Friday, July 29, 2005
HELLO FROM DOWN UNDER!
I have arrived safely in New Zealand. The trip was pretty smooth and, thanks to a good night's rest on the plane (go figure), I'm actually feeling pretty good right now (it's just past 7 a.m.). I will be meeting up with my team mates soon. It's winter here, so they warned us to be careful of the snow and ice, but so far I haven't seen any. I did see a couple of passengers sporting snowboard bags (sniff)!!
Thanks for your thoughts, send offs and prayers. Must remember to look on the other side of the road when crossing... I will update as much as I can!
Thanks for your thoughts, send offs and prayers. Must remember to look on the other side of the road when crossing... I will update as much as I can!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
PLAN OF ATTACK TO OVERCOME JET LAG!
Toronto Time (LA Time: New Zealand Time: Event)
6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m.: 10:00 a.m.: plane departs from Toronto)
11:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m.: 3:15 p.m.: plane arrives in LA)
1:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m.: 5:30 p.m.: plane departs from LA)
2:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m.: 6:15 a.m.: plane arrives in New Zealand)
-New Zealand time is 16 hours ahead of Toronto time
-goal is to have 6 hours of sleep before landing in Auckland
-take 2 Gravol's at 7:45 a.m. Toronto time
-therefore, aim to sleep at 8:00 a.m. Toronto time
-therefore, aim to wake up at 2:00 p.m. Toronto time
-therefore must stay up for 6.5 hours after leaving LA
6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m.: 10:00 a.m.: plane departs from Toronto)
11:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m.: 3:15 p.m.: plane arrives in LA)
1:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m.: 5:30 p.m.: plane departs from LA)
2:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m.: 6:15 a.m.: plane arrives in New Zealand)
-New Zealand time is 16 hours ahead of Toronto time
-goal is to have 6 hours of sleep before landing in Auckland
-take 2 Gravol's at 7:45 a.m. Toronto time
-therefore, aim to sleep at 8:00 a.m. Toronto time
-therefore, aim to wake up at 2:00 p.m. Toronto time
-therefore must stay up for 6.5 hours after leaving LA
Monday, July 25, 2005
AIR NZ STRIKE OVER!
Saturday, July 23, 2005
VARIOUS UPDATES
Choosing a site to build a Habitat project is no small task. One has to consider the various stakeholders and their unique requirements. Not only do the needs of Habitat have to be addressed, but also the needs of the various government bodies. Building codes, environmental legislations, parkland considerations, railways and airports are just a few things that have be considered when choosing a site. I sat in on the most recent Habitat For Humanity Toronto Site Selection Process meeting where an overview of this process was presented. It gave me an appreciation of some of the critial beind-the-scene things that have to happen even before a house can be considered for building.
I was given the opportunity to give a short devotional to start off a build at the Habitat For Humanity Toronto's McLevin build (in the Scarborough Malvern area). It was a chance to focus the volunteers before their day of efforts. Part of the volunteer corp included members of the "Care-a-vanners", a group of retired individuals who travel the entire continent in their RV's, visiting and helping out on various Habitat build sites. I met a few of them last year in St. John's during the blitz build there. What an amazing group of individuals who have chosen to continue giving during their time of "rest". Click here for the devotion that I gave.
Thank you to the supporters in my community who continue to pour out material blessings on me! I have been given the following items that will definitely help on this trip: a portable MP3 recorder, a travel alarm clock, New Zealand currency, and send off prayer by my Thursday night small group. Thanks!
In an effort to become familiar with the New Zealand culture, I have been keeping up with The New Zealand Herald, the national newspaper. It is interesting to read about the various stories and situations that resemble news found here in Toronto. One thing of particular concern to me is an ongoing strike by Air New Zealand. As a result of their bursts of strike actions, numerous internationl flights have been cancelled. This is the airline that I'm flying with (Click Here to see my flight information) and so I will continue checking to see if there are any updates.
I was given the opportunity to give a short devotional to start off a build at the Habitat For Humanity Toronto's McLevin build (in the Scarborough Malvern area). It was a chance to focus the volunteers before their day of efforts. Part of the volunteer corp included members of the "Care-a-vanners", a group of retired individuals who travel the entire continent in their RV's, visiting and helping out on various Habitat build sites. I met a few of them last year in St. John's during the blitz build there. What an amazing group of individuals who have chosen to continue giving during their time of "rest". Click here for the devotion that I gave.
