I guess I blame it all on the rain… Riding in the rain always results in more punctures than riding in the dry, the water lifts up and moves around all the little bits of wire, glass and rock — today was no exception. Two thirds of the way to work, running late, down goes the back tyre. It’s always the back tyre when you’re in a hurry. Off with the wheel, spin it to check for glass — Ouch! Remove offending shard of rock. Off with the tyre, noting how soft and sticky the old rubber has become with the years. Maybe I really should have replaced those tyres before starting commuting on this bike!

Of course my bike pump is on my other bike, so there’s nothing for it except to walk to Oakleigh shops and ask to borrow the bike shop’s pump. No problem, except that the compressor blows the tyre off the rim. Quickly we let the tyre down, reseat it on the rim, then blow it back up. Finally I can ride the rest of the way to work.

Six o’clock, time to head home. Out the door, unlock the bike, lock in bag, lights on bike, helmet on head, hop on bike… bugger. The tyre has blown off the rim during the day. I tried letting it down in stages to see if I could force it back on with my fingers, but without much luck — by the time I could get the tyre back on the rim there was so little air in it that I couldn’t really ride it anyway. I tried, wobbled and squirmed my way to the end of the street then gave up and walked to the station, cursing all the way the fact that Monash is miles from public transport.

The ticket machine is being dismembered by a technician so onto the train with no ticket, eventually arriving at Richmond in time to see inspectors checking tickets! No idea if they would have accepted my excuse, back on the next outbound train for Burnley, then walk home from there, only an hour and three quarters after walking out the door at work!

I must remember to take my pump with me!

I must remember to buy a new back tyre!