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news
Lance Armstrong changes a tubeVideo: Lance Armstrong shows you how to change an inner tube
Here’s one of the more bizarre videos we’ve seen recently. Not for its content, which is a reasonable attempt at showing you how to change a tube, but because it features Lance Armstrong.
You’d think after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and other race wins, Armstrong woud be keeping his head down. He’s still the subject of several lawsuits and his testimony from one of them recently became public and implicated several prominent figures as being involved or aware of his doping.
But no, here’s Armstrong in bike mechanic mode, showing the world how to change a tube, courtesy of Outside magazine. We’d award Outside this week’s 'What Were They Thinking?' prize if US Airways hadn’t already hit it out of the ballpark for all time.
It's obvious what they were thinking, anyway: ‘Let’s get some publicity by doing a video with the man everyone loves to hate’. And here we are falling for it, so there’s that.
Twitter reactions to the video have been darkly funny.
Blogger the Broom Wagon @broomwagonblog said: “Surely Lance is fixing punctured tubes now, not simply throwing in a new one every time. Every $ counts.”
ESPN writer Bonnie D. Ford @Bonnie_D_Ford said: "Next installment: How to fix the last 20 years."
CBS Sports producer Charlie @charolyn_ said: “Good heavens... more hot air? Guess barista job is out. #beans"
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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62 comments
of course you didn't
Is that a genuine sentiment, albeit a mistaken one, or are you just trying to be popular?
A greater Problem is people like you.
Keep that your opinion.... Not mine .!
Keep that your opinion.... Not mine .!
That video really made me feel sad for some reason.
To boost performance did he inflate the tyre with air he had sucked out of it a couple of weeks earlier
Why isn't he changing a flat on the Enve rims that are fitted to his Parlee?
Cool. I'm glad to see he's cultivating his sense of humour...
I really must protest on two counts:
The mechanic did not leave the tube on the tyre after removal and do a test inflate to ID where the hole is in relation to the tyre, therefore making the job of finding the cause 99% easier - or if the penetrating article self-extracted, of being sure you didn't miss it with the 'random sweep of death'.
The Random Sweep Of Death itself. Shows you don't have a clue as didn't follow the above, and are doomed to re-flat in a few hundred yards as you missed the tiny, razor-sharp protuberance that snuck under the breaker belt. Try that in the North Hampshire Downs of an autumn/winter and you're likely to loose a finger. I've seen blood drawn.
and yes: valve caps are pointless.
Top tip for Lance - go tubeless.
It works for me.
Should I run and remove the dust caps from my Spesh?
remove the Spesh, leave the caps
Cool video but this is cooler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWCDEAYn8rQ&sns=em
Yep! Way Cooler and Hector Picard is way cooler than Lance Armstrong!
I saw this video when it first came out and my opinion of it hasn't changed. It is still one of the most inspirational videos ever put on YouTube.
Interestingly it seems to have taken Lance 30 seconds more to change the tyre than he did in 2007
Is that just because he is older or because he now changes tyres 'clean'
Interestingly it seems to have taken Lance 30 seconds more to change the tyre than he did in 2007
Is that just because he is older or because he now changes tyres 'clean'
Just'a good ol' boys
Never meanin' no harm.
Beats all you never saw
Been in trouble with the law
Since the day they was born
Staightnin' the curves
Flatnin the hills
Someday the mountain might get 'em
But the law never will
Makin' their way
The only way they know how
That's just a little bit more
Than the law will allow.
....
In other news - anyone know what type of tyre (or tire) that is?
Been looking about for one of those old skool type tyres (are they called gumwall?) but not having much luck - the ones ive found are mainly tubs or very expensive.
Also - back on topic. Im no apologist and he has been a massive dick but isnt it time we gave Lance a break?
We revere other ex dopers and some of them are even still winning races - time to let bygones be bygones?
For your first question, Challenge Tyres do gum-wall, i'm also a fan, look for the challenge open tubs, they are not cheep but are hand made and ride nearly as good as a tub from all reports
For your second question, Challenge Tyres do gum-wall, i'm also a fan, look for the challenge open tubs, they are not cheep but are hand made and ride nearly as good as a tub from all reports
http://www.challengetech.it/products/road/strada-026/en
Halo do a black / skin (gumwall) version of their Courier Twin Rails.
http://www.halowheels.com/products/part/TYHAT79N
Accidently bought a pair once for the Single Speed, dunno about clearance and whether you'll get them on your Genesis though.
Got long drops on the Genesis so lots of clearance.
May treat myself for summer.
And you may appreciate the Stymie Bold Typeface.
Lance brings up an important environmental issue ! How many of us actually put the dust caps on the valve when fitting an inner tube. I know I don't
Should inner tube manufactures be leaving out the dust caps to help save the environment ? 
No, because they serve a purpose when the tube is rolled up.
Ah good point lc1981,
could the tube be rolled up in a different way ? or could there be a way of returning the valve ?
I thought we were supposed to put the dust cap on to, you know, keep out dust from the valve mechanism?
He did a good job of changing the inner tube. He's welcome to be team mechanic on the ON THE RIVET VELO CLUB road racing team. http://ontherivet.ning.com
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