Thank you to the supporters in my community who continue to pour out material blessings on me! I have been given the following items that will definitely help on this trip: a portable MP3 recorder, a travel alarm clock, New Zealand currency, and send off prayer by my Thursday night small group. Thanks!
In an effort to become familiar with the New Zealand culture, I have been keeping up with The New Zealand Herald, the national newspaper. It is interesting to read about the various stories and situations that resemble news found here in Toronto. One thing of particular concern to me is an ongoing strike by Air New Zealand. As a result of their bursts of strike actions, numerous internationl flights have been cancelled. This is the airline that I'm flying with (Click Here to see my flight information) and so I will continue checking to see if there are any updates.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
MY TRIATHLON EXPERIENCE
Well, it hasn't rained in Toronto for quite some time, as the heat wave that we've been experiencing has left the city hot, humid and scorched. I guess the rain decided to come all at once and it just poured the night before. When the volunteers arrived this morning at the course, EVERYTHING was flooded! The transition areas where the bike racks were located, many parts of the course; even the finish line was submerged in a foot of water! So, the race organizers had to scramble to re-do the course, modifying it to ensure race safety. This meant a delay in the start time, pushing it back by about an hour. This was fine because those who were heading down to watch the race were able to park (far away) and still make it for the start of the race.
What an amazing atmosphere it was when I arrived. You could sense the excitement as people milled about registering, getting their bodies marked with their race number and setting up their transition area. It was great seeing so many people of different ages and experiences. But we were all united by one thing: our common passion for doing something extreme!
I was placed in the second wave of swimmers. The water was quite warm and there were about 25 of us. We watched the first wave go and we were set to start 4 minutes later. My plan was to wait for most of the rush to pass before I started my swim. So, as the start sounded, I walked for another 25 metres before plunging in. My strokes were smooth and I was feeling good. I knew that incidental contact is common in these things and my first one occurred shortly, as a fellow swimmer literally swam beneath me. Not too phased by it, I looked up, and realized that I was swimming quite wide to the right. For some reason, the water was quite "clear" today: it was still the murky green colour but I could see to the bottom. The bottom wasn't too deep and I could see long stalks of seaweed reaching up to the surface. There was one point where I felt as if I was swimming right into a whole jungle of seaweed and braced myself for getting entanged. I looked up again and saw that my course correction wasn't good enough and I had started swimming right again. At this point, I was at the very back of the pack and I had barely reached the first buoy. I'm not sure if it was my encounter with the ever-so-close seaweed or the feeling of being all alone in open water, but I started panicking. Despite my best efforts to calm myself down, my breathing became very agitated. I immediately switched from front crawl to breast stroke, as this was my "safety" stroke. The waters were pretty choppy today, so even using the breast stroke was quite challenging. It really felt like I was being pushed backwards. Faced with the frustration of no progress, breathing really hard, and fighting the waves of water trying to get into my mouth, I found myself in a very dangerous position. I made the decision to signal to the lifeguard kayak and he paddled to where I was. He immediately called for the police rescue boat and I was pulled in. After making sure that I was okay, he dropped me off at the patrol station and headed off for the next "rescue" (there was another man that was treading water but having difficulties). And so, my race ended there, not more than 10 minutes into it.
Discouraged, I made my way back to the transition area, where I was greeted by my supporters (my "boosters"). They were all very encouraging and shared in my pain and disappointment. I was given the option to finish the other 2 events and my supporters absolutely spurred me on. That was such a great mental boost to help overcome this shortfall. I quickly ran into the transition area, got into my bike gear and rode off. The rest of the race was actually good and I felt like I finished strong. Despite the heat and the persistent monsoon-like rains throughout the race, I did not feel any fatigue, cramps or spasms. My supporters were also cheering me on at the finish line and that was the extra boost that I needed to sprint the last 50 metres.
I've come to realize that today was not about the race, whether I finished or not. This event was more about community. It was a demonstration of sacrifice (people giving up their Sunday morning at church or sleeping in), perseverance (it rained for more than half of the race and my boosters had to endure that) and whole-hearted support (I can still hear so clearly in my head all the cheers and shouts of encouragement each time I passed my boosters). Yes, it would have been nice to have completed all 3 legs of the race. But, right now, I feel like a champion by being part of such a supporting community. I'm also reminded that I am vulnerable. Training for an elite sport starts making you think like an elitist, which leads to arrogance which leads to unwise decisions. Sometimes it's good to have a reality check, bringing yourself back to a place where you need to rely on community and those around you to prop you up, keep you accountable and build partnerships. Thus, I need to remember that I'm not going to New Zealand to give someone a hand out, as if I was better than the families that I will be in contact with. Instead, I'm extending a hand up to achieve partnership through a dedication of my time and efforts.
