Lo! The escaping air pushed out the talc in the tube, marking the vast hole with a convenient white bulls-eye. It had flatted in the same spot as the flat I experienced while watching the finish of the Tour Of Missouri in St. Charles last year! As you can see, the tire is well past its useful life anyway. In the twist of bitter irony, I'd already ordered replacements...due to be delivered tomorrow, of course.
Fortunately, I know the "folded dollar bill" trick. Normally used for sidewall tears, you fold up some paper money and stick it between the tube and tire, to reinforce the tire casing. That's why the gargantuan chasm in the tire is white: courtesy of George Washington hiding under there.
All was well, pumped up the tire to 40psi - apparently all my pitiful miniature pump could handle - proceeded on to my brother's house to use his tire pump on a plush, smooth, low pressure tire, said Hi to my niece "M", and returned to my car without incident. It was tense, as the tiniest bit of sharp-edged material anywhere near the titanic gap in my tire could have caused another puncture. Good ol' George Washington or not. Fortunately my keen eye and catlike agility carried the day. Or I was real lucky. Either way.
Overall, a glorious ride in great weather. Three people paused to ask if I needed any help while repairing the tire. Had a nice discussion with one fellow about the SUB, and the eminent suitability of 'cross bikes for the Katy Trail. He was planning to traverse the entire trail (225 miles) later in the year, and wasn't too keen on using his mountain bike to do so. Hopefully I provided some useful information.
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