I was riding through the park today when I notice a patch of rubber about 4x4cm stuck to the front wheel and going round and round. I stopped to pull the rubber off the wheel and when I did, I saw 3 sharp thin nails attached to the rubber, and at the same time I saw the nails, I heard the sound of air slowly coming out from the front tire.

Damn, my first puncture, 2,800km in. Luckily I was close to the bike shop, and was able to ride the bike 3km before the tire was completely flat. I walked the rest of 300 metres to the LBS. I have never changed a tube before, and I was carrying a spare tube, tire levers and a mini pump in my backpack, but due to time restraints, I thought it would be quicker for the guys at the bike shop to fix it. I'm glad they did fix it, as the way I would have done it would have been different from the way they did it.

They took the tube out, checked the inside of the tire thoroughly, slightly put some air in tube, gently massaged the tube into the tire, to make sure it wasn't twisted anywhere, then filled with air. It was great to see the process, and next time am confident of changing a tube. I went to pay for the tube, the guy said free for a year if it happens again. Thumbs up

one flat down, hundreds to go...

Yeah, I'm still waiting for my first flat. So far, so good.
But I carry the necessary stuff to fix the flat and get the tire inflated. Not that I have any experience fixing a flat, but at least I have the equipment with me if I'm far from home and civilization. I can try.

not quite what I want to hear,

I saw an article about a tire with no air, I hope technology gets us to a place where the airless tire feels and rides the same as an air filled tire in quick time.

flats are just part of the game.

you ride, you get them.

air-less tires are horrid things, don't be tempted to try them.

I've had 2 in as many weeks, the last one like the OP's was something sticking to my tire going round and round (a piece of a steel belted radial) and when I pulled it out I heard the pssss. My tires are really tight to my rim, was hard to get on the first time and I was worried how hard it would be to do a road side repair. But when it happened they were little problem to get off and back on. Each tube replacement took less than 10 minutes (closer to 5). Changing tubes and tires is definitely something one should be proficient at, as stated, flats are part of the ride.

Two years, similar distance to you in that time since I started riding again, and still no flats.

That said, I've changed enough tubes and tires that it won't be an issue when it inevitably happens. Good knowledge to have. Takes a bit of patience the first couple times you do it, but it really isn't difficult. Wish it was a skill they taught people when they sold them bikes.

I'm just curious how you would have done it (their process seems pretty standard).

I guess that is the question,,how would the o p done it,,

Why not practice at home?

If you ride on good tires that are not worn down and are properly inflated, I think hundreds is extreme. Before I went tubless I maybe got 1/year on my road bike. I have had two in the last three years while touring, and one was caused my rolling over something similar to what you rolled over. I am starting a three-day tour tomorrow. Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Just a reminder for people who may not have much experience fixing a flat:

Always check the inside of the tire to make sure whatever caused the puncture isn't still in there.

buy Schwalbe durano plus (folding tyres) .... it has the same puncture rating/protection as Schwalbe Marathon plus and they grip well and roll fast

that's a best-case flat story.

you will get more flats, hopefully not hundreds. I really hate flats -- so much so that in the past I let it get in the way of my riding. What i have found is that if you let your tires wear too much before replacing them, you are far more likely to get flats. So I tend to replace my tires more often than a lot of people.

Flats happen. You will have many more.

Read my sig line.

I would have taken the tube out using the tire levers, but I would not have thought to check the inside of the tire with my hands ( gloved ) to look and feel for any sharp objects that might be lodged in there, and once I got the tube inside, I would have inflated the tube to recommended psi without first "massaging " the tube in place to avoid twists.

Since I've never had one: is there a quicker way than my normal bike overhauling procedure of pulling the tire off, inspecting/fixing the tube, running a finger inside the tire to make sure nothing sharp is there (and really, how advisable is this, is there a way that is potentially non destructive to my fingertip?) and reassembling the whole thing?

Best I know now than when I am sitting on the side of the trail.

I used to get half a dozen flats per year, typically bits of glass or metal debris. I've had no flats since I switched to puncture resistant tires over the past couple years. Granted, I don't live in goat head thorn country, and I still carry the means to fix a flat, but it has been pleasant not fixing flats while on the road.

Best is to use a soft cloth that will snag on a piece of wire or thorn. Not only saves the old finger tip, but will sometimes pick up things your finger might miss.

Just pull the back wheel a few times, it isnt rocket science though it might take a few moments for you to figure it out and get the gunk off your hands. One tip when putting a tire on the rim, index the tire by centering the valve stem along the tire label area so to help you see where the leak occured inside the tire when checking for debris.

I ride for fun. Flats aren't fun. I am sure I am about to jinx myself, but I haven't had a flat in 2 1/2 years and thousands of miles. I use tires with good puncture protection systems. The tires have several cuts and punctures that were stopped by the puncture protection belts. I happily give up light weight for puncture resistance. I am fortunate to have made a friend many years ago who taught me how to do bike maintenance and repair. He could really dumb it down to my level.

I punctured last week but didn't know it till I got home. I run tubeless. Last year I got home after 4 goathead punctures I wasn't even aware of. Tubeless FTW !

Bontrager LT2 Expert Hard Case Lite Tire (700c) - Trek Bicycle Superstore

I have these tires which I'm sure offer serious puncture protection, but with what I was unfortunate to run over, how much more serious puncture resistant tires do I need to prevent such an occurrence happening again? When I pulled out the nail from the tire, it was as straight as a tack as were the other 3 nails.

I just recently read to use a cotton ball. I'm going to add a cotton ball to my under-saddle bag.

Even the best of the best puncture resistan tires, the Marathon Plus, can't necessarily protect you from a nail. If you put a super heavy thorn resistant tube that comes with about a half pound of green goo inside you'll be pretty well puncture proof but at that point you have rock hard, not-so-fun tires. People on road bikes that like to ride quickly eschew those super flat-proof tires and would prefer to allow the occasional puncture. I went to tubeless because even Gatorskins made me cringe in terms of being too hard and lacking road feel. My wife, however, loves Gatorskins. Among my friends they are very, very popular. They are much less puncture proof than your current tires but a very good trade off. Once your good with fixing a flat, it's no big deal. A flat rear tire typically takes me 9 minutes to fix, most of which is checking to ensure there is no thorn or shard of glass inside and the actual pumping. Front tires are even faster. Trek requires there tour guides to be able to fix a flat in 5 min. . Still, many people hate getting flats and would prefer a puncture proof tire. Marathon Plus with goo-tubes fills that need.