I Am My Own Worst Enemy

Recap of recent events: I've ridden outside in MN just a few times this year because it will not stop snowing. I am in California, watching my nieces for a week. The goal was to ride while they are in school. I rode my sister's bike on Friday, my first full day here, before she and my brother-in-law left town. My brother-in-law had gotten me all set up. Those are the photos I posted last Friday. Beautiful! Here's a reminder...

Reservoir Near San Carlos, CA

Yesterday was Monday, and so I got out my sister's bike and pumped up the tires to what I thought my brother-in-law told me was the correct inflation level for the tubeless tires. I went inside to finish getting dressed, heard a weird noise, looked all over the house to try to figure out what had fallen or tipped over. I went to get on the bike and saw that the rear tire was flat. To make a long story short, I overfilled the tire and it burst open. I got a tube and put it in the tire to reinflate it and go for a ride, but the alignment of the wheel and/or tire is all messed up. Basically, I either wrecked the tire by warping it in the explosion or I wrecked the rim.

Here I am, in sunny California, where I'm supposed to hopefully - finally - be training for this sort of lengthy ride in less than two months and, well, I wrecked the rear wheel in some way and can't ride the bike. I guess I will be hiking for the remainder of this trip. Any exercise is better than what I was getting at home over the last six weeks.

On the bright side, I got some new tire-changing levers. They've been on my shopping list and I had intended to do some online shopping some night while I'm here for some miscellaneous biking items. Since I was able to find them at the local bike shop, I just got them.

I had these:







I wanted, and got, these:


I know, I know. You wouldn't think that a $3 purchase (or, in my case, $6 purchase - I bought two sets of 3 levers because I know I'll lose one or two along the way) would matter so much. But if you doubt my sincerity, try changing a tire with those top ones. They stink. I have no idea why they even make those. And why the bike shop 4 blocks from my house only carries that kind.

I had daydreams that I'd be riding a ton, feeling happiness like the person who owns this bike surely must feel. Soon...






Speaking of soon, the 150-mile ride is in about 7 weeks and I'm only at about 62% of my fundraising goal. If you're planning on donating, maybe you can help me get a little momentum in that department? Thanks for all of your support!

Here's that link: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150