anatomy of a failed commute
 

Made the coffee and looked out the window. Blue skies. The fender on my main summer commuter is kind of screwed up right now. I'll ride my skinny tired road bike. The one I bought to go on Sunday morning group rides. I gotta haul my computer back to work. Better use the messenger bag. Toss the pump and spare parts in with my thermos and stuff. Lets go. Oh, tires look OK. I pumped them up on Sunday. I'm off.
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work work work (maybe some BF surfing too)
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Too late to bother with taking the computer home tonight. I'll just go light. Hmm. didn't bring those velcro straps to mount the pump on the top tube. Oh well. I'm outa here. I'll just leave all this stuff in my office.
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Rides 1.5 miles.
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Thump thump. Woa, what did I run over. Jeebus. Knocked me outa the clipless pedals. Hey kinda noisy in the rear. %$^&*@. Pinch flat in the rear? Ooops. Well, there's Wallmart.
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Walk walk walk. Ring ring ring. Hi honey, its me. I'm at Wallmart. I had a flat tire. Can you come get me?

Finally happened. Call of shame. Maybe I'll learn a few lessons here. I think I've about had it with skinny wheeled bikes. Thats two flats in two weeks on road bikes. I road a whole year on my MTB without having to deal with a flat on the road.

Kevlar-belted tires?

700x23 Continental Ultra Sport tires. I didn't go back to see what I ran over. I don't think it was sharp. Seemed like a 4 inch diameter rock or log. I guess a pinch flat in the rear is kind of weird. Maybe I'm wrong. I haven't disassembled it yet for the final failure analysis.

I don't think kevlar belted tires help with pinch flats do they?

It was a pretty violent bump. I hit something big. Not paying attention again. Seems to be my biggest problem.

I wouldn't run 23's to commute... wish I could cause they'd probably be fast as hell but I figure I'd be getting constant flats and would probably destroy my wheels also. I run 28's and I've gotten two flats in about eight months of commuting on the Coda Sport. no flats at all in three months of regular commutes on the MTB (I used to get pinch flats on it all the time before that but that was back before I starting keeping the tires pumped up).

what I do have problems with though is constantly detruing wheels

I had a pinch flat last week in the rear. I have no idea what I ran over, whatever it is didn't faze me at the time. mine are 27s.

Conti ultra sports = lots of flats (in my experience). Conti GP3000/GP4000/GP 4 season = 2 flats in ~5000 miles of riding and a lot of that commuting... 700x23c size too.

Holla! I'm in College Park too, and I ride 28 mm tires as well. They're strong enough for our glass-strewn shoulders :)

If you went down at Wal-Mart, couldn't you have gotten a patch there and kept going?

I left my pump at the office since I had forgotten the velcro straps to attach it to the top tube. I couldn't use a gas station air pump because the tubes are presta. I carried the pump to the office in a messenger bag. I didn't feel like carrying the bag home since I wasn't taking my computer. That was the lazy aspect of this whole adventure. For me, the lesson learned is to keep the velcro straps in my spare parts bag with the extra tubes and tools.

I don't usually commute on this bike. This was the second time all summer. I've been commuting most of the summer on a SS road bike conversion with fenders and 27 x 1 1/4 tires.

I would say the lesson is: the minute you aren't ready to repair a flat you will get one. It's been my experience to. Only on the $hitiest days when I'm already a 1/2 hour late will I get a flat. Although, if there was a walmart wasn't there a gas station? Or do you have presta valves and no adapater?

I have presta valves on this bike. The adapter was in the tool bag with the spare tubes in my office. I left all that stuff there cause I had no way of carrying the pump. Most of my commute is somewhat less urban and without nearby gas stations.

I knew what I was doing and took my chances. I just gambled and lost. I did have a backup plan. Besides, it's only 5 miles. Also, I could walk it if I had to. One guy I work with doesn't commute by bicycle because he has nobody to call for a rescue. It isn't just flat tires. If a thunderstorm kicks in right about time to go home, what would he do? Sleep in his office?

