The Old Toad That Lived In A Shoe

[T_Dog]

Was getting ready to hit the single track this morning and did my usual shoe check. Sure enough, for the fifth straight ride with this pair of shoes, the left one again has a toad inside. I shook and shook and finally she let go and fell out. We had a long talk and I told her that she needs to find a better house to live in, and took her for a long walk to a canal where I made her promise to not come back. At least she was tidy when she was living in my shoe, but she never did tell me how she got up there, and why the left shoe was the best real estate.

This is not the first time I have had problems with reptiles in my shoes. A tree snake took a nap behind them a few weeks ago, and two years ago one of my biking shoes starting smelling real bad. Yep.... Found a rather flat toad playing pancake inside. Took a good washing to get the smell out that time. The old toad this time around had fortune on her side, rather than 85 kilos of biker on top. I hope she appreciates that.

[burgdawg]

T_Dog.

funny story, good pics. In my mind, I had served up a much larger toad!

That might be an ex-uncle of your extended Tai family you just took down to the klong.

Take more pics when she returns to nest in you shoe once again!

[T_Dog]

They are small enough that I can get the shoe on fully and then feel a squishy tightness. (Happened before I started doing a better morning shoe check.) Never seems to harm them though. These toads puff up to about double size when agitated but this time she never did. I will check for "uncle" again this morning!

[burgdawg]

T_Dog

funny bike tale.

Would you consent to your thread being expanded to include all sorts of whacky one-og bike stories and tales?

From the zany to the sublime, I think the 'cycling Forum needs a depository of Strange Yet True tales.

let us know.....

thx

[T_Dog]

T_Dog

funny bike tale.

Would you consent to your thread being expanded to include all sorts of whacky one-og bike stories and tales?

From the zany to the sublime, I think the 'cycling Forum needs a depository of Strange Yet True tales.

let us know.....

thx

Fire away! The close off this one, bike shoes have been empty two mornings so she got the message.

[burgdawg]

T_Dog and Crew...

I had a strange experience last January. Place this story under "Bonehead 101." With a subtitle of "....if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

I knew my tyres were getting long in the tooth--about 3500kms, but no flats! Hey, touch wood. I convinced myself to leave well enough alone.

Not smart.

Then family members visited me and the only cure for such antics is jumping aboard one's bicycle for a long haul to clear various cobwebs.

I meant to do a short run to Rayong and back, about 120kms RT...but since I had baht and my CamelBack, knew I could make Chanthaburi

by dawn and beat the heat...a quick 7.5-8 hour jaunt.

On that lonesome stretch leading to Klaeng, I hit a bump and my rear tyre blew.

I walked back to a well-lit petrol station for lighting. Applied 100% DEET.

The skeeters were not happy being turned away from a snack.

Bad news...ASF..."abject sidewall failure." All along, I was paying attention to my tread, which was fine. The weight and hours in the saddle made my sidewalls literally disintegrate,

but with a razor twist. It took me a spell to figure out what I was up against.

As my sidewalls fell apart, any bump in terrain would open the sidewall, a slight crack. The tube under pressure would then force itself OUT of

the diagonal gash in the sidewall. Then close, reoh-reoh.

That closure was a quick razor nip of my tube. Insta-Flat. 12 midnight along a barren stretch of Sukhumvit.

You never want to place your fingertip inside an open sidewall, under any circumstance. Sidewalls are razor sharp!

If I had had a partial roll of duct tape, I could've re-lined my spent tyre from the inside out. No duct tape.

I recall hearing about guys stuffing rocks, socks, leaves, tubers and grass inside a tube during mtn bike races.

Hmmm? This crossed my mind.

I had many patches and tried patching my tyre from the inside out. To reinforce things the best I could. Things would hold together for 10-12kms and re-flat.

I had a spare tube, but this would not materially improve things. It would be a meager offer served up to the tyre spirits.

My emergency plan was to make Klaeng and buy a new tyre in the morning. But this makes too much sense.

Ever notice how hindsight is 20-20?

I learned that repairing SLIME filled (green latex anti-flat liquid) tube takes a certain knack. That green ooze wants to weep out and

spoil any glue adhesion. Glad that my back-up tube was a regular Camel. I struggled with my tyre for about 3-4 hours.

Then reached into my kit for a shoulder strap and wrapped it around my rear rack 'n right shoulder and lifted the rear of my bike to at least save my wheel.

I knew if I walked with my bike, the tyre would soon give way to aluminum scraping the pavement.

I flagged down a pickup truck back to Rayong. Then a bus back home. It took me 8 hours to retrace my tracks that I covered in 4.5 hours.

I felt like I was in my own scene from the "Three Stooges."

Edited August 18, 2012 by burgdawg

[T_Dog]

Sounds like a LONG night! We used to carry nylon coffee can lids just for ASF in the old days of rim brakes. Not so much of an issue these days with disk brakes. (Mud would clump on the brake caliper and wear away the sidewall. Add a bit of rim wobble and pffft.)

And you have more guts than I do riding at night on Thailand's highways where 80 % of the drivers have been drinking.

[burgdawg]

T_Dog..

chai, pedaling at night might not be the wisest course of action. I have found that Tai drivers drink at all hours!

Not just as night....

Yeah, zany story, one that I do not wish to repeat. I rode at night to beat the heat. Wearing a long sleeve jersey to

escape UVA and UVB sun rays sounds good on paper....quite hot during the actual pedaling!

I can see why you and Tonto live up in the relative coolness of the mountains...

Plastic coffee can lids? Bravo!

[aarn]

Actually, that little beastie in your shoe was a frog.

