Today I had my first flat in Panama. The pothole was not quite as bad as the one above, but for those who kvetch about potholes in Pennsylvania, Panama has a lot more.
Today I was rolling back toward the canal from the Gamboa road junction. I stayed away from the edge of the state highway running along the canal to avoid the gaps in the pavement, but saw a pothole too late to swerve. The front tire flatted immediately, the back was fine.
I was near a bus stop at the village of Paraiso a five miles from where I live.
Buses in Panama do not allow bicycles on board. I waved at a couple of taxis, then ordered and Uber. It was $5.83 to take me home. The driver didn't have a bungee cord to put the bike in the trunk, so I took the wheels of and held it in the back seat.
I fixed the flat at home and rode to a local bike shop to buy another tube. When I got there I saw a small bulge in the sidewall. The tube was coming out. I had cut through the sidewall. The shop owner wasn't busy so I bought a new tire and he put it on for me. $50 with an extra tube. All the tires he sold were Goodyear Eagles--which is what was on the bike already.
With all the potholes here, I will bring back more tubes and cartridges and a pair of Continental Gatorskin tires.