I start my commute the night before. Watch the weather report, charge the light, pump the tires, move whatever bike stuff (switch clear glasses with sun glasses), set out clothes. I also keep seperate tube and pump on each bike (I can't stand wasting time switching stuff). Seems to make my life less paniced and cluttered to do this stuff habitually; then I can spend my energy concentrating on imporntant stuff.

Good kevlar belted road tires even in 23mm should hold up fine. I rode that combination for about 5 months last year on my commute. I'm 220lb and ride 17miles of pot holed urban road including 6 rail crossings a day. My only flat was due to a cheap rim strip. I replaced the bike with one with more clearance so I could run 32mm tires. The 23s were very rough and I believe were the reason my rim failed at a spoke hole after less than a year.
However running light weight road tires I get similar results to you with at least a flat every week. Those racing tires are about as tough as butter.
Craig

+1

If I break routine I almost always forget something, worst for me was when I forgot my office keys. I get in about an hour before everybody else, and had to sit around outside and wait!

I run 700x25 Armadillos over railroad tracks (recessed, though), potholes, broken glass, etc etc. No problems. I find that the 25s are skinny enough to be fast, but thick enought to take care of most of what the road can throw at me. The Armadillos are a tad heavy...but what do I care? I'm already running a rack with loaded down panniers, and SKS commuter fenders.

I think 23mm Conti Ultra Sports may be a bit "light duty" for a commute. I'm certain they're great in a decently groomed race route though!

Maybe if you pumped them up prior to your ride you wouldn't have had a pinch flat. I've been commuting on a road bike for 8 solid months now. I've had one flat (puncture) and I had all the stuff I needed to get going again with me. I always check my tire pressure prior to a ride.

Oh, and I'm riding Continental Ultra Race tires 700x23, they do say kevlar on them though FWIW.

+1 The only pinch flats I get are when I don't top off the tires before I ride.

I wouldn't give it another thought.

I happen to have an ace up my sleeve for the dreaded, "call of shame." My wife called me once about 5 miles from home with a flat tire on her car. I rode my bike to come help her change it.

Now the tire's on the other wheel.

:beer:

Looking back, I only really have 3 regrets about yesterday's commute.

(1) Not topping off the tires. They looked OK. I kind of got lazy.

(2) Not keeping my velcro straps for attaching the pump to TT in my repair kit.

(3) Not paying attention. Not sure how I could run straight into something that big in broad daylight.

+1 I run some Contis that came on the bike in 700x25 and I hit these kind of things every day as well.

The only problem that I see with what you did is here:

I think that it should be:

BF surfing BF surfing BF surfing (maybe some work too)

:)

My final solution there was replacing my wheels, 32/36 spokes front/back, heavy ones. The stock tires my bike came with just could not stay in true, but now my skinny wheels (though I admittedly run 28s on them now) are about as able to handle the slings and arrows of outrageous pavement as well as my mtn bike ones (which are slimmed down to 1.5" tires).

This all sounds very preventable.

I haven't gotten a pinch flat since I started inflating my tires properly. That was about a year ago.

Road tires with 15psi "look OK". You must inflate. On my commute, I carry tubes, a patch kit, co2, and a mini pump. I've used them all.

I'd dissect this as:
1) you violated the 6p principle (proper planning prevents p....) where was the spare tube or patch-kit you always carry with you? (you do always carry one of those with you right?)
2) leaving the pump at work was asking murphy's law to deliver you a flat tire.
3) always always always check pressure before heading home. I got a pinch on a rear tire I thought "looked ok" now I always check the pressure before heading home.

I had "the call" yesterday, but it was actually to take me to the LBS and back so I could fix the flat. I had everything with me, except no pump (I keep one at work, one at home, and havent bought a frame pump yet), and the only CO2 cartridge I had was empty. The call to my roommate ended with him being able to take me to the house, but not by the LBS

Completely my fault, and actually today I'm in the same situation as I was unable to find a CO2 cartridge or a frame pump in Big Kmart (the only store I got to on my ride after I fixed the flat when I got home before it started storming).

Wish me luck that I dont get a flat! I'm actually riding home on a longer route this afternoon to pickup a mini pump. Also gonna try to get some more CO2 cartridges... those things are a dream!