Originally Posted by cooker
.... Learn to fix flats and carry a repair kit. You can fix a bike flat in under five minutes, so it needn't make you late for work. ....
No, YOU can change a flat in 5 minutes. So can I. But the first time I did it, it took an hour, and I flatted again 15 minutes later because I didn't have the tire seated properly.
But your advice is spot on. Danis might want to practice changing her tires a few times before she/he has to do it on the roadside. It's easy with practice, especially on a mountain bike. Of course one nice thing about a short commute is that if you really HAD to, you could walk the bike home.