Why I hate flats

It all started over a year ago. I walked out of my townhouse and was on my way to somethin' or rather and BAM... the front driver side tire was blown out. I had never changed a tired by myself and that was quite somethin' to see (that would be me standing on the "wrench" while hopping up and down trying to loosen the lug nuts). The last time I changed a tire was probably 15 years prior when my Dad helped me rotate the tires. I was in charge of taking off the rear tire and he got phone call. So, I was left to my own devices.... which meant.. Dad why can't I get the tire off? I have all the lug nuts off? I keep pulling and it's not budging (hint... you may want to jack up the tire).

My second flat occurred a couple months later on the rear passenger side wheel. One would think that in an office full of men, one of them would have helped. Instead, they were all inside, laughing at me. Blasted people! Eventually, I did have a few folks out helping because it was quite obvious this tire wasn't about to budge for me. It was almost as if it were welded on.

Not only did I have problems with my car, but my bicycle too. Both times the tire went flat as I was cruising down a hill at 30 mph. Now that is just downright disappointing. Who wants to stop going downhill.. the easiest part of a ride? So, I whipped out my pump, took the tire off and tried to find the hole. Turns out I thought I had ruined the presta valve and out of the six patches I was supposed to have, I had none. How could that not be in there when I hadn't ever had a flat before? Needless to say, I looked like a damsel in distress as one gal told me when she stopped to see if I needed help.

A week later, I got another flat. I was about two miles from the office and going downhill, bummer. So, I thought, yes, I have all the stuff I need, it's the front tire, and I was quickly on my way to fix the tire. Before I left my house I did think to myself, I should have a spare CO2 cartridge and should have figured out how to use the blasted thing. I then thought, oh, I'll be fine... wasn't fine. I couldn't get the CO2 cartridge to work. A nice young man stopped to make sure I was o.k. I asked if he could help. He couldn't get the thing to work either. So, he lent me his CO2. I told him I felt like such a fool for not knowing how to use it. He happened to work at bike shop and he couldn't' figure out the cartridge either. He gave me some pointers about what I should do before I leave my house (like figure out how to use the CO2 cartridge, hmm good point). I thanked him for stopping to help. He said he thought maybe I was hurt since I was so far off the road. I told him it was a ploy to get him to stop. Hmm... this could be a way to pick up cute men!

Well, this last week, my front passenger side tire went flat on my car. This time, one of the guys in the office offered to help change it, just as I put everything back in my car and was done. Nice timing. Turns out, it wasn't just flat, it was embarrassingly raw... down to the wires. So, those tires were replaced (even though all four were replaced a year earlier). Went back to the shop... only to find out the rear wheels were badly bent. So, I not only left with two new tires, but now have some pretty snazzy looking wheels to.

The moral of the story is that about four years ago, when I ran over a really bad pothole and the guy tells me that the wheels are little bent, but drivable, maybe I should have listened to him then..... I probably would have saved enough money to buy a ticket to Thailand again with all the savings in tires.