As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, if you ride a bicycle you can bet your ass against an apple that you are going to get a flat. Not if, but when. Death and taxes, and all that.
This could be Pierre or Antonio or Jean-Michel, most likely a name that rolls off the tongue with the same ease he rolled his dead tubular from the rim. The strokes of the pump as powerful and smooth as the strokes of his guns, as precise and clean as his socks, skin tanned and polished like the shoes on his feet, tough like the gloves on his hands.
This is an ambassador of Looking Fantastic; he would never contemplate turning his steed upside down, and surely this moment was an instigator of Rule #49. And you know that the shredded tub laying there will soon be wrapped around the shoulders in full Rule #77 compliance prior to resuming to Lay Down The V.
Pierre, Antonio, whatever be your name, we salute you for pioneering the Art of Awesome and being Compliant as Fuck in those tough days of yore.
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@Gianni
So does a cut up strip from a tyvek mailing envelope or a mylar candy bar wrapper.
@Gianni
I think the fact that his short length is also on the upper limit of acceptability helps with the awesomeness.
@Buck Rogers
I'd be very surprised if it's Koblet. He had people to fix his flats because he was way too cool to do such a menial task himself. It might be a domestique fixing Koblet's tire. If so, Koblet will be sitting out of shot in a stance of superb casual deliberation combing his hair and chatting up a comely maiden.
@strathlubnaig
$6.50 for four. I'm down to three, had a blowout last week. They work like a charm, too.
@cw
Canada's smallest bill is $5. I save my 'Merican dollars for the strippers or for the vending machine at the Mt. Baker daylodge. Subway stopped doing the stamps in Canada years ago.
My minipump can CO2 cartridges as well, you just thread it into the pump head. Very handy!
@wiscot
Yes! Seems all the shots of him are either looking fabulous on the bike or combing his hair! Turns out it's one Walter Diggelmann which @cw figured out and posted. Great fun trying to figure it out, though.
@Buck Rogers
Both elegant, both beautiful. I use the pump only these days because its lighter. When on clinchers, I use a latex tube in my pocket with a Lezyne patch kit. If I flat, I figure I have a few hail-marys' before I'm stuck.
The minipump is definitely way slower than the CO2, but unless I'm racing, I don't really care. 99.9% of the time, I'm riding with the gear in my pocket, not fixing a flat, so I concentrate on having the baggage be as light as possible.
@AndroidG
Ha! That made me laugh. Thanks for that!
@Fausto
The worst for me was perfectly inflating in the rain, followed by astonishment as the core came out as I unscrewed the chuck - completely frozen together!
Actually thinking about it now.....anyone tried the co2 mini pump combos...?
@cw
I've seen instances of sidewall tear where a dollar bill didn't work at all, but a tire boot (self-adhesive) was enough to get the rider back to the car. I've also used them myself after getting a bad screwhole in the tire. Won't go anywhere without at least one anymore.
@wiscot
Top marks. Also much too sensible about sock length to wear those monsters.
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