With less than 2 weeks before I leave for New Zealand, I feel like today was a great thrust forward, and is really just the beginning of what will be an amazing experience! Thank you for all your support!!
The transition area...
Just before the start of the race...
Off on my bike...
Off to do my run...
At the finish line!
What an amazing atmosphere it was when I arrived. You could sense the excitement as people milled about registering, getting their bodies marked with their race number and setting up their transition area. It was great seeing so many people of different ages and experiences. But we were all united by one thing: our common passion for doing something extreme!
I was placed in the second wave of swimmers. The water was quite warm and there were about 25 of us. We watched the first wave go and we were set to start 4 minutes later. My plan was to wait for most of the rush to pass before I started my swim. So, as the start sounded, I walked for another 25 metres before plunging in. My strokes were smooth and I was feeling good. I knew that incidental contact is common in these things and my first one occurred shortly, as a fellow swimmer literally swam beneath me. Not too phased by it, I looked up, and realized that I was swimming quite wide to the right. For some reason, the water was quite "clear" today: it was still the murky green colour but I could see to the bottom. The bottom wasn't too deep and I could see long stalks of seaweed reaching up to the surface. There was one point where I felt as if I was swimming right into a whole jungle of seaweed and braced myself for getting entanged. I looked up again and saw that my course correction wasn't good enough and I had started swimming right again. At this point, I was at the very back of the pack and I had barely reached the first buoy. I'm not sure if it was my encounter with the ever-so-close seaweed or the feeling of being all alone in open water, but I started panicking. Despite my best efforts to calm myself down, my breathing became very agitated. I immediately switched from front crawl to breast stroke, as this was my "safety" stroke. The waters were pretty choppy today, so even using the breast stroke was quite challenging. It really felt like I was being pushed backwards. Faced with the frustration of no progress, breathing really hard, and fighting the waves of water trying to get into my mouth, I found myself in a very dangerous position. I made the decision to signal to the lifeguard kayak and he paddled to where I was. He immediately called for the police rescue boat and I was pulled in. After making sure that I was okay, he dropped me off at the patrol station and headed off for the next "rescue" (there was another man that was treading water but having difficulties). And so, my race ended there, not more than 10 minutes into it.
Discouraged, I made my way back to the transition area, where I was greeted by my supporters (my "boosters"). They were all very encouraging and shared in my pain and disappointment. I was given the option to finish the other 2 events and my supporters absolutely spurred me on. That was such a great mental boost to help overcome this shortfall. I quickly ran into the transition area, got into my bike gear and rode off. The rest of the race was actually good and I felt like I finished strong. Despite the heat and the persistent monsoon-like rains throughout the race, I did not feel any fatigue, cramps or spasms. My supporters were also cheering me on at the finish line and that was the extra boost that I needed to sprint the last 50 metres.
I've come to realize that today was not about the race, whether I finished or not. This event was more about community. It was a demonstration of sacrifice (people giving up their Sunday morning at church or sleeping in), perseverance (it rained for more than half of the race and my boosters had to endure that) and whole-hearted support (I can still hear so clearly in my head all the cheers and shouts of encouragement each time I passed my boosters). Yes, it would have been nice to have completed all 3 legs of the race. But, right now, I feel like a champion by being part of such a supporting community. I'm also reminded that I am vulnerable. Training for an elite sport starts making you think like an elitist, which leads to arrogance which leads to unwise decisions. Sometimes it's good to have a reality check, bringing yourself back to a place where you need to rely on community and those around you to prop you up, keep you accountable and build partnerships. Thus, I need to remember that I'm not going to New Zealand to give someone a hand out, as if I was better than the families that I will be in contact with. Instead, I'm extending a hand up to achieve partnership through a dedication of my time and efforts.
With less than 2 weeks before I leave for New Zealand, I feel like today was a great thrust forward, and is really just the beginning of what will be an amazing experience! Thank you for all your support!!
The transition area...
Just before the start of the race...
Off on my bike...
Off to do my run...
