After I got the message that I was getting a warrantee replacement on the failed tire pump and I could throw the failed pump away I went ahead with the post-mortem on how and why it failed. I poked at the junction between the hose and the gauge where all the air was leaking from and there was a definite discontinuity in the hose at that point. So I carefully cut away the fabric braid over the hose and found the hose barely attached to the gauge with most of the diameter separated and some degradation of the rubber hose in that spot.
You can see a crack that developed at the point of first failure. Something has deteriorated the entire hose as far back as I can peel the braid covering and there are lengthwise cracks all over the hose that don’t show up in pictures I can take with my phone because it doesn’t have macro capability like my old flip phone. And I can’t change the resolution to match what I can post here to save storage space like my old flip phone. Anywho, the hose has a slightly sticky surface and has other signs of physical deterioration like those cracks. Hypothesis: the hose is not of recent manufacture and has succumbed to age. Second hypothesis: the hose has deteriorated rapidly because of environmental contamination. Conclusion: either or both hypothesis are correct as the hose may be old but not old enough to fail unless deteriorated by environmental contamination. Unfortunately there are no markings indicating country of manufacture anywhere on the pump, so I can’t say if pollution from lax regulations in China may have caused my pump to fail.
Anyway, yesterday I went for another 4.3 mile walk to get bonus points on my phone game while I paid for my phone service and I woke up this morning feeling like my feet had been beaten on again, so tomorrow’s walk will only be about 2.2 miles and just get 19 out of the 25 possible captures per day. I still need to get the exercise and also need to get as many points as possible. All this will be far easier on my feet when the replacement pump gets here (and hopefully, works) and I can ride my bike to the places that have the bonus check-ins. They are easy bike rides away, but long walks that hurt my feet.
Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable
Witch on a Bicycle 