Blowing Mini-Velo Tubes. Mercier Nano goes flat.

As will become evident.  I like two wheeled things.  I have a few to many bikes in my collection...

My most recent addition is a Mercier Nano from bikesdirect.  I've loved the look of mini velo's ever since I discovered they existed.  Something about the little wheels seems cute, and different to me.

 Not a bad looking bike.  It's a bit heavy though.  It's something like 26lbs.  (I'll get the full specs later)

So the first time I went for an actual ride on the bike, disaster struck..   I got all of 800' before I felt the "thump thump thump" of a flat tire.  Given the unique size of the wheels on the bike, it was a week before I had a new tube in my hands to fix the problem.

It turns out that the tube either wiggled past the rim strip, or just pushed through the rim strip and tore through a spoke hole.  I replaced the stock rubber rims strips with adhesive cotton ones from performance.  And I patched the stock tube. 

And then I got busy.  It wasn't until last week that I took the bike for a real ride.  I say "real" in that it was more than a couple hundred yards, but it was only 5 miles.  The ride was one of my usual middle of the night rides.  The weather was nice.  There really was no traffic to speak of.

Riding a mini velo is really no different from riding a normal bike.  It seems a bit less stable when riding no handed.  My particular bike has wider tires than I'm used to.  (I usually ride 23's, the bike has 32mm tires on it) 

The gearing is to short with the size of wheels it has.  I spent most of the ride in 14-16th gears.  And due to the long head tube, the water bottle is WAAAAY down there.

I'm not going to be selling this bike anytime soon.  I like it.  I expect it will become my new rack-beater bike.

Specs, as per bikesdirect:

Frame	Butted CroMoly Steel, features bottle cage mounts, rear rack mounts and replaceable rear derailleur hanger, 130mm rear spacing (standard road)
Fork	CroMoly Steel Aero StraightBlade with 1 inch steerer tube
Derailleurs	Shimano Sora RD-3400GS rear, SHIMANO FD-2303 DOWN PULL front
Shifters	Shimano SLR400F 16-SP
Brakes/Levers	C. STAR AS2.4D ALLOY SILVER Aluminum/ Aluminum ALLOY SILVER LEVER W/BLACK RUBBER cover
Hubs	ALLOY SILVER W/QR, Forged Aluminum shell
Rims	20"x1.5x32H JALCO DRX4000 DOUBLE WALL, ALLOY SILVER These accept standard 20" BMX size tires
Crank/BB	LSC 42T/52T, 170MM Aluminum arms SILVER / Cartridge SQ taper
Cassette/Chain	SUNRACE CSR8, 12-25T-8 speed Cassette (SATIN) / KMC Z-51 130mm rear spacing (standard road)
Saddle	Velo Ergo-Road (turbo style with comfort channel)
Seatpost/Stem	29.2mm x 300mm ALLOY SILVER Aluminum seatpost and Quill Stem EXT:90MMxLENGTH 200MMx0 DEGREES, ALLOY SILVER
Handlebars/Headset	Road Drop W:400MM ALLOY SILVER NOTE: Bars are road-drop only, NOT bullhorn / Contact-sealed, Cage Ball Bearing
Pedals	Flat pedals (free bonus, as shown)
Tires	20x1.5 BLACK Kenda Kwest K-193, Presta valve These are standard 20" BMX size tires (customers say they can use up to 1.75" BMX slicks but clearance is tight and fitment is not guaranteed)
Color	Black or Orange
Sizes	SM/M or M/L Geometry Chart (sized center of bb to top of seatpost clamp collar - just like most major brands like trek and fuji)