"flat tyre rolling" -- finding punctures before they find you ...

This issue has been bothering me for a long time -- getting a puncture on a ride, and realising that the puncture was_not the result of anything poking in through the tyre, but something else -- age of the tube, or issue with the rim tape, etc.

It is quite frustrating at that point, that when the bicycle was at home, I could have fixed the puncture or replaced the tube, if only there was a way to know of the impending puncture; instead of getting the puncture on a ride, and having to fix/replace the tube, "on the road", with disruption to the ride.

After I got a series of such punctures few weeks back, my patience was running thin, & I needed to find a way to alleviate this problem.  Ofcourse, opening the tyre and inspecting/testing the tube, was too effort intensive, so I needed to device some method that would work, w/o having to open the tyre.

After giving it some thought, I decided to try this approach -- 
*01. Deflate both the tyres, by releasing all the air via the valves.
*02. Move the cycle back and forth, ~2meters, to loosen the tube away from the tyre and rim walls.  Aka, "flat tyre rolling".
*03. Inflate the tyres back to regular pressure.
*04. Check the tyre pressure after couple of days, and confirm there is_not much drop (maybe 1-2PSI, not more).
*05. Depending on how reguarly one rides, repeat this 1-2 times, couple of days apart.

I figured that this sequence, would help uncover some impending punctures, proactively at home.

I tried this for 2-3weeks, and to my surprise, it did indeed uncover 2 punctures.  In both cases, the air actually escaped from the tube, 2days after the procedure was done once.  In one case, the measured pressure also showed a ~5PSI drop over ~2days; so I was already suspecting an impending puncture.

While finding a puncture feels bad... and it hits the pocket (eventually, if_not immediately), I must say that finding punctures at home, rather than on a ride, feels a *lot* better.  It is much easier to work on a puncture at home, rather than on the road (with the added impact on the ride).

Am feeling more confident now, that this will reduce the occurence of punctures while riding; other than the ones where something actually pokes in through the tyre, and punctures the tube.  That ofcourse is a "regular" puncture, that one one just needs to work on, when/where it happens.

One concern however, is what if the above procedure, somehow triggers more punctures?  I suppose I will have to develop a sense for that over time.

Would be good to get your comments on this procedure; especially if you try it out.  Thanks.

Happy & safe cycling.

2018-Sep Cycle Tour (Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra) Day-00 ...

The 2018-Sep Cycle Tour was my first, on-the-fly long tour -- ~15days, with a rough plan for the overall route, and day-to-day sections being planned each day.

The tour came about after I had 'missed' doing the Manali-Leh tour earlier that year... it was_not a serious plan, but I had been hoping to do that long awaited tour that year.  But it did_not work out due to work schedules, so when work eased up towards mid of 2018-Sep, I decided to do a tour, "closer home".

The Karnataka-Goa-Maharashtra tour, again had been something that me and some friends had discussed on-and-off.  But I had been wondering how to get info about specific routes/stay options in advance, for a tour on inner roads, avoiding highways; especially national highways.

Meanwhile, in my weekend rides around Bengaluru, I had been trying out a nifty idea to locate new routes on google maps, along inner roads, which were suitable for cycling -- figuring out the zoom level on google maps, which showed roads, which were wide enough for a ~car, which would automtically mean those roads were ok for cycling; though the surface could always be a surprise.

With some trial and error, I confirmed that setting google maps to ~1km zoom level, worked well... roads visible at that zoom level, were wide enough for a ~car.  I did ~half a dozen rides around Bengaluru, exploring new roads using the above technique, and the experience was quite good.

So I felt confident that I could use this technique to head out for a 2-3week tour, and select routes day-by-day, on the fly.  Also found that the plotaroute.org website was a good resource, to plan daily routes, based on elevation profiles.

Finally, with mobile data connectivity improving considerably, and apps/services like MakeMyTrip, Oyo, and Google Maps hotel search having improved considerably, I felt confident that I would be able to plan routes and stays, on a daily basis; and adjust plans as needed.  Ofcourse, keeping 1-2 BSNL SIMs was also important, incase the private mobile providers, were_not having proper coverage in rural areas.

So with 1-2days final preps, I reviewed some routes, and decided I would start cycling from Mangalore.  Did the vovlo booking from Bangalore-Mangalore, and on 2018-09-13 night at ~2000hrs, I headed out to Anandrao Circle, which was the starting point for the volvo.  There had been a shower at ~1900hrs which delayed my start from home, but I  still had ample time to get to the starting point.

I started out in a mild shower, and after few kms, I realised that my front derailleur was_not working.  So the bike was stuck in top gear (#3); within the city it was_not an issue, so I continued riding, and figured I would look for a good shop in Mangalore the next day, to fix the issue, and start the tour.

I got to Anandrao circle, and was pleased to see that the private bus operator had their own area, with good lighting and some seating area, etc.  I got a luggage ticket for my cycle, and then loaded the bike once the bus arrived.  The overall experience was quite pleasant, since this was the starting point, and the area was_not crowded.

The bus started more-or-less on schedule, and I settled into an uncomfortable sleep, since the vovl bus seats usually give me limited leg space.  I got limited sleep during the night.

Near the morning, I was watching the outside scenery, which was quite forested, and was wondering where we were.  Near dawn, I saw a section of the landscape which was very similar to something I had seen few years back during a cycle tour through Kudremukh National Park (KNP).  The bus was_not supposed to go through KNP, so I was surprised.

After we exited the forested section, it was daylight, and the bus stopped for a break.  I got out of the bus, and looked at the road behind; it showed the gate for KNP, so we had indeed some through Kudremukh

Once the bus ride resumed, I checked with the driver, and did_not get a clear answer for why we came via Kudremukh, but seemed like there was some issue on the regular Hassan-Mangalore route.  I asked the about the ETA for Mangalore, and realised that the bus was going to go via Karkala, to Udupi, and finally to Mangalore.  Since my plan was to ride from Managlore towards Udupi, I asked the driver to drop me off at Karkala.  I decided to start riding from Karkala, after freshening up at a lodge/restaurant there.  I had stayed at the lodge few years back, during the cycle tour via Kudremukh/Karkala.

I setup my bike after the bus dropped me off near Kalakala, and rode the few kms to the lodge/restaurant.  They had a very good restroom in the restaurant, and I freshened up there, and a good breakfast, and was ready to start my tour.