irwin7638

Every body here is right, including your wife. You should know how to change a tube before you ever get on the bike, it's a five minute job. But realistically, it is getting more and more and more rare with the variety of puncture resistant treads available. I quit carrying tools and tubes around town and carry bus fare instead. That way, if something does happen, I can go home and fix it.

Marc

twobadfish

Wind?

cccorlew

Road morph mini, mounted beside the water bottle cage
Spare tube, levers, patch kit. Goes in very small seat bag.

I can handle a plague of flats. It's happened.

I also stop to help out the C02 guys who screw up the carts, or get second flats.

Your wife is right.

big john

Flat pics! Here, we are 30+ miles from anyone's car and even further to any kind of store.
Really, it's no big deal once you practice a bit.

bobthib

Get spare tubes, co2 kit, and tire levers. Takes 5 mi to change a tire. Co2 pump up is instant. man up!

DnvrFox

They are dry, like seeds, and they blow around. There are certain areas where a vortex of wind creates a whole bunch - as when I got 7 in one tire on an Aurora trail. They are more likely on trails then on roads.

contango 

I've never had a flat, ever. But just in case, I'd rather not be stranded miles from home trying to figure out which combination of trains would get me back and how long it would take. A spare tube is cheap, a frame pump tucks out of the way, and a pair of tyre levers costs next to nothing and fits in a pocket.

I'd have to think pretty hard for reasons not to take such basic precautions.

jimmuller 

Now ya' done it. Good luck finishing your next ride.

Dan Burkhart 

Flats are an extremely rare occurence in my life, don't think I've had one in the last three years.
Still, I don't leave the driveway without pump, tube, patches and tire levers.
I'm with your wife, and the majority here.

Retro Grouch 

There might be another option.

Post a picture of your wife. There's a possibility that, if you just hide, she will be able to find somebody to fix the flat.

That's what Mrs. Grouch and me do.

AzTallRider

As a roadie, my experience indicates this isn't true!

DnvrFox

Ok - who am I to argue. They are ubiquitous!!

Equal opportunity goatheads.

JanMM

I can't say out loud on this forum how long I've been extremely very lucky but I always carry a pump, tire levers and patches and/or a tube.

tsl

What your wife is really telling you is that:

1. She doesn't want to be stranded alone somewhere while you ride two hours to the car, and
2. She doesn't want to ride for two hours alone to the car and have to heft her bike on the rack alone to come back and rescue you.

I've never been married and I can still understand wife-speak.

Or a slim, good-looking guy with a graying ponytail on a speeding road bike. That'll be me.

EDIT: And if you don't want to carry flat repair stuff because you don't know how to fix a flat, keep an eye out for Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport's FREE Flat Repair Clinics. They're about once a month at the shop on Saturday afternoons. They're moving from downtown to the South Wedge later this month, on South near Gregory, so no clinics until after they've settled-in at the new store.

steve0257

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a few simple rules.

Rule #1- The wife is always right.

Rule #2- If the wife is wrong refer to rule #1.

Gyro

[QUOTE=tsl;12270552]What your wife is really telling you is that:

1. She doesn't want to be stranded alone somewhere while you ride two hours to the car, and
2. She doesn't want to ride for two hours alone to the car and have to heft her bike on the rack alone to come back and rescue you.

Bingo!!!! I"m in Greece.

alcanoe

Equip your bikes with puncture resistant tires. My wife has them and so far she's never gotten a flat on the road. It's impossible for her to fix a road tire flat. She doesn't have the strength at 70 plus she has arthritis in her fingers. She does carry a spare tube and a pump. She does rides on her own and when we ride "together" we are often many miles apart as we each prefer to ride at our own pace.

I carry a frame pump, tube and a patch kit. My frame pump has a fold-down bracket that you step-on which makes inflating a high pressure tire a lot easier, much like a regular home pump. Inflating the tire is worst part on a hot day.

I don't trust CO2 as I've had several failures so I prefer a pump.

I always fix a flat where it happens. If my wife gets one, she'd call and I'd go fix hers unless the car was closer.

Al

tsl

So's Cranky, up along the lake. I'm in the city on University between the Eastman House and Towner's Bike Shop.

Dan Burkhart 

Or, you could go air free and never worry about flats again.
https://www.airfreetires.com/shopping...cle-tires.aspx
Of course, after your first ride on these, you'll likely think the prospect of fixing a flat wasn't so bad.

twobadfish

I'm not sure if that speaks volumes on the type of riding you do or the type of luck you have.

StephenH

Be prepared for flats. That way a flat is a 10-minute delay spent working together instead of a 2-hour ride-ending ordeal.

cccorlew

+ a whole bunch! Great answer.

Doug64

I must live wrong-- about a month ago I had 5 in one week, 2 on the same day. Winters are hard on tires. My wife and I had 13 flats on our cross country ride and at least 2-3 on almost every tour. We've also destroyed two tires on tours. I carry a light weight folding tire on long trips as a spare. Last summer was the first tour ever, that we did not have a flat tire ( 2 bikes, 10 riding days, 500 miles). We just switched over to Schwalbe Marathon tires in a little larger size. I'm sure if it was luck or the new tires.

My wife must also live wrong She hit a storm grate while going fairly fast downhill and managed to pinch flat both tires. She put a spare tube in one and patched the other. She was a little late for work, but she made it on her own power.

Damaged tire (non- foldable , wire bead)ready for the waste bin. While not the best, we kept it as a spare- it was better than nothing. We replaced tire when we got to a bike shop.

contango 

I did consider that when I wrote it. But since I've got a spare tube (and experience, even if only once, of tyres and tubes - when I changed the tyre) I've at least got a sporting chance.

contango 

I used to cycle a bit as a teenager and never had a flat which was probably more due to luck than judgment, and the fact I never went very far.

When I bought my current bike the first thing I did was put Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on it, the ones with the plastic sheathing that you can put a thumbtack in and still not puncture. One day I pulled an inch-long thorn out of the tyre and it was fine.

Now my rear tyre is a Marathon Extreme (the old one was worn down and offering no grip at all in mud). So far it's holding up well. On the road I always keep my tyres pumped up pretty much as high as they will take so pinch flats have never been a problem for me either.

If you had your first tour with no flats I'd reckon the tyres have a lot to do with it, especially given the track record before using them.