oh how i miss thee

there was a time when all was copasetic in the world of bicycle tires. they would inflate to a cool 116-118 PSI at will using an readily available Park Professional model floor pump.

i remember those times well. life was good.

then, one day said pump went away, leaving behind an old Trek floor pump - you know the kind that you have to unscrew in order to switch from presta to schraeder? yea - we didn't get along so well.

so i decided to upgrade. i wanted to support the local shops so i walked in and asked for a recommendation. i came home with a wrench force floor pump - all shiny and new - with a dual head nozzle that reminded me of my former friend, park.

but looks can be deceiving...
a few weeks ago i was putting air in the serotta b4 a ride. i heard an unfamiliar whistle and couldn't figure out what it was. but this tire was refusing to inflate. i went to get in my car to take it to the shop and my car wouldn't start.

awesome.

i finally got myself over and it turns out i had ripped the valve off of the tube (a slight rip but enough to ruin it). great. i also brought the pump. it was obvious that the pump stuck as both shop owners fought with it for a bit. they put a little grease on the puppy (the pump head, not my dog), fixed the flat and off i went to ride in peace.

so the other day i get up for a morning ride. i am a bit tense as i only have a short time to ride - seeing as studying is a high priority these days. front tire - air - done. rear tire... i go to inflate and ... the familiar hiss...

i have no idea what i did - but crap i knew i had busted the valve off of the tube - YET AGAIN. i was running short on time as i wanted to catch the group and so i quickly switched out the tube with a fresh one... now this fresh tube had a smooth valve - missing the RIDGES that you see on the valve to the right...

as i began to pump up the tire, the pump head proceeded to fly off! this happened many times over.

awesome.

each time the tire reached any sort of pressure, the pump head would go flying off of the valve (in a locked position) releasing any air that i had successfully forced into the tire.

while this image of me fighting with my pump may have been well-suited to inspire laughter via a youTube video, at that given moment, there was nothing comical about said situation. i was nothing short of pissed. chaya hid in the corner wondering why mom was swearing at inanimate objects.

great.

time was quickly passing and i was officially late.
i placed the pump head onto the valve and held it with my left hand - pumping with my right. pumping up a road tire with one hand is no easy feat at 8am when you haven't eaten, drank anything and are grumpy as hell.

i managed to get close to 110 PSI - and i gave up. after all it was only the read tire and i could hopefully convince one of the boys to help me out if i got ANOTHER FLAT on the way there.

when i finally made it to the shop, i spoke with frank about my pump situation since had had mediated things last time. i purchased a new gromit and on i went - apparently these things wear out after extended use. later in the day i decided to tackle both fixing the pump and that annoying squeak coming from the back of the bike...i looked at the gromit - then the pump.

gromit - pump. i couldn't figure out how that round thing was ever going to fit over the much smaller presta portion of my pump.

wrong part!

to make a long story - short..(er)...
a new part had to be ordered...
and i'm still missing my beloved park professional floor pump.

i'm convinced that if i added up all of the accumulated tubes ammased due to this other pump, i would find i had already purchased a better, more-l-friendly pump.

so needless to say, yet another pump may be joining the household in the not so distance future. this old(ish) one blows.