This post picks up from “Bridget and Sarah’s Tour-de-Kyoto, Part 1” about a great ride with a couple of Aussie girls visiting Kyoto. That first part of the story left off 3½ hours and 41km into our ride, after Eric had fixed his flat.
We got almost four whole minutes farther down the road before the next flat, this time on Sarah's bike.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sarah Goes to Work on Her Flat
Despite the rain, things got bright after that because we didn't get another flat for almost a full 30 minutes!

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/640 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Flat Roulette Picks Bridget

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/1000 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Culprit
the thorn from a bush plucked from her tire

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/1000 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Scenery
at least we had some for this tube change
The rain abated a bit, so later when after having crested a short mountain pass, I went ahead to try to set up for an “action shot” of the others coming down...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 70mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bridget “Action” Shot
Unfortunately, the whole “come down one at a time” idea seems to have been lost in the translation, because Sarah came down so quickly after Bridget that I had almost no time to prepare for her shot...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 70mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fuzzy Sarah
... and Eric came even more quickly after Sarah ...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 70mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
No. Time. To. Unzoom.
And by the split second later when Kumiko came by, I gave up even trying.
After that we had a while to ride on generally-flat country roads...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Looking Fresh
51km (35mi) into the ride
taken while cycling at 20 kph (12 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 30mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pleasant Side Road
taken while cycling at 25 kph (15 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/1250 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pink Roadside Flowers
taken while cycling at 25 kph (16 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/1000 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sarah Flat #2
Sarah's first flat had been due to a tear in the sidewall of her tire, which left the new tube vulnerable to puncture, and sure enough she got another flat. We had plenty of spare tubes among us as a group, but since Sarah and Bridget had deep-rim wheels, none of our short-stem tubes would work for them.
So, they made do as best they could patching the punctures on the tubes they had, and using patch kits (and candy-bar wrappers) to try to add support where the tire had ripped (support to stop the rubber of the tube from trying to squeeze out under the intense pressure of inflation.)

DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/500 sec, f/3.1, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Picturesque Old Farm House
more nice scenery
photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.1, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
World's Most Annoying Dog
this dog barked angrily nonstop while we were there,
even while the lady of the house was being obviously friendly with us
photo by Manseki Kanemitsu
The only plausible reason that I can come up with for the dog to be that gratuitously annoying is that at least one member of our group must have been a space alien masquerading as a human, and the dog noticed and was trying to sound the alarm. I wonder who it was.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 67mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Serving-Tray-Sized Leaf
collecting rain water across the street from the annoying dog

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
On The Road Again
taken while cycling at 22 kph (14 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
We've Lost Count
photo by Eric Findlay

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 56mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Approaching the Joshokoji Temple
the last 50m are a doozie
With all the tire troubles we cut short the intended route and instead popped over to the Joshokoji Temple (常照皇寺), which has been seen on my blog a few times including this introduction and this snowy photo shoot. It's far out in the middle of nowhere, so doesn't see a lot of tourists.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 37mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Explaining Something or Other

DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.1, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sarah and Something or Other
photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 44mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Up
Sarah is a white smudge in the middle of the frame
Just as Sarah was starting up the long flight of steps, Bridget asked her to step aside so that she could get a clean shot, but Sarah didn't hear her and so not realizing she was blocking anyone's shot, took her sweet time to enjoy the pleasant stroll up, leaving Bridget to laughingly complain in mock anger the whole time.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 31mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not Waiting Any More

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/25 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inside the Sanctuary
it's actually much darker than it looks in this photo
This is the only temple I know that allows photography inside the sanctuary (or whatever it's called; I'm not sure of the proper term).

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.1, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
In Another Building
with many antique items on immediate display

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 30mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.2, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lighting a Candle

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/30 sec, f/1.7, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Older Form of Transportation
tiny palanquin from a time when people were apparently much smaller

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rear Garden

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Small Alcove

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.1, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Return Trip Down

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back on the Road Again
heading in the general direction of home
taken while cycling at 34 kph (21 mph)
It was a simple 40km ride back to the city... how hard could that be?
To be continued...
I have to say, I still feel unsteady, myself, when I think about how you’re riding at those speeds and taking photos (although the LX100 seems much more manageable than when you were doing it with your DSLR – I’m still in awe of your coordination and balance abilities to have performed those feats!), but they’re worth it. Those roads are beautiful and look like a lot of fun to cycle on. The shots of everyone actively riding on them further adds to that in a way that a still shot of the road alone (or people standing along it) would not.
Out of curiosity, since flats seem to feature fairly prominently in most of your cycling posts, why aren’t people going with wider tires? I know the theory that thinner equates to less rolling resistance and more speed, but is the difference really that stark? I used to be on 28-width tires and would get flats every so often. Flats always represented a major downer for my cycling since I have a hard time with the tube-changing process (specifically, getting the tire off and back on… shredded one tire in the process). I went with 35-width tires (the Specialized Infinity line) and haven’t had a flat since. It didn’t feel any slower than my 28-width tires, either. Granted, my average speed is around 14-16 MPH with bursts to around 22 MPH max (riding a hybrid), which may be too slow to really notice a difference. Do you have any thoughts on tire width and flats?
Since I’ve only ever ridden the one bike with the one size tire, I don’t have any personal experience to relate, but it seems that there are a lot of factors at play. A big one is the weight… thinner tires weigh less and require less-substantial wheels, and all things being equal, the less rotational mass, the easier it is to accelerate and brake. Also, the frame must be bigger (and hence more heavy and less stiff) to accommodate a bigger tire, and the bigger a tire a bike has been built for, the wider the pedals must be placed because the chain must be able to clear the widest tire one could ever mount. Probably plenty of other considerations I’m not thinking of. —Jeffrey