Changing Tires

— WARNING – NEWBIE ALERT!! – WARNING —

It’s true that I don’t have much experience or aptitude in mechanical matters. My auto service is done at a shop, and the same goes for the bike. However, I thought it would be easy to change my tires.

I switched from my Pirelli “Mid Towner” slicks to a pair of Michelin “Wild Grabber” tires. The Michelin’s have a hash mark style tread that grabs pavement well without giving a bumpy ride.

I had never before used the tire levers I bought a few years ago, and I found they work much better than the pair of screwdrivers I used in my youth. What I found odd was the tubes were stuck to the tires. I had planned on using new tubes anyway, but I’m guessing the old ones are shot. I got the front tire with new tube on the wheel and took it out to the van to pump it up. As the pressure went up, I noticed markings indicating that this tire is designed to spin a certain way. Who knew?? Of course, I had it on the wrong way. It didn’t take to long to switch it around and reinflate.

After changing the front tire twice, the rear wheel went quickly. Unfortunately, I found that the cause of my wobbly rear wheel is a broken spoke. I wanted to try out the new tires, but I didn’t feel safe riding on that wheel. (Sure, I’ve been using it for two months, but I didn’t know then!)

I packed the bike into the van and took it down to the bike shop for a spring tune up. The guy asked me if I needed it back right away. I joked that I could wait until tomorrow, and he gave me a very serious look of surprise. It was going to be 10 days. 10 days! I gave the bike a quick hug and left.

On the way home, I stopped to visit a friend that had a used Specialized bike for sale. It is an entry level mountain bike with just a little rust on the components, and I picked it up for my son. However, it may be my bike for the next 10 days.