Archive for March, 2008
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
Tire Change
I certainly don’t have a very strong mechanical background, but there are a couple of things that I need to know how to do on my own bike:
- Change the oil
- Fix a flat
The other week when I wanted to go riding, I discovered that I had a flat front tire. This was a perfect opportunity to test my tire changing skills.
The first thing I noticed was that I did not have the right tools in my road kit to actually change a tire. Oops. This is why I needed to change my own tire BEFORE hitting the road. Not only that, but my roadtools had actually vibrated into many pieces. So much for Autozone’s finest.
I went to Sears and bought a set of appropriate tools that hopefully will hold up better to the vibrations.
Now to changing the tire:
First attempt — As fast as I was putting air, it was coming out. Crap. I had somewhere between 6 and 7 holes and no more spare tubes.
Second: I’m getting good at taking off the tire. Instead of screaming profanity trying to remove the tire from the rim, it just took a couple of minutes and I was just sweating a little bit. I was very deliberate and careful when putting on the tire. I started filling the tire with air and all looked good. That was until I got to about 20 PSI when I went to check tire pressure, I could hear a highpitched hissing noise. ARHg. 2nd failed
3rd attempt: SUCCESS!!! No comment other than success. 
Comments Off - Posted in maintence by daveg
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
Shots!
The execution begins: Shots!
According to the CDC if I want to live, I need to get the following shots:
- Typhoid
- Tetanus
- Yellow Fever
- Hep A
- Hep B
Last week I started with Tetanus from my GP. However, she did not have any of the other meds in stock so I searched all over Houston to find a cheap place to get them. Don’t get them at a special travel clinic. They’re about twice as expensive as I was able to find them at Houston Adult Immunization Center in the Third Ward. Not only where the immunizations cheaper, but you didn’t have to pay a doctor for a consultation. All the travel doctors do is go to the CDC site and look up which shots you need and write you a prescription for anti-malaria medication. You can get one of those from your main doctor.
On Friday, I filled my arms with dead or weakened organisms. I have to come back in a month and get my 2nd round of Hep A/B (Twinrx). I’ll get the final round when I return from my trip so that I’ll have ten years of protection from Hep.