I popped to see the fine fellows at City Cycles in Leicester yesterday. When fixing my puncture the other day I noticed one of the serrated washers (designed to help stop the wheel slipping forwards in the frame under load) had broken. Bit disappointing but nevertheless, they replaced it for me without hassle.
While I was there I picked up a replacement inner tube for the rear wheel of the Dahon. The patched one seems OK but all day Friday the rear tyre was running out of true quite badly even though the wheel itself ran straight as a die. Puzzling but I did wonder if the patched tube was causing the tyre to inflate in a odd shape. Besides, given the miles I do, I'll be much happier knowing that the rear tube is a good one while keeping the patched one as a spare.
So I asked the guy in the shop if new ones come with Slime already in. He showed me what is apparently a better option - an inner tube of such massive thickness that I doubt a .50 calibre sniper rifle would put a hole in it! So I bought one and fitted it when I got home. It really is thick - I have owned thinner wellington boots! There's still a "belt and braces" part of me wants to put some slime in just in case, though.
I also took the opportunity to clean, lubricate and tighten up the chain and drive components (hot soapy water, a rag, elbow grease and "3 in 1" oil) before having a brief test ride around the block. The tyre still has a slight run out but chatting to the bike-shop guy and having a bit of Google on the subject reveals that it could just be the tyre not quite seated properly. So it'll either solve itself or I'll have a bit more of a fiddle later in the week.
Let's see what Monday's commute brings...
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