Two days last week I had a flat tire on two sequential bike rides. I don't ever remember having a flat while I was riding a bike. I have had a flat when I was getting it ready for a ride, but not while riding.
The technician discovered glass shards embedded in the treads of the tire, hence the two flats. BTW, Bikeway Source in Bedford MA has excellent customer service. Both times they fixed it on the spot, and tightened my front tire as well. They also showed me how to put the tire on correctly, so it was tight enough, avoiding another potential accident (previous post on my bike accidents to date). And most importantly, they did not make me feel stupid.
On my first ride after the bike was fixed, I kept my eyes totally on the path in front of me to spot more shards of glass. Where did I pick them up? Are the other just waiting to jump into my tires? You might say for that I rode very tentatively, and in fact did not go near the area where I might have picked up the glass.
Also recently I have tripped and fallen several times, as have relatives of mine. The sympathy I get from loved ones is "Slow down", "Look down", "Watch for pennies on the ground", etc. I actually found four coins the first day I tried that technique and just missed a twenty dollar bill on the bike path yesterday. Someone else beat me to it by seconds.
I should look where I am going, but I am always dreaming, always talking, and my head is always in the clouds. If I want to avoid glass on the tires, and if I want to not trip, I need to be looking down more. I am not a cautious person, but the older I get and the more falls I have, the more I am learning to be cautious, and look for those coins and bills as a technique and reward. This does not mean I will have no accidents, falls or flat tires. Just less hopefully. Look up occasionally to see be on our wonderful bikepath.
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