Friday 16 July 2010

On Floria die Fledermoose getting screwed

People wise and/or foolish enough to ask me for advice about bike tires will know that I have no compunctions about recommending Kevlar tires of one variety or another (Schwalbe's Marathon series and Specialized's Armadillo series are my favourites). In short, I believe the cost/benefit ratio is very much in their favour. The money you invest in the extra cost, you will recoup in the prolonged life of the tire and the reduction in the number of replacement inner tubes you will have to buy. As well, you will spend less time changing punctured inner tubes.

There are, however, limitations to the abilities of Kevlar tires. I don't know if they degrade over time or if it was simply too much to ask of the Nimbus Armadillo tires that had first been used on the Castafiore. However, last night as I rode to my friend James' house, I heard, then felt something get into my rear wheel. I stopped and was annoyed to discover that a 2 inch wood screw had pierced the edge of the bottom of my rear tire and then came out again through the side wall. In addition, the tip of the screw had scratched the rim!
Very annoyed and recognizing that my rear tire was finito, I phoned James for a lift. While, I was waiting, I carefully removed the screw by unscrewing it from the tire. To say the least, I was miffed. I rode Leonardo to work and on the way home, I bought the "basic" Schwalbe Marathon HS 368 tire. From the Schwalbe website, it appeared to come closest to meeting my personal requirements for a commuting tire out of the Schwalbe lineup. I also considered two different Specialized tires, namely the Nimbus Armadillo and the All-condition Armadillo. I think the tipping factors in my decision was the legendary quality of Schwalbe Marathon tires and the fact that that the basic Schwalbe Marathon was cheaper than either of the Specialized offerings.
Another damage photo
The screw re-inserted into the holes


I must confess that I have borrowed somewhat risqué elements in the title from my friend James and a passage in an obscure song sung by Stan Roger and written by Royston Wood, namely, The Woodbridge dog disaster:

Now, if there's a moral to be gained from this song,
It's that innocent language might sometimes sound crude,
And as in the case of the carpenter's mate,
Your linguistic enlightenment might arrive late,
And you could end up getting screwed, boys!
And you could end up getting screwed!

1 comment:

Margo and Chris said...

Poor Floria!

But I must say, it looks as if the Armadillos didn't owe you much; nothing lasts forever. I real shame about the rim scratches, though.

Margo