Hello All,
I remember many years ago I would ride my Raleigh International to college. I had just got set of clincher wheels built up consisting the infamous Rigida 1320 rims and Specialized 700x25 Turbos. On this particular day, I had a late afternoon class, when I went to retrieve the International which was securely attached to the school newspaper rack with a coated aircraft cable and lock, I noticed that my front tire was flat. I moved the bike out to the front lawn area and proceeded to remove the tire. At that point I saw my girlfriend, Megan who had just arrived for an evening class. This was about 4:30 in the late afternoon. With great confidence, I pulled the tire levers out of my saddle pack and tried to lift off the bead. It woud not budge, I grabbed the second tire lever in an attempt to double team the non compliant bead; still no luck. The only thing I was doing leaving deep scratches on the highly polished rims. It was beginning to get dark, good thing I had a leg lamp! I finally got the tube out and proceeded to patch it, then I realized that in my Herculean struggle I had pinched the tube in multiple locations. I used about all the patches in my patch kit, tested the tube and began installing it. Tragically, I pinched the tube again as I was attempting to pry the last section on tire on the rim. By that time, it was already dark, about 8:30pm and my girlfriend came walking by, as her class had just ended. I was so frustrated and ready to resurrect the sew-up wheel set. But, you know, a little consolation from her and the offer of a late night dinner and a beer at a local Mexican restaurant really smoothed everything out. We loaded the International into the trunk of her Chevy II Nova and rumbled away. The Raleigh is long gone and so is Megan, but the memory of those infamous 1320s linger.
Regards,
David Martinez
Fremont Ca
US of A
feeling somewhat nostalgic