How Many Girls . . . .

. . . . does it take to repair a puncture. It has to be admitted that this one was rather a challenge. In years gone by, tyres could be slipped on and off with a little skill, no tools and no great strength. Modern tyres, particularly those with good resistance to punctures are much more challenging. I consider this to be a serious design flaw; provided that the tyre, inner tube and wheel rim have matching sizes, the task of dis-assembling and reassembling should be easy, particularly as it may be necessary to do it in the cold and dark during a storm. On a similar topic, it took thirty years to convince the designers of the British Standard 13 amp electrical plug that one shouldn’t have to fit them a second time because one had forgotten the initial step in the procedure the first time round.
 
Whenever you see a group of cyclists watching someone repairing a puncture, there will be a debate about such niceties as whether to start taking a tyre off at the valve, or finish at the valve; this goes hand in hand with a similar discussion about replacing the tyre. Then there are the matters of the correct size of inner tube to use and the best type of tyre lever. Some of our members will offer to do the job for ladies such as these but, as soon as someone starts interfering, will walk away. Years ago we had one lady who gave her punctured tube to the gallant who changed it for her; the boys were very keen to help.
 
At this point, I wish it to be known that I stepped into the breach – without claiming the punctured inner tube.
 
I’ve just posted last Wednesday’s, “Queensferry.”