At the finish line!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
FINAL PRE-RACE PREP
Well, after months of physical training, adjusting nutrition and learning the basics of "triathlon-ing", the big day has finally come. Many times this week, I had wished that the race was here NOW, as the waiting was just exaggerating the excitement and anxiety I was feeling. I'm so grateful that so many members of my supporting community contacted me to wish me luck. I'm ready, and today I completed the final preparations:
- picked up my race kit, which included my bib - I'm racer # 1131
- carbo loaded my dinner: pasta, pasta, pasta!
- packed my bike
- packed all my gear and clothing (I'm always paranoid that I've forgotten something)
- set my alarm for 5 a.m.
I'm hoping to arrive at the race site by 6:45 a.m. so I can picked up my race chip (which is worn throughout the entire race around your ankle - it keeps track of your 'true' race time), get my body marked (they are going to write my race number and age category on my calves), get greased (so as not to chafe) and finally set up my transition area. Hopefully, I'll still have time to do some stretching and warming up. Boy, I'm getting a little nervous, so I hope that sleep comes soon!
Oh yeah, one more thing I did for pre-race prep:
Yup. Shaved these bad boys! (click on the picture only if you REALLY want to see an enlarged version!) Despite my best effort to use gobs and gobs of shaving cream AND purchasing lady's razors, I still managed to give myself a couple of nicks.
- picked up my race kit, which included my bib - I'm racer # 1131
- carbo loaded my dinner: pasta, pasta, pasta!
- packed my bike
- packed all my gear and clothing (I'm always paranoid that I've forgotten something)
- set my alarm for 5 a.m.
I'm hoping to arrive at the race site by 6:45 a.m. so I can picked up my race chip (which is worn throughout the entire race around your ankle - it keeps track of your 'true' race time), get my body marked (they are going to write my race number and age category on my calves), get greased (so as not to chafe) and finally set up my transition area. Hopefully, I'll still have time to do some stretching and warming up. Boy, I'm getting a little nervous, so I hope that sleep comes soon!
Oh yeah, one more thing I did for pre-race prep:
Yup. Shaved these bad boys! (click on the picture only if you REALLY want to see an enlarged version!) Despite my best effort to use gobs and gobs of shaving cream AND purchasing lady's razors, I still managed to give myself a couple of nicks.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
FIRST PICTURES POSTED
Blogger now allows you to post pictures right from the blogspot editor (no more having to install a third party program!). These pictures are from when I shared briefly at a Sunday service a few weeks back.
TRANSITIONS
The final triathlon clinic focused on the (often overlooked) fourth event of a triathlon: THE TRANSITION. This is the series of things that needs to be done in between events - what's so hard about that? Well, after this past clinic, I must humbly say that I have respect for this part of the race! Decked in my wetsuit (thanks to Enduro for allowing me to pick up my rental a day early), I ran into the lake for a quick swim (much better compared to the previous week), after which I ran to where my bike was "racked" (basically hooked by its saddle on this triangular stand, not dissimilar to the racks on ski slopes where one leans their snowboard before heading into the chalet). I struggled out of my wet wetsuit (which stuck to me like glue), quickly dried my feet on a towel, put on my socks and proceeded to do up the laces on my shoes. Such a simple task that I've known since a little kid is so hard to do when under the gun. I then put on my shirt (backwards, nonetheless), fidgeted a bit with my race belt (it holds your bib number), struggled with my biking gloves (because my hands were wet), put on my sunglasses, tried putting on my helmet (only to discover that the helmet didn't fit with the glasses on), took the helmet off, removed the glasses, put the helmet back on (backwards) and proceeded (finally!) to unrack my bike. As I started pedaling away, I realized that I hadn't done up the straps of my helmet properly, so instead of being secured around the ears as they normally are, the straps were bound to where my eyes were. Literally, I had could not see what was around me. Thank goodness I didn't run into any of the numerous runners or bladers that were out on the boardwalk! With the biking portion completed, I re-racked my bike, took off the helmet, took off the gloves (which was actually quite easy because of my inability to put them on properly at the first transition, they were barely hanging on to my hands at this point!), and galloped off for my run. Luckily, I will be wearing the same clothing for my run as I will be for my ride. The less I have to do during transition, the better off I will be! Unfortunately, I did such a poor job at tying my shoelaces during the first transition, they came undone halfway through the run. It's a wonder I didn't trip over myself!!
