Can you see the screw sticking right into my tyre, like someone hammered it in? Well, I got that just as I was cycling along the bike lane off Tavistock Square. Clang clang clang, thought something had got caught in my wheel. One very long screw. Here it is again.
I wrestled with the puncture for half an hour, putting patches on the inner tube, but failed as it had been shredded. I wanted to change the inner tube but didn't have a spanner which would have loosened the wheel. So, KarmaCycle, would you believe it, admitted defeat and got in a taxi with LCM (London Commuting Machine i.e. my bike) and headed home, tail between my legs. On the plus side, I had a super-nice taxi driver and together we sorted out London's transport problems. Here's another rather blurry view after I'd pulled the screw out a bit:
Has anyone else had a punture like that, where the screw/nail just plunges straight in? Was it left in the bike lane sticking up? Did it fall at a freak angle poking upwards? Did someone come and hammer it in while I was stopped at the lights for a second? I need a forensic puncturologist.
6 comments:
I once had a puncture courtesy of a hypodermic needle. Pulled that one out rather carefully!
Wow that's seriously hard core! Ok come on then folks we've very long screw, (begging your pardon missus) a hyperdermic needle ... Any advance on those ...?
I once had a six inch nail go through the rear tyre of a motor scooter. It went in on the edge of the tread and came out again through the opposite side wall and scraped the rim. How do they do that?
Impressive! More evidence of it being a tough and strange world out there! You've got to wonder if these sharp objects are being left by a goblin in highly dangerous positions. Can't explain otherwise how they manage to stick straight into tyres like that! BTW welcome - I've seen you on Twitter quite a bit, so good to have you here too.
Awesome puncture - never picked up anything that large!
And I hope you never will! I'm still slightly reeling from the incident. And I'm keeping the actual screw as a kind of ghoulish souvenir.
Post a Comment