Bicycling Key Biscayne

I rode one of the most beautiful 17 miles in the US, this weekend - across the causeway to Virginia Key and thhen Key Biscayne Island  (from Miami, Florida).

While my wife suffered no flats or other difficulties, I seemed to be trying hard to find opportunities to practice falling off my new recumbent Haluzak Leprechaun.

The first flat was a "snake bite" that occurred when I was too busy looking at the expensive houses and rode off the sidewalk right before a very sharp grass to driveway edge.  I saw what was going to be just moments before and grabbed hard on both brakes.  The front wheel stopped hard against the driveway edge and the rear wheel (and I), went up, up, up into the air, but just short of going all the way over, we started going back down.  With all of this happening, I forgot or couldn't get a foot out sufficiently from my SPD clipless pedals, so I fell harmlessly to the side onto the grass.  Only my ego had been hurt.

After switching tubes, we were on our way.  About 12 miles into the ride we rolled to a stop thinking heavily about which way to go.  I wedged my heel into the front tire and fell over sideways, in slow motion.  My wife is now seriously questioning my love for this weird looking and expensive contraption.

Dusting off my hip and my ego once again, we rolled on our journey.  A few times I left the comfort of the paved bikepath onto grass or gravel, but the majority of the trip was either on a bikepath or the sidewalks.

Just as we crossed another stretch of grass and re-entered the bikepath to go back across the bridge, my steering became very mushy.  I looked down at the front wheel and could see it was flat.  The sidewalls of my 16x1-3/8 Primo Comet tire were crumpling up.  I hit the brakes to stop and once again forgot to remove a foot in time.  Oh what an embarrassing show I was putting on that day.  I fell over harmlessly in the middle of the bike path.  Luckily no-one other than my laughing (and concerned) wife was near to see this third fall in 15 miles.

I was starting to feel like it was an audition for Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (an old TV show where a fella would ride a tiny tricycle then fall over...trust me, it was funny).

I fixed this second flat and then let some guy test drive the bike.  Amazing...he didn't fall over once.  Ofcourse, he didn't have SPDs on either.  After 12 years of riding SPDs, you would think I could remember to pop a quick release.  Since a fall in the first hour with the bike, I have been riding with the tension set way down - way, way down.

I figure the pedals I'll get used to (again), but two flats in 17 miles is another story.  I checked out www.airfreetires.com but it appears they don't make an iso 349 tire.  Guess I'll just have to stock up on tubes and perhaps try the thornproof type.  I love the quick response of my lightweight tire and tube, but the quick flats have got to stop.

Alan