Driving home, I couldn't help but notice a strange aroma. It reminded me of growing up in Port Credit (a lake side community in south east Mississauga). As a child, I would smell this exact same smell, depending on how hot the day was and which way the wind was blowing. I was told that it was the smell of the lake and it wasn't the most pleasant of smells. I figured that once I drove out of the Beaches area, the smell of the lake would go away. I was wrong. The smell persisted and then I realized that the smell was emanating from me! Of course! I had just swam in the lake, and lake water had filled my ears, my nose and my mouth (no, I did not drink any of it). It dawned on me that Lake Ontario water was still "in me" and now I could not escape its smell! YUCK! As soon as I made it home, I quickly dashed into the shower for a good scrubbing.
Mental side note: when swimming in the lake, it's OK to see fish swimming in front of you and large algae covered rocks that looks like furry monsters that appear from out of nowhere!
Driving home, I couldn't help but notice a strange aroma. It reminded me of growing up in Port Credit (a lake side community in south east Mississauga). As a child, I would smell this exact same smell, depending on how hot the day was and which way the wind was blowing. I was told that it was the smell of the lake and it wasn't the most pleasant of smells. I figured that once I drove out of the Beaches area, the smell of the lake would go away. I was wrong. The smell persisted and then I realized that the smell was emanating from me! Of course! I had just swam in the lake, and lake water had filled my ears, my nose and my mouth (no, I did not drink any of it). It dawned on me that Lake Ontario water was still "in me" and now I could not escape its smell! YUCK! As soon as I made it home, I quickly dashed into the shower for a good scrubbing.
Mental side note: when swimming in the lake, it's OK to see fish swimming in front of you and large algae covered rocks that looks like furry monsters that appear from out of nowhere!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
FIRST OPEN WATER SWIM!
My first open water experience happened at the latest triathlon clinic. Donning a sleeveless wetsuit (which putting on was a workout in itself!), we sat through a 20 minute talk about technique on the beach. Then it was time to go in! It was pretty choppy, so I was a little tentative. As well, everyone had swim caps and seal masks as opposed to the flimsy, non-tinted Fisher-price goggles that I have. When I put my first foot in the lake, it was cold! Not prolonging the agony, I quickly dived in. Immediately, I could feel my body protesting, not being used to the sudden plunge in termperature! But, as I got my arms moving, it wasn't too bad. In fact, it was quite refreshing! How best to describe the experience?
- YOU CANNOT SEE ANYTHING!! Lake Ontario has sort of a greenish hue to it and everything is mirky. You can see your arms going into the water, but that's about it.
- OCCASIONALLY, YOU BRUSH AGAINST SOMETHING IN THE WATER!! I think it was either seaweed or the branch of a tree. At times, I felt like the seaweed had wrapped itself around my arm, making me a weird kind of sushi!
- WAVES ARE DECEIVING!! Sometimes, I felt like I was moving backwards, being carried back by the waves, despite putting my best effort into swimming forwards!
- YOU CANNOT SINK IN A WETSUIT!! The bouyancy of the neoprene is very good. It helps keep your body straight, so the swimming technique is much more effective. In fact, some triathletes don't even use their legs while they are swimming in a wetsuit! This is great when one needs to rest.
It ended up being more of an exercise of mental discipline than physical exertion. All during the 20 minutes or so that we were out there, I had to fight panic attacks. I think that I was so focused on not drinking the lake water (which I succeeded - zero gulps!) that it distracted me from staying calm. I had to work really hard staying focused on technique and proper breathing, which is disappointing because I feel like I've come a long way through pool training over the last few months. I'm glad that I had this experience because it better prepares me (in terms of expectation) for the actual race day (can't imagine having to go through all this for the first time during a competition). All in all, it left me with feelings of awe (that I actually survived swimming in Lake Ontario) and disbelief (that I actually swam in Lake Ontario)!
- YOU CANNOT SEE ANYTHING!! Lake Ontario has sort of a greenish hue to it and everything is mirky. You can see your arms going into the water, but that's about it.
- OCCASIONALLY, YOU BRUSH AGAINST SOMETHING IN THE WATER!! I think it was either seaweed or the branch of a tree. At times, I felt like the seaweed had wrapped itself around my arm, making me a weird kind of sushi!
- WAVES ARE DECEIVING!! Sometimes, I felt like I was moving backwards, being carried back by the waves, despite putting my best effort into swimming forwards!
- YOU CANNOT SINK IN A WETSUIT!! The bouyancy of the neoprene is very good. It helps keep your body straight, so the swimming technique is much more effective. In fact, some triathletes don't even use their legs while they are swimming in a wetsuit! This is great when one needs to rest.
