Yeah, a pinch flat is pretty easy to fix on the road, just throw a spare tube in and go on your way. You know you won't have to look for a thorn, piece of wire, piece of glass, or whatever.

The correct procedure when one gets a flat is to immediately upload the ride to Strava and give it a title with lots of curse words.


-Tim-

A mile or less from home, I'd consider returning home just to grab another spare and go back out for a ride. Any farther away and I'll just fix the problem and keep going -- that's happened a couple of times when I was close enough to walk home but preferred to keep riding.

I'm always mentally prepared to keep going. I'm single, wouldn't call a friend unless it was an emergency and couldn't get to a city bus, an Uber or Lyft. I'm not even sure I could get an Uber or Lyft on the rural routes where I ride some days.

Occasionally I'll stuff a spare folding tire into my jersey to strapped to the bike if I'm planning on a long rural ride well away from home. If I'm on the road bike and needed to walk I'd remove the cleats (old style Look delta) to make it a little easier to walk. Usually I carry only a single spare tube and Lezyne self adhesive patches. So far that's been good enough to handle any flats I've encountered, even when broken slate slashed my tire -- it was still rideable with a boot.

I used to overpack and overprepare on the hybrid but I don't do that so much now. I ride that with platforms and walking shoes so I'm prepared to walk home if necessary.

Same here. I've had times I didn't feel like going on and ended up with a good ride, anyway. I've had times when I did turn back with no regrets.

Correct answer!

You couldn’t find anything in the tire because it was a pinch flat, most likely.

And yeah, I would’ve bailed on a 15 mile ride. I don’t like riding in waning daylight.

You mentioned the time of day and oncoming dark, that would be enough for me to turn back, take a few laps around the neighborhood and call it a night. Double check the tire in the morning.

Though I do ride in the dark of night at times, the sun going down had something to do with it. I cut it from a 15 to a 10 miler and finished just as it got dark.

I enjoy riding in the dark when I am prepared for it!

That day I was not feeling the love!

fix it/patch it & continue if the following day was forecasting unfavorable weather. Once home, inspect it good & do any other things that need addressing.