posted the front of that really bright and loud jersey that BC had worn one day...  here it is again:


And I had mentioned that it got even gaudier on the back of it, right?

Check this out *snicker*:


One thing is sure- nobody is going to miss us in THAT!!

All right- I'll talk at you later!  Until then, Get on your Bikes and RIDE!!!!

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