Originally Posted by
BluesDawg
First of all, congratulations for succesfully fixing your first flat and finishing the ride.
You may want to practice a few tube changes just to be more familiar with the process before you have to do it on the roadside again. But then again, you managed to get it done and you'll get more practice eventually.
I don't like to rely on CO2 for roadside repairs. I prefer to carry either a full size frame pump or a Road Morph pump on my road bikes. (Mini pumps are for masochists). ....
I second these remarks except for the mini-pump point. I have a little Crank Bros. pump that fits into my underseat tool bag and it is a real killer. The tendency on fixing one's first flat is to get in too much of a hurry and pinch the new tube or some other similar snafu... or also to waste one's Co2 supply fumbling around with an unfamiliar device. Recommend carrying a pump and rehearsing the tube change procedure is a very good idea indeed!