Some Nice Weather…And a Flat

Date
March 9, 2021
Distance
22.33 miles
Location
Riverfront Trail (Pittsburgh)

The other day, the weather was absolutely perfect—mid 60s and sunny. This is pretty surprising for Pittsburgh at this time of the year, so I did what every cyclist would do: I snuck in a quick ride between classes.

I settled on a quick out-and-back trip to the North Shore. Being about as flat a route as you can get in Pittsburgh, I went decently fast—about 15.8 miles per hour (25.4 kph), which is no race speed but is pretty solid for me. I quite enjoyed it…until I went over a pothole a little too fast, and I heard the dreaded hissing sound of a flat tire.

This was my first time fixing a flat tire on the roadside, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to do. I of course know the theory and have done it before in the comfort of my own home, but it’s a little different when you’re on the side of the road. Fortunately, I was in a fairly secluded area, so there weren’t many people around to witness my struggle with my inner tube.

Bicycle with front wheel off
Fixing a flat tire on the roadside. (full resolution)

After changing the tire, I just had to stop to take a bike photo in front of this pink-ish brick wall. I thought that the color contrasted nicely with the paint job on my bike, although I did have to stand at an awkward angle to avoid getting my own shadow into the picture. (Hey, in Pittsburgh, I’ll take that “problem” over not having any sun at all!)

Bicycle against brick wall
My bike against a brick wall. You’ll have to excuse the mud on the seat tube; as they say, mud just means you had fun! (full resolution)

Because of the unexpected delay, I ended up being a little late to CDM lecture that afternoon, but oh well.