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=aw_maps_geo-asia&where-taxon=Kaloula+pulchra&rel-taxon=begins+with&where-lifeform=specimen_tag&rel-lifeform=ne

I too have had close encounters of the ped-al kind, but K. pulchra is a great surviver. AA

[T_Dog]

Actually, that little beastie in your shoe was a frog.

http://calphotos.ber...rel-lifeform=ne

I too have had close encounters of the ped-al kind, but K. pulchra is a great surviver. AA

You are right. Thanks for the correction. I wish I could say this saga is over but yesterday I found it in my first aid bag that I had set on the rack while washing the stinky Camelbak. I took her about 40 meters away and by the time I walked back to the house I could see her hopping her way back. They must be rather territorial and I never realized frogs had any kind of homing instinct. She was back in my shoe again this morning. My wife wants to pour perfume in my gear to keep it away but I am not sure what my riding buddies would think.

[GarryP]

Actually, that little beastie in your shoe was a frog.

http://calphotos.ber...rel-lifeform=ne

I too have had close encounters of the ped-al kind, but K. pulchra is a great surviver. AA

You are right. Thanks for the correction. I wish I could say this saga is over but yesterday I found it in my first aid bag that I had set on the rack while washing the stinky Camelbak. I took her about 40 meters away and by the time I walked back to the house I could see her hopping her way back. They must be rather territorial and I never realized frogs had any kind of homing instinct. She was back in my shoe again this morning. My wife wants to pour perfume in my gear to keep it away but I am not sure what my riding buddies would think.

Also eaten in certain parts of NE Thailand, particularly Sisaket. I personally think they are cute. Ung Aang they are called in Thai. Yes, I am weird. Perhaps he/she frequents your riding gear in the hope that you will take him/her along with you one of these days.

The only fauna I encounter when out cycling are dogs and the odd monitor lizard. But I am so used to the dogs now, I find it more amusing than frightening.

[Tonto21]

Actually, that little beastie in your shoe was a frog.

http://calphotos.ber...rel-lifeform=ne

I too have had close encounters of the ped-al kind, but K. pulchra is a great surviver. AA

You are right. Thanks for the correction. I wish I could say this saga is over but yesterday I found it in my first aid bag that I had set on the rack while washing the stinky Camelbak. I took her about 40 meters away and by the time I walked back to the house I could see her hopping her way back. They must be rather territorial and I never realized frogs had any kind of homing instinct. She was back in my shoe again this morning. My wife wants to pour perfume in my gear to keep it away but I am not sure what my riding buddies would think.

Also eaten in certain parts of NE Thailand, particularly Sisaket. I personally think they are cute. Ung Aang they are called in Thai. Yes, I am weird. Perhaps he/she frequents your riding gear in the hope that you will take him/her along with you one of these days.

The only fauna I encounter when out cycling are dogs and the odd monitor lizard. But I am so used to the dogs now, I find it more amusing than frightening.

T_Dog….Mate please don’t let the her put perfume anywhere near you, I personally think you are corrupting way to many hill-tribe people……….They do not see many whities where we go let along one’s wearing Lycra…….What will there perception be of us once you start smelling like a tarts handbag as well mate? We may not get of the hills………In one piece.

GarryP……It’s interesting but most dogs where I and T_Dog ride no longer bother to even look up anymore when we ride by, they now know us. I had not given this a second thought until today.

I have a friend up from Pattaya and we went up ‘T’ hills for a blast…….The dogs would not leave him alone, OK no attacks, no bites….But a lot of gobby dogs and all barking at him, lol. It was my friend that pointed it out….It was quite funny really.

[T_Dog]

Okay Tonto, no perfume!

Here are some photos from this morning. Looks like Mr. Frog has a mate living with him now as when I did my shoe check, this couple fell out. Then as I am taking their photo, this land crab had to ham in..... The nerve.

I've come to an agreement with Mr. Frog as he doesn't seem to cause any mess or smell. A tidy house guest if you will. I've also noticed that I have no ants in my shoes after he moved in. Aarn sent a link and turns out this frog eats ants so a good one to keep around. Yesterday Mr. Frog waited patiently for me on the terrace until I got back with his shoe home. The shoe rack must look a condo to him at this point.

[T_Dog]

Since perfume is banned by my riding partners, I gave Snake Brand Prickly Heat powder a try last night. Insides of my shoes were white with the stuff. This morning, the frog is in there looking powdery fresh without a worry. No worries until I knocked him to the ground and that is when he puffed up and went off in a huff. He smelled good though.

[T_Dog]

I thought Mr. Frog had written the last chapter to this story last night as I went to lock up the sliding door. There he was, not looking so good after apparently trying to follow me into the house earlier in the evening. I opened the door and he slowly walked away. He's no longer living in my shoes as he doesn't like the Prickly Heat powder I've been putting there. Had to be painful to be stuck in the door but in a way, I'm glad I put the squeeze on his plans on moving into the house......

[T_Dog]

I thought I was safe after the rains ended and the frog moved out. Not so, as this morning there was a new toad in town. He is bigger, uglier, and he really freaked me out when I reached into my shoe to check that it was clear. It wasn't.

[villagefarang]

I think it is time to visit the podiatrist to see what it is about your feet that attracts these fellows. Are you excreting frog/toad pheromones perchance?

[black fox]

i only seem to get spiders in my shoes, so i pick my shoes up and drop them on the floor and they jump out and clear off pretty quick.

[T_Dog]

I think it is time to visit the podiatrist to see what it is about your feet that attracts these fellows. Are you excreting frog/toad pheromones perchance?

My wife is starting to wonder as well! But.... I'm not sure any podiatrist would be able to keep a straight face if you asked him "Does my foot odor attract frogs?" Nope... not going there.....