So in the last few years that I've been regularly commuting to work, I've forgotten a pump/tube maybe 3 times. the first time I forgot it, I flatted. Today was the second time I forgot to pack a pump. Guess what? I flatted. I normally just switch my saddlebag between my commuter bike and my road bike. Not so much, this time.

So I'm still like 4 miles from home. My roommate doesn't pick up the phone, so I proceed to remove my carbon road shoes so as not to completely wear down my cleats while I walk home. I walked maybe 1.5-2 miles before I reached someone who could pick me up. That SUCKED. I'm thermally dressed, too - it was fairly cold; thank god it wasn't in the middle of February, or else I would not have been able to walk like that!

Don't be an idiot - always be prepared, because even though you won't get a flat on every ride, you WILL get an effing flat on every ride where you don't have the necessary equipement to fix it. Murphy's Law.

Sorry, I had to vent.

I might suggest you switch to a more walkable shoe. Just the thought of trying to put a carbon-soled foot down spooks me. I use Shimano touring shoes on my commute---they look like road shoes but have a rubber walking area on the toe and heel. I used to wear a full on roadie shoe, but the sole was too slick. Unless, of course, you're using LOOK or equivalent, then never mind.

I might suggest you switch to a more walkable shoe. Just the thought of trying to put a carbon-soled foot down spooks me. I use Shimano touring shoes on my commute---they look like road shoes but have a rubber walking area on the toe and heel. I used to wear a full on roadie shoe, but the sole was too slick. Unless, of course, you're using LOOK or equivalent, then never mind.
What's the model of your shoe?

I use the Shimano SH-TO92, which is an older model that's been discontinued. It appears that Shimano has a new model which is the equivalent. It's the SH-RT50 model.

http://tinyurl.com/3dg9ez

Road shoe upper, three velcro straps, SPD compatible, rubber sole.

Sorry, I had to vent.

Hey, you're the idiot, not me. I _always_ carry my CO2 inflator. Of course there was the time I flatted, pulled it out, and found I had one empty canister and one that was the wrong size- and I forgot my cell phone. We all prove our brilliance once in a while :D

You mean like the time I rode my bike 10 miles to the movie theater only to discover I'd failed to put the key to my new lock ON MY KEYRING. D'oh.

riding fixed. changing saddlebags so i make sure tube patch kit tyre lever and pump. sorted.
off i go to exactly hakf way in my commute. pop!
rear tyre deflates instantly. jump off grab all the gear and look at the 6m hex bolt on the rear axle with a .........!

I believe it is one of corollaries to Murphy's Law that you'll flat as soon as your forget your pump. Don't fret. Things like this happen to everyone.

I've switched to CO2 inflators, and I carry 3 cartridges. The first time I used an inflator, I only had one CO2 cartridge. Had pinhole leak 30 miles into a 50-mile solo ride, and wasted half the CO2 trying to find the hole in the tube. So I didn't have enough CO2 leftover to fill the tire. Fortunately, I had a Presta-Schrader adapter in my seatbag, and was able to inflate my tire at a nearby tractor shop.

It is free, you just need a PUMP for commuting. They are less than $20 and bolt on to your bike at the water bottle cage. You can put 1 on every bike and never run out of compressed gas to fill your tire.

:idea:

I keep my seat bag in my bag that has my clothes/lunch, etc. That way, I never forget it.

Also, commuting in roadie shoes is just plain loopy, in my book. MTB shoes!!!!! But yeah, it took me a 1.5 mile walk in driving rain, through mud and grass (trying to not walk on the pavement) in road shoes to come to that conclusion. You're commting, not racing. Just like you probably don't use race tires/wheels/bike for commuting, don't use the same shoes. It also makes the walk into the office much more normal.

I've had similar mishaps and decided that it was time for a separate saddle bag with tools and a separate pump for each bike. That way each bike has what it needs and I am unlikely to forget something when I head out. Of course, two saddle bags broke and one pump broke, plus my wife got another bike, so now we're short saddle bags again. It's probably time to buy a couple more.

