Mike’s Service Station saved my Sunday, and I want to thank them publicly and profusely for it.

The Amherst Village center has long been a popular spot for local road cyclists, and one gets the sense they are largely welcomed. The town doesn’t seem to mind if people park there, as a staging area for rides, and cyclists pass through often, on their way to the back roads routes up to Mont Vernon.

I found myself passing through on my way up and down the hill Sunday, but then found myself with a flat front tire not far past the village green, on my way to Chestnut Hill. Normally, that would be no big deal. I had my pack. I had tools, a patch kit, a spare tube and even a spare tire, knowing that tire was a bit worn. Just one problem: I’d forgotten to pack my pump. Without air to spare, all else was useless.

I ain’t too proud to beg, and have once gone door to door in a similar situation, to borrow the use of a bike pump. I remembered, though, that there were two service stations nearby, so I started walking.

I came first to Mike’s, that charming retro styled place right off the village green. It was clearly closed, but they do have an air pump out front and lo and behold it was on! Even though they were closed! It didn’t even take coins, and here’s the best part yet: it goes up and over 100 psi! Most car tires don’t need more than 35 psi, and many service stations don’t offer such high pressure fill ups.

Lucky for me, my patch kit includes a small brass adapter that I can screw onto the presta valve, to use such pumps. If you don’t have one, I strongly recommend it.

It turned out my valve stem was leaking, so patches were useless. I sat in the shade of a nearby tire, installed the new tube and tire, filled it up and got back on my way, to again take up the fight against inertia, gravity and (that day) a rather stiff headwind.

Anyhow, thanks, Mike. It would have been a loooooong walk back to Nashua!