I used to make sure that I always had a pump and a brand new tube or two with me at all times. But I haven't bothered in years now. I found that those items were just another entry in the list of those things that I had to keep track of, day after day after day. Then when I'd finally need them maybe I'd find that the pump didn't work worth a darn because it hadn't been used in so long.

Just a couple of weeks ago I had a flat on my way to work. I only had another half mile or so to go. I locked the bike to a street light and walked in. It was a nice change of pace. I called my wife and told her to pick me and the bike up at the end of the day and replaced the tube at home. Had she not been available I would've walked home and figured out some other way of rescuing the bike. No big deal.

I remember one other time in, say, the last five years when I had to walk home with a flat. I'm pretty sure that these are the only two times in maybe ten years. And that's with an awful lot of riding, too.

I have two daughters who can ride a bike for quite some time without needing any repair. My wife and one daughter on the other hand can't ride a bike more than a mile without destroying it.

I can't explain the difference other than the feeling that some of us understand our machinery and what forces it can endure better than others. I'm one of the lucky ones.