New kicks, no wheels, actually, just tires.
Gosh how long has is been, I have almost forgotten the existence of my virtual self here. Number of things have been happening, travels, bike trips etc., in the midst of regular commutes. Don’t wait up, the documentation will happen at its own volition.
When I started cycling, I figured there are things I would change frequently, like break pads, bar tapes, tubes, tires, and some more infrequently like chains etc… But once one starts riding, it hits home that the bike is a pretty efficient machine and requires less than a casual, hose down and grease up to keep it chugging along. The only thing I have had to change (also less than frequently) on my bikes are break pads. The rest of the additions / upgrades that have happened is less due to necessity and more due to want or vanity. Until recently.
I have been commuting on my Trek XO in the recent months and I enjoy the zippy feel that the skinny tires provide. The trouble with skinny tires is that I have to be careful pumping the tires to high pressures regularly and also look out actively for potholes and ruts on the streets. But it is zippy. Being the bum I can be, I ride under low tire pressures and also stay careless on maintenance, and it was a matter of time when the tires start to show signs of wear.
The first was a classic ‘snake-bite’ that I had to fix late night in the red-light district (A whole another story). The patch was not perfect and was followed by a re-patch in better circumstances the very next day. After a couple of weeks, the tubes started to leak slowly and messed up my return commute. After this happened a couple of times, I realized that I have actually, ridden enough for the tires to start feeling like tissue. Not bad, I have ridden my bikes enough to necessitate a real update.
So it happened this evening, I had run out of patches and my tires were flat. Pumping air did not solve the problem for more than a 100m. The last straw was drawn when I had to push the bike a couple of Km to get to a bike shop. I figured its about time I switched on to a new pair of tires and as it happened, it is a mildly hipster joint and had funky colored Schwalbe Duranos. A bit of funk is not a bad thing and I ended up with a pair of brown’s that nicely match the Brooks Honey I sit on. Schwalbe says it has good speed (?) and is extremely durable. I don’t know about the speed part, it rides well for now. But I hope they are correct with the durability.
Oh, in other news, I have been doing regular 400-500 Km commutes these months.
