@MartyCormack@urbanists.social

Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 1w ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @kimu@wandering.shop @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A1: I'm posting from home in Rochester Minnesota. Posting a photo of you and your bike as motivation for healing and recovery is a great idea. One caveat is to let your body heal sufficiently before pushing hard. I once pushed too hard and too quickly to get back on my bike after surgery. As a result I had a relapse and further surgery was required to correct. The second time I was more patient and the results were much better.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 1w ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @jerzone@techhub.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A6: Two spare tubes, 2 CO2 cartridges, preglued patches, tire levers, multi tool, chain breaker, chain tool, spare link, zip ties, Velcro strap, hand pump, extra cleat screw, nitrile gloves, tire boot, USD$20 bill.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: The most interesting of my photos of the week was the sunflower field that I rode past just after sunrise near Wadena Minnesota.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @streetmeme@cycle.town @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A7: It is sometimes suggested to remove your cycling helmet before entering a business. But maybe, wearing one while patronizing a business due to be "affected" by new bicycle infrastructure might be helpful in reminding the owner that cyclists are customers too.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

MS TRAM Day 2: Park Rapids to Wadena: It was cloudy, foggy and cool for most of today's ride; the sun burned off the fog by the final stretch of the 62 mile ride. It was also mostly flat on predominantly smooth and quiet roads. Factor that and very light winds and as a result I recorded my fastest ride this season. We crossed the Crow Wing River several times along the way. I finished just before noon. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

I actually rode almost 37 miles today, but on several different rides. In the morning I rode to the Mayo Clinic for a blood draw (research project), then to coffee, then to the bike shop to buy a new helmet. In the late afternoon I rode to a downtown food festival for dinner. Then in the evening, I rode to the hockey rink for our weekly Thursday night old guys hockey. The ride home from the rink was relaxing and cooling through the woods at dusk. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

After yesterday's long ride, I took it a little easier today and rode city trails and some county roads for 30 miles. Before the ride, I installed new Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency tires on my gravel bike, so the ride was in part to ensure they were fully ready to go. This afternoon I will finish packing for my MS Ride Across Minnesota 5 day 275 mile fundraising ride up North, staying in the cities of Menahga, Park Rapids, Wadena and Pequot Lakes. We start riding Monday morning. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

This evening my wife and I attended "MN Truth Council: A Community Led Hearing" where families directly affected locally by ICE during Metro Surge shared their stories along with community organizers sharing how the neighbors responded to help their affected neighbors. The stories were heartbreaking and profound. It put real faces and people behind all the headlines. We were deeply affected by the stories. #MinnesotaStrong

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: This morning I saw the model pterosaur hanging from the ceiling at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. This model was designed by a young woman who is a friend and former classmate of my son, and the daughter of one of my cycling friends. This talented woman has also designed the reverse of several of the recent USA quarter dollar coins.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @pete@masto.hypertelia.com @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A7: I'm long past the dating scene as we'll soon celebrate 45 years of marriage. But when one of my cycling friends married one of my employees, I gave the employee one of my bikes so that the happy couple could ride together. I'm happy to report the couple has now been married for over 10 years, so I suppose it worked out very well.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 4mo ago

Today I traveled to Durand Wisconsin to ride the Chippewa River State Trail and the Red Cedar State Trail to Menomonie and back for 43 miles. The Red Cedar Trail is very scenic and has well packed crushed limestone, so was a pleasant ride. It follows the Red Cedar River from Menomonie to near where it flows into the Chippewa River. Some of my favorite rail trails follow rivers like this one. There was a brewery open in Menomonie just off the trail, so that was an added treat.
#BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Wow! For the first time in a couple weeks, simultaneously the air quality is good, the temperatures cool and the humidity is low, so we can open the windows in the house and turn off the AC. #mnwx

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

I had to take my wife's car to the shop early, but it was done quickly so I was able to get on my bike by mid-morning. I rode the Harmony Preston Valley State Trail from the Isinours Ruins/Junction to the Iowa State Line and back for 50 miles. I took the short spur to Niagara Cave to see how close it was; just 3/4 mile from the main trail. It was a bit of an adventure, though, a bit slippery and muddy to start, and then a detour to get to Harmony. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Today I went out early to beat the worst of the heat and rode the Wapsi Great Western Line Trail in Northern Iowa, from Bailey Station to Elma and back for 50 miles. As one might expect on a warm summer day there was not much to see at Lyla's Marsh other than two Great Blue Herons. It was interesting to see field work happening on two adjacent Amish farms, cutting hay with horse drawn machinery. There had been some flooding on the trail, so a couple spots were really messy. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