It ended up being more of an exercise of mental discipline than physical exertion. All during the 20 minutes or so that we were out there, I had to fight panic attacks. I think that I was so focused on not drinking the lake water (which I succeeded - zero gulps!) that it distracted me from staying calm. I had to work really hard staying focused on technique and proper breathing, which is disappointing because I feel like I've come a long way through pool training over the last few months. I'm glad that I had this experience because it better prepares me (in terms of expectation) for the actual race day (can't imagine having to go through all this for the first time during a competition). All in all, it left me with feelings of awe (that I actually survived swimming in Lake Ontario) and disbelief (that I actually swam in Lake Ontario)!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
KIWI CASH
Thanks to my friend Cathy and Kevin for letting me know about the NZ "Departure" Tax that one has to pay before they can leave the country. They had some left over NZ currency and gave it to me for that purpose. They also suggested that I should order NZ currency now as most banks don't usually carry it. As well, it seems that the least expensive way of converting money is through credit card or ATM, as banks and currency conversion agencies (like Thomas Cook) are very expensive!
Friday, July 01, 2005
LET'S GO FLATTING!
I attended a "change your flat tire" workshop the other night. I was the only one there, so it ended up being a personal workshop with the bike mechanic! Here are the steps to resolve a race day situation that could potentially put you out of the entire competition:
- most flats usually occur on the rear tire (more weight on the back, so there are more chances for object penetration) - plus, the rear tire is the more difficult of the two to work with and Murphy is always your best friend!
- undo the break cable to release the calipers
- undo the quick release that holds your tire onto the fork
- pop the tire off
- release the rest of the air from the damaged tire (this makes it easier to take the tread off the rim)
- start with one side of the tread and pull it off the rim (best position is to rest the wheel on your lap and reach across the opposite side like as if you were waterskiing)
- flip the wheel over and finish off by pushing the second tread edge off the rim - remember which tread edge corresponds with which rim edge
- reach inside the tread and take the damaged tube off
- locate the protruding object - when under the gun, run your fingers along the inner side of the tread until you locate the nail, staple, piece of glass, etc. - remove the offending object
- insert partially inflated spare tube into tread
- assume same position as when removing tread and seat one edge of the tread with tube onto rim
- ensure tube is seated properly and seat the other tread edge onto the rim
- inflate tire
- reinstall wheel and ensure that quick lock and brake mechanism are done up
This whole process took the mechanic less than 30 seconds. When I tried it, it took 5 minutes! So, looks like I'm going to practice a few times to get used to it. Oh yeah, he showed me how to use a CO2 cartridge to fill up the tire. Inflates to 90 psi in less than 5 seconds! Wicked!! This process also assumes that you are carrying a spare tube (which takes up very little space when new)
** "flatting" is a common term used in NZ (as well as in Britain) which means "staying over at someone's place" (which is commonly referred to as someone's flat)
- most flats usually occur on the rear tire (more weight on the back, so there are more chances for object penetration) - plus, the rear tire is the more difficult of the two to work with and Murphy is always your best friend!
- undo the break cable to release the calipers
- undo the quick release that holds your tire onto the fork
- pop the tire off
- release the rest of the air from the damaged tire (this makes it easier to take the tread off the rim)
- start with one side of the tread and pull it off the rim (best position is to rest the wheel on your lap and reach across the opposite side like as if you were waterskiing)
- flip the wheel over and finish off by pushing the second tread edge off the rim - remember which tread edge corresponds with which rim edge
- reach inside the tread and take the damaged tube off
- locate the protruding object - when under the gun, run your fingers along the inner side of the tread until you locate the nail, staple, piece of glass, etc. - remove the offending object
- insert partially inflated spare tube into tread
- assume same position as when removing tread and seat one edge of the tread with tube onto rim
- ensure tube is seated properly and seat the other tread edge onto the rim
- inflate tire
- reinstall wheel and ensure that quick lock and brake mechanism are done up
This whole process took the mechanic less than 30 seconds. When I tried it, it took 5 minutes! So, looks like I'm going to practice a few times to get used to it. Oh yeah, he showed me how to use a CO2 cartridge to fill up the tire. Inflates to 90 psi in less than 5 seconds! Wicked!! This process also assumes that you are carrying a spare tube (which takes up very little space when new)
** "flatting" is a common term used in NZ (as well as in Britain) which means "staying over at someone's place" (which is commonly referred to as someone's flat)
