Having put several patches on the too-long inner tube I broke down and went to a bike shop to buy a new one.
I avoid any dealings with Taiwan mechanics of any kind if at all possible, and I think this is only the second time I’ve been to a bike shop here
Bloke seemed very reluctant to leave his TV, and my pointing to the tyre, which I’d brought with me, then pointing to an inner tube, then running my finger aound the inner circumference of the tyre, seemed to open up a baffling array of possible alien interpretations to his mind.
Very slowly he minutely examined the tyre, like an Egyptologist with a newly found clay tablet.
Did he think I wanted a tyre? - I pointed to the inner tube again.
Did he think I wanted the tyre repaired? Is that even possible? - I pointed to the tyre, said “OK, la” (I really shouldn’t say anything in these situations, but that wasn’t really an attempt at Chinese so shouldn’t be too dangerous) and pointed at the inner tube again.
Did he think I wanted the tyres inscriptions translated into Sanskrit and engraved on the tomb of my ancestors? - I pointed to the inner tube again.
Tension built. Eventually he says “Chi ba?”
WTF? Thinks I.
Isn’t “chi ba” a Hokkien obscenity? (Turns out that’s chi bai)
Whatever it is, why is he asking me questions about the bloody tyre? Its a bloody tyre and he’s a bloody bicycle mechanic. Whatever the mystery isn’t the key to it in his hand?
Bit more non-communicaion along these lines and I gave up and went somewhere else on NCKU campus where they wordlessly sold me an inner tube for 150NT. I guess they’d seen a foreigner before. Havn’t tried it for fit yet
Wickipedia has
“In Taiwan, chi is the same as the Japanese shaku, i.e., 10⁄33 metre (11.93 in)”
So “chi ba” would be 8 times that, or 95.44 inches. Obviously not the diameter, and it doesn’t seem to be the circumference either (which would seem to be about 81.7 inches)
So I dunno, and maybe never will.
BUT if that IS what they are working out the circumference of a 26 inch wheel as, its TOO BIG, as are most of the 26 inch wheel inner tubes.