Shit. I hate flat tires. I change them every day at work and I take special precautions to prevent having one myself. These precautions include pumping my tires to their correct pressure, proper tire selection, going tubeless with Stan's sealant when appropriate, and generally not being a dumbass.
I had a flat this morning. When I get a flat, I must know what caused it. It's important to do this kind of inspection to avoid a similar puncture and wasting another tube. I usually do this for customers; pulling thumbtacks, glass shards, and other debris out of their tires. And while that's just good customer service, I feel it is especially important to do this check when I personally get a flat because it also prevents my Hulk-like alcohol-fueled rage from boiling over. What caused my flat today? I thought I had the toughest, most pinch flat-resistant tires available, so what on earth could have done this?
A tiny, loose valve core. That's it. That's all that caused my flat. There wasn't a hole in the tube and after a couple hundred miles on them, the tires barely have a scratch. It was a stupid presta valve core that had loosen slightly as I unwound a sticky locknut, thus letting air seep out slowly overnight. Unfortunately, I only found this out after I had pulled the extremely tight tire off the rim. All that work for such an easy fix. Damn. I could have been drinking.
Who's to blame? Triathletes, of course. I blame them and their deep dish clinchers and their silly, pain in the ass valve extenders. Those damn valve extenders barely work half the time too. If I wanted to mess with plumber's tape and have ambiguous tire pressure readings, I'd trip acid and attack everyone in Super Mario World with a frame pump only to be ultimately defeated by a plumber's tape-wrapped Koopa Troopa mummy. [ed - Hey, I don't pick my trips. They pick me.] The point is, people should get the right tube the first time around. Then those piece of shit valve extenders would be obsolete and I wouldn't have had a flat this morning. See? It's a win-win!
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