Bad news: I'm back on the bus.
My bike tire went soft on the way to work today. It didn't go all the way flat, so I sort of limped along to work, checking it every block or two, trying not to run over anything too bumpy that might hurt the rim.
There is a tire pump in the bicycle room at work, and when I got to work I pumped the tire.
At the end of the day, the tire was still full, so I got on the bike and rode home.
I was a little more cautious than usual: I took main roads instead of the waterfront, in case I had to get on a bus, and I checked the tire a lot.
I made it home just fine, but my bike made a scraping noise, like something was rubbing against the tire, all the way home.
It wasn't until one of the last stoplights that I noticed something odd with the tire.
When I got home, I looked more closely. Sure enough: the tire is fraying off the rim.
The tire was literally falling apart underneath me as I rode. In fairness to the tire, it is fully possible that it came with the bike when my parents bought it for me twelve years ago, which might just be beyond the normal lifespan of rubber.
I don't have time to bring the bike into the shop before Friday night, so I'm back to the bus.
This is an expensive month.
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