A few days ago, I wrote about my sense of accomplishment from replacing the rear cassette on my bike, and I mentioned the need for new tires soon.
The new tires are on now.
Pictured here is the old rear tire next to the new front tire. You can see the severity of the tread wear. The sidewalls were also in bad shape, with lots of scuffs and scrapes.
The front tire has less tread erosion, and the sidewalls are OK. Its tube had died due to wearing through near the valve stem, though. I will be keeping the front tire and the rear inner tube on hand for emergency replacements.
New tires and tubes set me back about $130+theft, but if these last as long as the old ones did, it's money well spent. And it was a chore to find good tires. It seems the COVID-19 lockdowns and the riots in urban centers have killed the bike tire supply chain. There were 4 of these tires at the specialty shop nearest me. Since my bike is older, 26" was still the standard. Newer bikes had more options since there are fewer buying for larger diameter wheels. They also only had a single 26" mountain bike tube in their repair stocks, with none in retail inventory.
Fortunately, Bi-Mart had some cheap Bell tubes that would work, and they were even on sale. I had already checked there for the whole kit and caboodle for the job, but their tire selection did not meet my snobby standards. Basic Bell tires at a mere 1.95" width? Bah! Unsuitable for my magnificent mechanical steed! However, I knew they had tubes, so I was set.
I also managed to remember that I needed to check the rotation direction on these tires BEFORE I mounted them. Yay! Don't skip this step yourselves.
Once I am done with a few more minor replacements, I will have spent a significant percentage of the original price for this bike. At that point, a new bike with disk brakes starts to look tempting. But I am spending far less than half the cost if a good new bike, especially considering inflation since this one was new 15 years ago. Plus, I am learning useful skills and accumulating useful tools. That last point applies more to the last post than now, though. This is hardly my first tire swap or tube replacement. But practice is good, and remembering things like accounting for directional tread matters.
Speaking of tools, I want to show off my pressure gauge. I suppose it's a family heirloom, since I got it from my grandfather. Some people have mansions, jewelry, and titles. I have a Ford tire pressure gauge. Sorry, rich snobs, mine is cooler.
At any rate, the Evil Black Assault Bike is ready to roll! I just need to find someone who wants to ride some trails with me while I figure out how hard I am ready to ride again.
If anyone read yesterday's post, I can report that the asinine alcoholic is home again. Tests showed a BAC through the roof, and blood sugar through the floor. Feel free to add to the chorus of people saying, "get some help!" I think the alcoholic might even read this, so your comment might do some good. As a bonus incentive, I will give a higher upvote to good replies along those lines.
