Originally Posted by
CommuteCommando
First, learn to fix your own flats on the road, and carry a spare tube and tool kit. (damage to tires is much more rare, but it happens). Some cyclists are coming to a paradigm that it is better to replace the tube than to patch. In the case of the bike shop owner, he is in business to make money, and he would have to charge more to patch the tube, than to just replace it. Time is money.
Time is money true enough. Perhaps I got a good deal after all.
I'll be purchasing a patch up kit to learn the art.
It's not necessary for me to do it on the road though. More likely I'll fold my bike and make use of the public transport to get home to do repairs. Fortunately the public transport here is convenient enough that I can make use of it in emergencies.