Another true story

[jonny jeez]

This probably doesn't belong in commuting but I don’t know where else to post this weird little story and us commuters deal with the most P**nctures....so here goes;
Totally true, unexaggerated ....all just as it happened, are you comfy?... then I'll begin;
Took a ride around Biggin Hill this morning and finished at the Jail pub (back garden is perfect for cyclists).
Had a bacon butty and some pop when a few old gents on bikes turn up. We start to chat.
Towards the end of the conversation the only chap in the group who up until now has not spoken decides to say something along the lines of “Hope we don’t get a P**cture”, to which I respond (jokingly)”No, No don’t say the P word, you know what’ll happen”.
We laugh at our own superstitious natures and then pick up the plates to take them in.
Then…
BANG!
One of my pals rear tube just explodes…all by itself, no one near the bike, bike stood leaning against a picnic table.
It all happened within seconds of the mere mention of the filthy word and we were (still are) totally amazed.
I promise you this is exactly as it happened (I have two witnesses!)
Now that is quick work, the fairy must have literally been following us (or them) around for ages and was just waiting for an excuse.

So how can a tyre/tube just explode spontaneously. We found a sharpish bit of tape inside the rim where the tube let go and taped it up before replacing the tube but why did that cause a blow out at that time and not when we were riding.

All I can conclude is that the bike had cooled down (its cold out today) and when the sun comes out it warms up rapidly and then cools again in the shade of the passing clouds. Perhaps this caused some friction and just rubbed the tube against the sharp tape?

All very odd,

 

[fossyant]

See, they said the unmentionable word.

 

[Drago]

Gotta be a sniper.

 

[gaz]

I got a blow out today when going around a corner. No idea what has caused it :/

 

[jonny jeez]

I got a blow out today when going around a corner. No idea what has caused it :/

I do wonder if the sudden drop in temp is an issue on our tiny little high pressure road tyres.

Were you ok?

 

[Dayvo]

I was cycling quite quickly down a long gravel track in the summer and got a pun*ture immediately after thinking 'I hope I don't get a pun*ture.'

 

[gaz]

I do wonder if the sudden drop in temp is an issue on our tiny little high pressure road tyres.

Were you ok?

yeah, luckily I had slowed already for the corner and heard it go straight away, so stopped sharpish.

 

[Arjimlad]

Invisible hedgehog ?

 

[Cyclopathic]

I think that in technical terms, what we have here is what is known as a coincidence. If they never happened at all we wouldn't even need a word for it. It may seem a bit odd but you have to compare it with all the times you or somebody else has used the "p" word and a tire has not spontainiously exploded. There is undoubtedly no connection between using the "p" word and getting a "p" other than that which we concoct in out minds.
Evolutionarily speaking it makes complete sense for us to try and make connections between things that happen. Often there are connections between things and knowing this and acting on it would give one human an advantage over another. Even if some of the connections were spurious there would be a great enough hit rate for it to be of benefit.
Seeing connections is completely normal and natural but it still doesn't mean that they necessarily exist.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Invisible hedgehog ?

Very difficult to disprove.

 

[Andy_R]

Invisible hedgehog ?

or it's cousin the lesser spotted hedgehog