Will be running in the Orange County Marathon with weekend with my wife! It's her first half-marathon, so it's exciting! Wish us luck.

What's your funnest recent bike ride?

We did a nice family bike ride in Coba, near Cancun last week. It was a really fun, flat ride through the jungle. Every once in a while we'd stop and see some ruins. Best of all, my five-year-old got pushed around by a local on a 3 wheel bike -- so that we could all enjoy ourselves.

Highly recommended.

Question from a site visitor (via email):

        "My bike uses tubes withy Presta Valve however the valve itself is leaking.  I have separated the valve from the stem, however I'm unsure as to what to do with the valve nopw to ensure that it no longer leaks.  Can you suggest anything?  Thanks for your help and hope to hear from you soon."

I suggested buying a brand new innertube with a new valve on it. What would you suggest?

I am down in Mexico City for a few weeks, so I'm not getting much riding in.

They do have this cool thing, though, which is that you can rent bikes all over town. There are these racks with dozens of bikes, and you can rent them in one place and then drop them off elsewhere.

No presta valves on these bikes, though. They're strictly commuter models.

I've posted a photo.

We just moved the family to beautiful Fallbrook, California which is in northern San Diego County.

Wow! Lots of bike riders around here (bicycle and motorcyles). On the weekends they're everywhere. It's pretty hilly around here, so most people are serious riders, for sure! 

Here is a nice illustrated guide: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Changa-a-Bike-Tube---an-Illustrated-Guide

Christmas time is when kids get new bikes. Maybe your teen will be getting a new mountain bike?

Make sure you have the right kind of pump for that bike. Many high-end mountain bicycles or road bicycles will have a presta valve tube -- so you can just use your standard tube/pump.

Another alternative is to get a brass presta valve adapter.

I really like my Presta tubes, ever since my first road bike years ago. However, I would recommend against using adaters ... they always cause trouble. Instead, the best bike pump you can afford, and you should be ready to go.

A good pump will let you pump past 100 lbs.

My friend Mike and I walked past a bike shop in Irvine, California the other day after lunch.

Because he knows about this site, we were discussing presta valve tubes. It was a high-end bike shop, so nearly all the bike wheels were using presta tubes.

First we talked about why these bikes didn't use standard valves. My understanding is that the smaller diameter valve allows for a smaller hole in the wheel rim, which keeps the rim strong.

He thought that most people would prefer to buy the right kind of pump, rather than buying an adapter for a Schrader pump. I wasn't so sure.

Anyway, it was nice to see the Internet meet a real world bike shop.

Well, I may be done with biking for a while. My Achille's tendon problems seem to be clearing up, and I think I am going to try to run another Marathon, or at least a half-marathon.

There are some things things, though, that I need to work on for my bike:
1) I think I need new break pads.
2) I'm not to happy with the new gear shifters that were put on by the bike shop. The chain has come off twice.
3) I think my tires are getting a little worn, and may need to be replaced. I think I'll be adding presta valve tubes this time.