I'm paying my commuting dues today
 

Last Friday was my first bike commute described in this thread.

Monday May 2, I carpooled due to predicted weather. Yesterday May 3, I cycled in with pickup from work by my wife planned since we had an event last night and I did not have time to cycle home (2+ hours).

Today, Wednesday May 3, I have been paying some bicycle commuting dues.

Temp at 6:30 am departure time was about 36° F. I had a cotton work shirt over a light t-shirt, jeans and it felt pretty good, but at 25 mph going down a hill it was a bit chilly.

I had ridden a mile or so past the first non-trivial elevation change (a bridge across the Mississippi River) when I realized I'd forgotten to put a work appropriate polo shirt in my backpack. It was just just far enough that I wasn't going back.

About two miles past that I caught a flat and was pleased with myself for performing my first roadside tube replacement. I was able to remove and reinstall the tire using only my hands- no tire levers. I'd never even have thought of such a thing till I read this post that inspired me to develop the technique.

I rode about five more miles and got a text from my wife "Where are the van keys?" They weren't in my pocket... but they were in my backpack for some unimaginable reason. Fortunately, she could walk our youngest son to school and mother-in-law could drive the oldest AND there were no pressing errands today or I'd have been in the doghouse.

Six miles later (and two miles from work) I got a SECOND flat. Actually a blowout which I suspect may have been due to not being careful enough when reinstalling the the new tube. I don't remember taking an extra minute to verify proper bead seating all the way around, but could I have ridden eleven miles on an improperly seated bead before it blew out? My cycling experience level is low, but growing quickly.

A coworker saved me some walking time by picking me and the bike up.
Another coworker took my to a LBS for two (2) new tubes and I plan on riding home.

I have to admit, however, I'm a bit gunshy after the double flat thing. Did I do something wrong, was I just not careful enough? I just started cycling for the first time since I was a kid in March so I haven't changed that many tires yet, but I've done a few with good results. Oh, AND it would be kind of hard for my wife to pick me up today when I have the van keys. :thumb:

I'm just hoping for an uneventful, low wind ride home.

Sounds like what they call an interesting day.
Don't let it get you down. They won't all be like that.

I keep a complete, spare change of clothes at work. I can't remember how many times I have arrived, and discovered that I had forgotten a belt, or had mismatched socks, or once - a nice pair of khaki trousers, that were my wifes :). Having a backup outfit makes those days much easier.

Ouch, multiple flats are NEVER fun. Keep your head up and keep riding!

Make sure what caused the flat is out of the tire.

Ughh. That is my mittens temperature.

This morning I started out at 36 F too, but it was sunny so I expected it to warm up. So I just wore the regular light gloves.

Arriving an hour later it was all of 38 F and I could not feel my fingers.

Look at it this way: unless you are a natural-born vortex of bad luck, subsequent rides could not possibly be so unlucky.

Yeah, I made it home with no probs. I guess I know how to change a tire after all, I just need to take the extra time to make sure the bead is seated properly.

My second 44 mile commute! No puking when I got home this time, either HUZZAH!

You definitely paid your dues!

About 2 years ago, I started having frequent flats on my commute. Where I live, it's usually from goatheads (thorns). I finally had it and plunked down some cash on puncture resistant tires. They have some kind of material (usually kevlar) sandwiched between the rubber. Since then, I haven't had a flat since (now I'll get one tomorrow, right?). I run regular tubes.

I went with the Panaracer Ribmo, but there are a lot of other great choices these days. It does add some weight, but I can live with that.

I have had days when I have had to turn around 3 times before I actually made it 3 blocks. One of those oh my god I cannot believe I forgot ( )! It happens, roll with it and remember it only happens on the rare day. :)

I went through a lot of that in my first few weeks. For me it was 50% upgrades and 50% application of those upgrades to get me past all the breakdowns and flats (swapping crappy stock tires for puncture-resistant type, carrying tire-levers, exam gloves, rags, CO2, etc.). Invest in your bike realizing that for the price of an oil change and a few fill-ups with the car, you can add a lot of nice gear that will make your commute easier. It's not only justifiable but usually necessary. Read up, watch videos and keep coming back here.

done the keys thing multiple times till i had a spare set made. two flats on one ride! thats tough at least you didn't break a chain.

the flats are tough to deal with, I went through a couple of weeks of getting flats every other day. I solved it by switching to a more robust tire. I was riding simple road tire before, but when I switched to a specialized armadillo I stopped getting flats. In fact, I haven't had a flat on a commute in the 7,000 miles and I attribute that distance entirely to my tires; I have ridden through some painful looking debris and come out unscathed on the other end.

The armadillos are pretty stiff and as such have a pretty high rolling resistance so they aren't for everyone, but I do recommend some tire that can offer resistance to flats if your going to be a regular commuter.

Flats often happen in doubles because whatever caused the flat gets imbedded in your tire tread. That's why it's always good policy to carefully inspect the tread and run you hand on the inside of the tire to feel for glass, wire, etc. Also, it's not a bad idea to inflate the flatted tube and find the leak so you can figure out where it flatted on the tire. Often you'll find a piece of glass or wire in that spot, unless it's a pinch flat or valve failure.

It's a good idea when you are filling the tire back up to stop part way through the process and check the bead. Then check it again after you've filled it as much as you are going to. Doing this saved me just this last weekend from blowing out my only spare tube -- the tire was just not quite seated and it would have been easy to miss.

Also, +1 to keeping spare clothes at work.

Definitely not a fun day, and esp. so early in your commuting career, but I suspect you won't experience a repeat soon or often. My worst day involved a broken chain, but fortunately I was within 1/2 mile of my destination (yes, I now carry a master link and more tools!).

+1 on this; I experienced three flats in a matter of as many days last summer, which was amazingly frustrating. The second or third was after I installed some flat resistant strips in my tires! I think there was a metal shaving/burr inside the wheel that I missed the first two times (puncture on the inside portion of the tube). The third time I spent a LOT of time checking the wheel, and haven't experienced another flat since (oh wait -- I don't have that bike anymore... but that's another commuting war story).

Also: +10 for Extra clothes at work

And probably worth considering spare key(s) for the van -- I know they're pricey if they're security keys, but there are some relatively inexpensive places to get spares (mykeylessride.com has worked for me). We only have one key for one of our cars, and I live in deathly fear of losing it, in addition to the chance of leaving the house in the other car while carrying it.

Some days you get the bull, others you get the horn. ;)

Didn't we tell you to keep a spare set of clothes at work? :p

In my experience, yes. I did a metric century back in November and I didn't notice, until about 15 miles in, that the bead on my front tire was not fully seated. I spent way too long fixing the stupid thing, too. (my first experience with nylon bead tires, I junked 'em in favor of my trusty ultra gatorskins)