With an ongoing threat of rain throughout the day, I decided to head out early and ride the #RochMN city trails and Olmsted County roads for 31 miles. But now the threat of rain looks less ominous, so maybe I should have gone longer. I can always go back out later. #Biketooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A1: I'm posting from home in Rochester Minnesota When you spend the most of the week on a cycling tour, there weren't any interesting non-cycling happenings for me. But my wife had an exceptional week in that several of her ceramic art pieces sold at the galleries this week, and she probably had the best week of sales excluding specific art shows/events.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

This morning between the thundershowers my wife and I managed to get out and ride the Great River Ridge State Trail out of Viola MN for 8+ miles. It is the second time my wife has ridden her new foldable e-trike, and she is getting the hang of it. After the two knee replacements, she no longer wanted to ride her ebike; the trike provides more stability. We hope to ride the Root River Trail with it soon. I rode my Brompton which allowed us to take her car to the trailhead. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @uxMark@cosocial.ca @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A3: If forced to downsize to a single bike, I'd have to keep my gravel bike, a 2019 Specialized Diverge Comp. While a tad slower than my road bike, I could still ride it on paved roads, plus gravel and dirt. It's what I ride when I don't know for sure the condition of the riding surface.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 4mo ago

I spent half the day waiting for the ISP repair tech to come and restore my Internet service. By then, only a shorter ride was possible. So I rode the segment of the Med City Meander/Rotary Ramble that we had to reroute due to unexpected and unannounced construction blocking the original route. The segment is only 12 miles, but to get to the start and end of the segment and back home was 27 miles. I like the reroute; it is more scenic and has fewer climbs.
#Biketooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 4mo ago

Today, while it was sunny and warm, it was extremely windy, so I really did not want to ride on the open county roads. I instead road on the sheltered #RochMN city trails for 25 miles. There were a few places where I was nearly knocked over, and Cascade Lake had whitecaps and crashing waves. While riding I decided to photograph most of the 10 construction cranes floating over our city. Mayo Clinic's "Bold. Forward. Unbound." development program and construction is well under way.
#BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Today may be the last of the outstanding cycling weather days for awhile. There's and extreme heat watch here for Monday and Tuesday. The nice weather made our larger, longer group ride enjoyable. We rode 70 miles from Rochester out to Elba and back. There is a pretty good climb back up from the Whitewater valley when coming back from Elba. As a result I had the most mileage and the most climbing on any ride this year. I should be good to go for the MS TRAM ride in 4 weeks. #BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: This week I spotted a Great Egret right here in Rochester Minnesota at the confluence of Silver Creek and the Zumbro River. I've seen them before at wildlife refuges but never in an urban setting until this week. I spotted it while riding the city trail system.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 4mo ago

After taking an old friend to lunch, I was going to ride right away after, but then our Internet service went down again. After getting that back up, I jumped on my road bike and did a quick 31 mile ride up to the orchard off the Douglas State Trail and back. There was an unusually high number of folks running on the trail, maybe because of the Med City Marathon coming this weekend? Anyway it was a nice day to run or ride, if but a tad windy.
#BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 5mo ago

I just realized that I forgot to post about my ride yesterday, and I should have as it was the longest of the season at 66 miles. I was assisting #BikeMN with checkout of the Med City Meander routes, including the new Rotary Ramble 50+ mile route that I assisted in designing. I found out the hard way that due to a road construction project the county failed to notify us of, we have to reroute. So I submitted an alternate route late yesterday. I hope it works, I will be out of town.
#Biketooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 5mo ago

Yet another day of goodly Northwest winds leaving the Douglas State Trail as the best riding option again. I rode to Pine Island and back for 46 miles, stopping for lunch in PI. I saw more than the usual amount of road cyclists on the trail, as they must have all had the same opinion as I on where to ride today. Thank goodness we have that option.
#BikeTooter

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @pete@masto.hypertelia.com @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A5: All 7 of the bikes my wife and I own are in good repair and are in action. The "exception" is my ebike which got a flat just before I left town and I will repair it tomorrow.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: The most unusual thing I saw this week was a flock of about 40 Turkey Vultures gathered on a sand bar on the Zumbro River here in Rochester Minnesota near the large mall. I've never seen that many at once and it was surprising in an urban location.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@djuber@fosstodon.org @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A6a: Yeah I forgot to mention that Canada Geese will occasionally hiss at me when riding past a new brood.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @realSiegfried@troet.cafe @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikNite A3: We had a ghost bike (white painted bike) installed after a cycling friend was killed at a poorly signalled intersection. It took a couple years and another near tragedy to get the permissive left turn signal changed to a red when the crosswalk signal was activated. It shouldn't have taken that long.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 5mo ago

After my ISP accidentally cut the fiber to my house, I'm forced to watch the #mnwild playoff game on my phone. Talk about eyestrain. At least the home team is up 2-0 after 1. Go Wild!

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A6: Besides the annoying Red-winged Blackbirds, the only other "wild" creatures I've ever had to be careful about while riding are White-tailed Deer, mostly because of the unpredictability of their movements, and the fact they can seriously injure you should you collide. Of course I've been chased and bitten too many times by domestic dogs while riding.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @edd@freeradical.zone @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A4: For a century ride I bring what I always bring, a bottle with Gatorade, a bottle with water and at least two energy bars. But mostly I bring a ride plan with stops where I can purchase additional drinks and a place to eat a decent lunch. That's basically what I did today, riding 84 miles. But in addition, I did plan to stop at the pie shop in Whalen Minnesota.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A7: I always choose separated bike infrastructure over riding with motor vehicle traffic when that infrastructure is available.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bobjonkman@mastodon.sdf.org @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A4: Sorry, no clue what it is.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 5mo ago

So I am learning what it is like to be without Internet service for an extended period, especially when you have a plethora of smart switches and lights.
On Thursday the ISP tech installing service to our townhouse neighbor cut our line when burying the neighbor's line. The tech repaired ours, but not robustly enough and now it needs fixing again. I have to wait until Monday for the repair tech. Hopefully my mobile hotspot will let me watch the #mnwild playoff game tonight.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: Probably the most interesting (to me) thing I saw while riding was the Dan Fogelberg memorial along the Rock Island Greenway near the Illinois River in Peoria Illinois on Monday. He was born in Peoria. The memorial was three boulders with song lyrics etched into them. After seeing it, I had to play my two favorite Dan Fogelberg albums, Souvenirs and The Innocent Age.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social @juliette@mastodon.green @sam@social.coop #BikeNite A7: When I have to ride with long trousers, I wrap the ankles of the trousers with bike ankle wraps. I also tuck in any shoe laces.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @geonz@mathstodon.xyz @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A1: I'm posting from home in Rochester Minnesota. I have seen dozens of bicycles used as lawn decorations. A frequent use is a front basket used to display flowers, where the basket is essentially a planter.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @nwarner@tenforward.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A1: I'm posting from home in Rochester, Minnesota. I check the air in my bike tires (almost) always before each ride. We were taught ABC, check air, brakes, chain before each ride.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A8: On my ride on Monday, I rode through the Spring Lake Park Reserve between Hastings and St Paul Minnesota. It has a large Bison viewing area that the bike trail goes past. I have yet to see a live Bison in the 4 times I've ridden there. They must be seeking shade and shelter during the heat of the day. This time just after I exited the park, there was a yard with various whimsical scrap metal sculptures. Sure enough one was of a Bison.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @isol@mastodon.au @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A2: I have a Park Tool 2 point chain gauge. I just check multiple places on the chain and that is plenty accurate for my needs.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @nev@status.nevillepark.ca @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A4: I've ridden my bike in one protest rally and ridden my bike to several more. After Renee Good and Alex Pretti were murdered by Federal "agents" here in Minnesota, we became a lot more careful, and I would leave my bike home and walk or take transit to the protests. I didn't want to get tied into retrieving a bike if things went bad.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @uxMark@cosocial.ca @cainmark@mstdn.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A6: Yesterday morning and several times last year our air quality was bad due to wildfire smoke. Here it only got into the Red (150 to 200) level, and when it did I rode with a KN95 mask. We have a well filtered HVAC in our home along with an auxiliary air filter so it's never bad inside. But if outside got into the purple or maroon ranges, I'd probably not ride at all.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @sheromon@hachyderm.io @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A3: I buy from my LBS whenever possible or practical. When I have to buy online, I try to purchase directly from the manufacturer. 2nd choice is from a reputable online dealer. I use Amazon as a last resort. Unfortunately Amazon is the only option for a few things.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 4mo ago

I really hate the Journavx commercial, especially where the cyclist crashes.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @rasterweb@mastodon.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A3: I have the problem with the rear disc brake on my ebike. I should go to my LBS to get it worked on. But it comes in handy sometimes on Multi Use Trails as it warns non responsive users that I've had to brake to avoid them. Usually when my bell alone wasn't being heeded by them

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A7: My goal for the year was 8000 miles of cycling. I currently sit at 5461 miles, so I am well on target for achieving the goal (assuming no health issues).

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A1: I'm posting from home in Rochester Minnesota. When I started my first 5 day 300 mile MS ride, I was wearing cutoff jeans. I was told I'd be a lot more comfortable with padded bike shorts. So I bought a pair from one of the ride support LBS. What they didn't tell me was I wasn't supposed to wear underwear with them. It was at least 2 years before someone clued me in on that.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social @DeltaWye@tiggi.es @trouble@masto.ai #BikeNite A6: If I ever feel knee pain while pedaling, it is a clear signal to downshift and go lighter on the pushes.

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Marty Cormack @MartyCormack@urbanists.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @plactagonic@f.cz @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A3: I once successfully used a USA $5 bill as a tire boot. It got me where I needed to go to get a replacement tire after slicing my front tire on sharp crushed granite.

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