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Up at 7am after a quiet night.
9.00 Back from my first walk since I practiced my backwards flip on the neighbours' paddock. Their Husqvarna robot mower has been busy. Their grass is vastly improved. This is a huge area. Being 200m long, of a similar width in places and covering some quite steep ground. The entire area being enjoyed by an acrobatic flock of swallows this morning.
Meanwhile another neighbour has been absolutely transforming a rough patch of ground. Into a lawn with a flower bed and a natural pond. He has worked tirelessly in the distance. Visible through the gap in my trees. Leveling the very uneven ground and mowing repeatedly. This patch lies between two houses on the approach to a third. So it benefits everybody.
10.40 Warm sunshine. I have been guiding the robot on a path to the West Lawn. Where it started mapping. This involved moving and emptying a wheelbarrow. Heaped high with weeds. I became rather breathless and light headed. Not dizzy. So I took a chair into the shade and sat still. Then tried a spray of nitroglycerine. My vision was starting to go light. So I have come back in for a rest. I'll measure my blood pressure in a while.
Feeling better after half an hour. All the BP readings were ridiculously low. All under 100/65-70!16.45 72F/22C. Whoops! The ride into the village became a drive. My first puncture on the e-bike. The back tire is is as flat as one of my non-existent pancakes. Oh bøøger!
I have to go back tomorrow for the tablets I had run out of. Not a stock item. I also have to source a puncture repair outfit for 2.40" tires. Town bike shop, methinks.
There was an obvious thorn sticking out of the e-bikes rear tire. At 10 o'clock relative to the valve. I used pliers to pull it out. Then I unscrewed the through axle. Rotated the rear gear changer in top gear and simply dropped the wheel out of the rear [suspension] forks.
A woodworking, spring clamp on one side of the tire allowed me to work my way around. Pushing the sidewalls inwards off the beads. Removal of the tube and tire were straightforward after that. I gave the huge derailleur cassette a spray with engine cleaner and will leave it to soak overnight. It only needs ten minutes according to the instruction but I don't have a hose handy tonight.
The wheel is surprisingly heavy. Even without the tire and inner tube. Bottom gear is about the size of a tea plate. Though I only rarely use the lower gears. There is always ample power available in Sport Mode.
The neighbours' cat watched me impassively from The West Lawn as I worked. I have no idea where any of my numerous puncture repair kits are any more. An oversight which might have proved very expensive on a ride! Assuming a taxi had a suitable rack cor such a heavy e-bike.
I always carried patches and cement on the trike. Though that ran Schwalbe Durano Plus tires. Almost no punctures that I can remember. Though it is some years since I rode the trike seriously.
I suppose the sturdy Schwalbe tires on the e-bike always filled me with confidence. Super-Moto-X 27.5x2.40 650B with 3mm Green guard puncture protection. The sidewalls are specially reinforced for S-Pedelecs [45kph] and other fast e-bikes.
Dinner was poached eggs on toast.
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