All I want for Christmas is a 20 inch tire

Our rescuer

Back in Tasmania I noticed that Ann-Marie's rear tire was a bit worn. The Bike Friday has 20 inch wheels, which are an odd size so I thought I'd better get a new one in good time. We found a bike shop in Hobart that had a 20 inch tire in stock and we went and bought it, but when I tried to mount it it wouldn't fit. It turns out there are two 20” tire sizes: a 406 mm diameter and a 451. So I returned that tire and got another one of the correct size except that the only one they had was a bit wider than the tires that came with the bike.

I ended up mounting that tire once we got to Launceston, Tasmania. First time we went out for a ride the tube blew almost immediately. The tube was too narrow for the fatter tire. So I needed to get a tire that exactly matched what was on the bike. I called all the bike shops in Launceston and none of them had the tire I needed. We had a 10-hour layover in Sydney on our way to Bangkok so I contacted a bike shop in Sydney to order the tire. Our plan was to store luggage at the airport and go out and pick up the tire during the layover.

Upon arrival in Sydney we asked where we could store our luggage. The Quantas information agent suggested we go over to the international terminal where they had baggage storage. So we took a bus over there. To get into the terminal we had to go through security and passport control. Once that was done we found out that we could not leave the international terminal. Having already passed through passport control Australia considered us as having left the country.

I tried to get the tire again in Chiang Mai. We stopped at a bicycle shop that didn't have the tire and said the minimum order was quantity of 10. I finally found a shop that did have the tire but they were closed for the remaining days we were in Chiang Mai. Finally I turned Amazon.com. The US site would ship a tire to Thailand. It cost $30 for the tire and tubes and $50 for shipping and taxes. The tire arrived at our guest house in Chiang Mai a few days ago and is waiting there for our return later this month.

But there’s another complication. Ann-Marie had a flat few days ago when we were about 20 miles from town. She picked up some glass which cut the tire badly. When I went to change the tube I found that the tube I was carrying was the one that had blown in Launceston. I'd forgotten to throw it away and saw it in my pack and thought it was good tube. So we had no way to repair the flat. We packed light for this excursion and extra tubes are back in Chiang Mai. Our only option was try to get a ride, and the first car we tried to flag down stopped. It was a club cab pickup, perfect for hauling us and our bikes. And as luck would have it, the driver spoke excellent English, having been a banker in Bangkok. He dropped us off at a bike shop in Thoeng.  Shop didn't have the right size tubes naturally but they were able to repair the ones we had. I first tried that Launceston tube, but it wouldn't hold air. The tube that had just punctured did work. So we have a cut tire and no backup tube except a 26in tube l bought that I'm doubtful of.

The tire that was cut by glass had been the good front tire, not the worn rear one. So I'm feeling the need for yet another 20 inch tire. I emailed the store in Chiang Mai and they would deliver a tire to our Guesthouse there. Unfortunately they will only accept payment by Bank transfer, no credit card. I tried to arrange such a transfer but our government looks with suspicion on such transactions. I could not accomplish the necessary paperwork while in remote Northern Thailand.

So the saga of the 20 inch tire will continue.