It’s been a busy couple of weeks here.  Between cycling, juggling, ham radio, and my InformIT column, I’ve had little time for deep thoughts or web diary entries.  Yesterday’s 48-mile ride was relaxing until it started raining about halfway through.  The flat tire (first flat in over a year, thanks to the Kevlar strip in the tires) at 30 miles was kind of inconvenient.  Changing a flat on a dirty tire in a downpour while cars zip by at 70 MPH isn’t much fun.

If you’re not familiar with the process of changing a flat, go down to your local bike store and ask for a demonstration.  Then go home and practice until you’re comfortable with it.  Do it over and over until you’re comfortable with it.  There’s nothing quite as frustrating as getting a flat out on the road, having all the tools to fix it, and being unable because you’re not familiar with the process.  Like most things, it’s not too difficult once you’ve learned the trick.