Broken Rim

I can now offer a comprehensive review of my new airfree tires. I think the title of this post says most of it...they broke my rim!

Performance....
I went for a 12 mile ride over lunch Monday. The first thing I noticed was that they felt soft. I wasn't feeling every little bump in the road like I normally do. Since these tires were "120PSI" I would expect them to ride even stiffer than the 105PSI that I normally ride at. So that was the one good thing about the tires--they were a little easier on my arms and rear. Of course, I could just deflate my tires to 50 PSI and get the same effect. That would probably explain why when I looked at my speedometer I was going at least 3mph slower than I felt. I was working hard but only going 14mph. Granted, there was a pretty good head wind...but over the course of the ride, going both into and with the wind, up and down hill, my average speed was 2.5 mph lower than what I've been riding at...and I was working much harder than usual.

And then there's the broken rim. My old conventional tires have given me about 4000 miles with no problems besides a couple flats. Now I hit a bump that shouldn't have been a problem (a typical railroad track I believe) and end up with a cracked rim. Yes, conventional tires probably would have done the same thing if I rode them at 50 PSI. But I have an air pump and can increase the pressure on conventional tires.

Customer Service...
Airfree tires has the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. That's a strong statement, but sadly true. I wish they would place me on hold so I could eventually talk to a person, but no, I have to leave a voice mail only to never get called back. They don't return emails or respond to messages left using their web site. I doubt I will ever be able to get my money back despite their 90 day guarantee...but I will bug them incessantly until they want to give me my money back.

Conclusion...
Do NOT buy tires from airfree. If you really want to get airless tires, go straight to the manufacturer Nu-Teck. And don't get the standard pressures, bump the pressure way up. I'm guessing that the 170 PSI version might start to ride more like a regular road tire...but I wouldn't give them money to try it out.

Tires Are Here

Just a quick update...
My airfree tires finally arrived. I ordered them August 13, and they finally showed up today, September 29. That's just two days shy of 7 weeks, when the website says they ship in 1-2 days and take maybe 2 weeks to arrive. I wrote a dozen emails, called a dozen times, and submitted half a dozen order updates through their website--none of my emails were ever answered, they returned one phone call, and responded 3 times to the website requests (but none of the responses were helpful).

The review.....
Unfortunately I have not had a chance to really try the tires out yet since they arrived 15 minutes after finishing a 30 mile ride. I did put them on and rode around the block. My initial impression is that they feel just like regular tires.

Recommendation......
At this point, I think I would highly recommend the product itself, but would highly discourage anyone from ever doing business with the Airfree Tires company. Go straight to the source Nu-Teck, or a different distributor.

Miscarriage Update

Steph and I are doing surprisingly well following the miscarriage. We know this was God's plan, so that makes it easier to handle.

Before we went in for the D&C, we were praying that God would give us wisdom whether to go through with the medical procedure or allow the baby to be discharged naturally. An hour before we went in, we prayed that God would make it clear, and we could turn around and cancel everything if he wanted us to. We heard nothing.

At the hospital, after checking in, Steph got hooked up to an IV to hydrate her for the anesthetic. While we were waiting for the doctor, she went to the bathroom, and PLOP! something fell out in the toilet. The nurse retrieved it and put it in a bottle for the doctor to look at. Turns out she had a spontaneous miscarriage 20 minutes before the schedule procedure. That is why we have such a peace. There was nothing we could do to prevent it.

After an ultrasound, the doctor determined there was some tissue left, so Stephanie went through with the D&C, which only took 15 minutes. The doctor's analysis of the passed tissue is that it was a blighted ovum. The fertilized egg implanted and a placenta formed, but the chromosomes never came together properly to form a baby.

Miscarriage

Yesterday we received the bad news that we will not be having a baby in April. Stephanie started to have some bleeding this weekend, so she went to a doctor. He performed and ultrasound and discovered the baby stopped developing. It isn't an easy day to be happy in the Huston household, but we are working on being transformed in the mind. We have a little extra joy in God's provision of Evie. We are able to say "The Lord gives and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We know this is in God's hands and there is nothing we could have done to prevent it, so we know it is for the best. Praise God!

This is one of those days that I wish I believed in children's salvation by their parents. You know the belief that because I am a Christian my children will go to heaven. Unfortunately I don't believe that. I believe little Pele was a child of Adam, inheriting his sinfulness and under God's wrath, from the moment of conception. I like to think God has a special provision for babies...but I have absolutely no scriptural basis for that. And that is my biggest source of grief in this all--my 10 week old, unborn baby could be in hell right now.

Party!!!!

We're having a going away party tonight starting at 7:00. Come on by!!!!!!!

Before the Foundation of the World

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority
was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who
dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before
the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. -Rev
13:7-8

This passage awesomely expresses some huge truths about God and his plan for the world.

• The beast will not achieve power by some act unbeknown to God. God is allowing it to make ware, and is giving it authority.
• God wrote names in the book of life before the foundation of the world.
• The book of life is qualified with "of the Lamb that was slain." The slaying of the Lamb was planned before the foundation of the world. Adam's sin did not catch God by surprise. The cross was not "Plan B." The cross was God's plan before Adam sinned. It was his plan before he even created Adam. I think it is even a legitimate statement to say God created Adam in order to demonstrate his love on the cross.

Airfree Tire

After a series of flats on my road bike, I decided to try out Airfree Tires. I saw mixed reviews of them before ordering, but decided to go for it. I am having nothing but annoyance with the company at this point. I ordered my tires over 3 weeks ago, and they have not arrived, despite the claim that they should be there in 12 business days. I have been trying to get in touch with their "24 hour customer service," but getting an answer is like pulling teeth. They tell you something along the lines of "everything's fine" but never actually answer the question. "Our supplier is experiencing delays" was the answer to "When will I get my tires?"

After waiting this long and dealing with this customer service, I'm scared to cancel my order. How long would it take to refund my money???????

For those contemplating buying from them during their big September sale, I'd recommend waiting. I promise to update my blog if the tires ever arrive.