my rear conti 5000 gp that has had a slight bulge on the sidewall from a cut or something for a long while finally decided to start losing air slowly when I was on Malone road. So I decided to try to swap to a tube.
First problem was the valve nut was almost frozen completely but I managed to use my crank brothers multi tool with the wrench part which I wedged into it and with all my strength managed to crack it and eventually got it off. But either the tube already had a hole or I punctured it while getting inside the tire on the rim. So I swapped to my tiny tubilito tube and did the same thing only it was a slow leak so I decided to go with it. I would make it about a mile or mile and a half and had to pump it up again. I headed back home the shortest way possible and it was a really sad thing that I had this problem with such wonderful warm sunny weather and a roaring tailwind, uncommonly southeast wind, my favorite. Anyway I made it fairly briskly to PTC and whilst riding the shoulder on 74 picked up more holes or widened the one I already had and it stopped holding air as good. I jumped on the stinky sewer path and it was path pandemonium. People everywhere. Sometimes random nice weekend days in winter are the busiest, as I have always said. Anyway once I got to the path it went flat and as I had already destroyed both the tire and tube I decided to just ride it like that all the way home, no small task weaving around all the carts and people and a surprising number of cyclists. Should have replaced the tire a bit before. And for sure should have just let it ride tubeless and hope for the sealant to hold. I thought it didn't have much inside but there was tons, almost too much. It would have been much better that I what I ended up with. Oh well. I replaced the tire when I got home.