Blow-out

Crossing the Loxahatchee River
Tequesta, FL
March 29, 2024

I had a no kidding bike tire blow-out during my ride yesterday.

It was, as you might expect, very sudden. I was closing in on 15 miles of my planned 16.5 mile ride when suddenly I hear a pop and felt a rush of air on my leg. Not a good situation. I brought my bike to a stop and confirmed what I suspected, my real tire blew out. 

I was concerned that the blow-out was the result of a fully inflated tire combined with the extra weight I have been training with and the heat of the day. Instead of fixing the tire alongside the road and using my expendable supplies, I called Chris to come rescue me with my truck. I took the additional training weight off the bike. The weight consisted of a ten pound weight in the bike bag over the rear tire and, for the first time, I was riding with a camelback water supply. 

Once home, and after cooling down and attending to some other matters, I began the process of determining the cause of the blow-out. I pumped some air into the tire to determine the source of the leak and it immediately became apparent that I had ridden over something that punctured the tire and tube. I never saw it--it had two blade like puncture marks right in the middle of the tread. I noted that the tire was thin from the riding I have been doing and decided to replace the tire while I had everything apart. 

The whole repair process, including going to the bike store, took about an hour and the bike is ready for todays' ride--if I do one. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL