Has anyone ever warned you about awakening the bicycle flat tire Gods?  Heed their advice, because I just found out that this is for real.

Yeah, you’ve more than likely had a situation where you’re talking about how long it’s been since you had a flat tire….and then been immediately warned not to bring up such a subject.  It’s been said that mentioning such words will awaken the flat tire Gods and curse you with a fury of flats on your bike.

I was first exposed to this whole thing when I wrote a post called “The Longest Lasting Tube Ever“.  In it I explained that I had gone for a very long time without getting a flat tire…and that’s when all the warnings came.  I’m a bit superstitious so I honestly was a little freaked out, and for several rides after I was constantly worried about getting another flat.

Lucky for me, they didn’t come…..so time went by and the whole flat tire God thing wasn’t given much attention.  Until Now.

A few weeks ago I rented one of our mountain bikes from Mocha Spoke.  Two days later, the customer had a flat tire while riding on the main streets.  When this happened I told my Wife how surprised I was that he got a flat on a mountain bike tire while riding the same roads I do with my road bike….and that I’ve only had one flat in two months.

I had said too much.  I had definitely Awoken the Gods this time.

In the 5 days following me speaking these words, I experienced 7 flat tires between two of my bikes.  Yes, the Gods were angry.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was in flat tire hell and didn’t know how I was ever going to get out of it.

I told them I was sorry and that I’ve learned my lesson, but I’m a little scared to say if this actually worked or not. I don’t want to disturb them again.  So let’s leave it at this….my advice to you.

It appears that writing about your lack of flat tires may be okay, but please do not ever speak about it in private or public.  You’ve been warned.

Your turn….tell us about your experiences with the Flat Tire Gods and any words of advice you have for our readers.

In today’s video, Kip focuses on studded tires.  This is a very informative clip on how to stud your own tires, what to look for in a good winter tire and how to save money.  As always, enjoy your ride and leave comments.

iOS version available here

We’re giving away $100 just for entering the Michelin Bicycle, Mountain Bike Contest

And the winner is:

Hi, Amanda here.

So, I had a really tough time choosing a winner.  I had fun reading all the posts, and I want everyone to win!! Ultimately, I had to pick just one winner.  Since I’m such a sucker for charity, my pick for the winner is Arlyn (aka @iamarlyn), who is going to donate $200.00 to a cancer related charity. Thanks Arlyn.

Honorable mentions go out to Steve, Cassi, Scott, Francois and Kathryn.

Good luck to everyone on winning that mountain bike!!

Hey everybody, sorry for the short notice on this one….but we have very quickly thrown together a great new contest.  This time there are actually two prizes you can win….the first is a brand new GIANT Trance X1 Mountain Bike which is being given away by Michelin Bicycle Tires.  For entering the contest via Loving the Bike, we are also going to personally give you the chance to win a $100 American Express Gift Card.

This exciting contest is to promote Michelin Bicycle Tires…..I don’t know about you, but I didn’t even know they were making them.  Yeah, that’s right the good old Michelin Man is putting out road, mountain, bmx, and all other cycling tires.  Pretty cool, huh?

How to Win:

In order to win the GIANT Trance X1, you’ll have to head over to the Michelin Sweepstakes Entry Page….like right now because the contest closes on Saturday.

To win the $100 Gift Card that we are giving away, first you’ll have to enter the Michelin Sweepstakes and then scoot right back here and leave a comment letting us know that you’ve entered and also what you think about Michelin Bicycle Tires.  The most interesting or informative comment wins the gift card (judging to be done by my Wife so that I can’t play favorites to anyone).

The $100 GiveAway happens Friday at 5:00PM Central Time.

Please Note: The Michelin Sweepstakes is only open to US residents….if you are from outside of the US please feel free to still enter our American Express Gift Card giveaway.