An update

Its been a while. Between some travel and allergies/sickness there's not too terribly much to report until this week.

Another flat, and a tough one at that. Right around Dupont Circle on my evening commute the back tire started feeling "slushy". Looked down and low and behold I was getting a flat. Wasn't sure if it had been going down slowly or if I had just hit something so I broke out the CO2 pump and refilled.

Yup, it was a hole alright. Close to the stem at at the rim of the bike.

One of the nice things about where I got the flat is there is a bike shop not too far away, The Bike Rack on Q Street. So off I went, pushing the Prox the 5 or 6 blocks to the store.

Have the say the folks were very nice, and 30 minutes and $25 later I was back on the street. Unfortunately the patch lasted all of about 3 blocks. I managed to push it back to the store just before they closed and they took another crack at it (and were very apologetic). 10 minutes later I'm back on the street. 6 blocks later another flat. Unfortunately the place was closed for the evening so I pushed the last 9 blocks home.

Essentially the issue was that the hole in the inner-tube was likely too close to the stem, and the hole in the tire next to the rim was causing too much pressure on the inner-tube. Had I been able to get back to the shop I would have ordered a new tire/tube.  Can't blame the Bike Rack, they did good work for what was asked, and tried to fix it a second time (and I would have gone back for the new tire had it not closed).

So, back home ordered a new inner-tube and tire off of Amazon. Would fix it myself except they won't arrive for a few days and Friday is "Bike to Work" day, which I wan't to take part in.

The Wee Lass has jury duty today so I'm working from home. During lunch I ended up taking the bike to BicycleSPACE in Chinatown (simply because its the closest shop to the house). Just got the call that its finished and I'll be picking it up later.

Its a thorn...

... in my back tire. That was the diagnosis on the flat in the back. By lunch time the tire was completely down. Since I would be nervous removing the back wheel of a normal bike to find and fix a flat at home on the weekend I basically bit the bullet and got it fixed in town. There are a three bike shops within walking distance of the office: one that caters to "serious bikers" (i.e. prepare to pay a lot), one that didn't have the greatest reviews on Google Plus, and then there was Griffin Cycles. Gave them a buzz, took the bike over, and 4 hours and 26 dollars later the bike is fixed.

Breaks and a slow leak

Tinkered with the breaks a little more and now the back break feels great, so knock on wood I have that issue licked for the time being.

There's a new issue though. I recently purchased a bike pump as I was noticing, after a month or so of riding, that the back was feeling a little low. I filled up at the local gas station and both the back and the front were down to 35 psi (the tire says keep between 40 and 60). Bike pump arrived and now I check on Sunday evenings the tire pressure and top up if needed. Last night when I attached the pump the gauge read ~20 psi, which was a little worrisome. I inflated to 60 and thought nothing of it. This morning as I'm getting the bike out the front door I give the back tire a squeeze and it feels mushier than I thought it should. Out comes the bike pump and low and behold its below 40 again. Back up to 60 I go and I'm on my way.

By the time I get to work I have to pop up a curb, which I do gently, and it feels like the curb is hitting the rim. Not good. When I'm up in the office I give the back tire a squeeze. Its mushy again. And when I put my weight on the seat and get a good look at the tire it looks like its not fully inflated.

I fear I have a slow leak somewhere. Not fun. Luckily there's a bike maintenance area that includes a tire pump just as you get on the Capital Crescent Trail so (assuming the equipment works) I should be able to fill up on the way home. Finding and patching the tire, however, is going to be more of an issue. I'm dreading taking off the back wheel since I have to worry about power and electronic cables.  I may just punt and take it to the local bike shop here in Bethesda and have them work on it.

Some new gear

I'm not used to actually maintaining a bike so its time I started purchasing some items:

• In case of flats: Genuine Innovations G2628 Ultraflate Plus Tire Inflator and XLC Tire Repair Patch Kit.
• A nice case to sit on the back rack (the rack is a little smaller than a "normal" bike): Axiom Robson LX Trunk Bag (with neat fold-down panniers).
• Black soft gel relief bike saddle seat cushion pad cover (because when compared to the rental bike seats, the one on the Prox leave certain body parts numb).