When the weather is nice, my neighbor likes to ride his bicycle several miles to a Safeway store for morning coffee and a doughnut.
I can relate. Some of the best bike rides involve coffee and, for me, maybe a muffin or a scone since I try to avoid the glazed or chocolate delights I used to love.
The route my neighbor takes (let’s call him Dave) is mostly along a paved trail in a state park by the Colorado River. Even though it’s paved, there’s always a fair chance you’ll encounter the dreaded goat’s head thorn.
Dave seems to attract them. He is a thorn magnet. I’ve been on rides when I felt similarly attractive.
My own approach for years has been to ride on Continental Gatorskin tires, which typically cost ~$50-60 U.S. but are tough enough to last me a couple of thousand miles on the road. I think I’ve had two flats with Gatorskins in the past 20 or so years while experiencing numerous thorn flats and other fails using other tires.
Mrs. Smith and I both have new Gatorskins on our road bikes.
Of course, there are other solutions:
- Here’s one example I found in a quick search just now.
- We haven’t tried this yet, but our AAA Colorado membership provides bicycle assistance. Good to know.
- Dave’s approach is to call his wife or Uber to get a ride, then have a pro fix the tire. (I’ve told him about AAA.)
Fixing flats is kind of a pain, but knowing how to do it comes in handy.
I’m with @bikeshopgirl.com (in convo below with @bikesnobnyc) that not everyone needs to do it.
Not everyone can, but I think everyone can plan.
Pedal on, my friends.
B.J.
The Smith Compound 