Nah, you would have only been an idiot if after you got home, you couldn't find your pump, only to discover that you had it all the time.

Please don't ask how I know this.

Heh...I should probably post this over at MTB forum, since I was on my SS MTB when this happened. I rode into a FIELD of goatsheads! By the time I realized the s**t I was in, my tires were both completely SOLID BROWN with goatsheads! Yah, I had slimes, and yah, I had my CO2 inflator. Both were tits on a boarhog by then, because even if I had changed both tubes, I'd have never got all those THOUSANDS of thorns outta my tires, and I would've just reflatted again. Thank God I had my cell....

No, the idiot would be someone like me who blows through two CO2 cartridges and still doesn't inflate the tire.

/carry a framepump now.

Everyone who commutes for long enough has a story. Caught in the rain, no more CO2/tubes/patches, broken pump, no tire levers. Just never forget your cell-phone. Being caught without is the worst.

I've had similar mishaps and decided that it was time for a separate saddle bag with tools and a separate pump for each bike. That way each bike has what it needs and I am unlikely to forget something when I head out. Of course, two saddle bags broke and one pump broke, plus my wife got another bike, so now we're short saddle bags again. It's probably time to buy a couple more.

Same here. Separate bag on each bike. For *the* commuter bike (I have several) I use a trunk bag, with a big ziplock with all my stuff, including 3 CO2's and 3 tubes, plus patch kit, and then a mini frame pump, too, with a cell phone back all that up.

With multiple saddle bags, it's really only a one time additional cost for the bags, which are cheap (well, plus some cheapo mini tools and levers). The long term total consumable cost, tubes, patches, CO2's, will be the same, as you'll still use the same number of them.

Sure, air is free with a pump, but time really isn't. A CO2 is so much faster than a pump, and if I'm on my way to work, that makes a difference.

Heh...I should probably post this over at MTB forum, since I was on my SS MTB when this happened. I rode into a FIELD of goatsheads! By the time I realized the s**t I was in, my tires were both completely SOLID BROWN with goatsheads! Yah, I had slimes, and yah, I had my CO2 inflator. Both were tits on a boarhog by then, because even if I had changed both tubes, I'd have never got all those THOUSANDS of thorns outta my tires, and I would've just reflatted again. Thank God I had my cell....

Witchita Falls, in the Texas panhandle, has this ride once a year called Hottern' Hell Hundred. For some strange reason it attracts over ten thousand riders, bent on avoiding those goatheads. They probably go through as many spare tubes as oranges. Once my friend and I rolled our bikes across a meadow to the start line, picking up dozens of those thorns in all our tires. We had one spare tube each, so it was sayonara, HHH. A glutton for punishment, I went on that ride again, and got at least one flat each time.

Heh...I should probably post this over at MTB forum, since I was on my SS MTB when this happened. I rode into a FIELD of goatsheads! By the time I realized the s**t I was in, my tires were both completely SOLID BROWN with goatsheads! Yah, I had slimes, and yah, I had my CO2 inflator. Both were tits on a boarhog by then, because even if I had changed both tubes, I'd have never got all those THOUSANDS of thorns outta my tires, and I would've just reflatted again. Thank God I had my cell....
LOL, did the same thing, 'cept it was a pinch flat at about mile 13 of a 25 mile pavement/fire road/pavement loop I was doing, last 10 miles were a bit uphill and on a fairly busy road. Looked in my seat bag, patch kit, no patches, spare tube was already on the front from the last ride & I had forgotten to replace it. Nice old guy saw me walking, gave me a ride all the way home.

Pretty religious about it now--hasn't happened since (18 years, knock on wood.)

Just need a bus ticket or fare here. All city buses (and light rail) take bikes. Flat - walk to the next stop - load bike on bus bike carrier - ride along. Plus, thick-@ss tough-as-nails commute tires...

You mean like the time I rode my bike 10 miles to the movie theater only to discover I'd failed to put the key to my new lock ON MY KEYRING. D'oh.

Or like the time that I swam from Rock Island to Washington Island to go for a bike ride then realized that I can't unlock the car that my bike is in without the key.

I just got my first commuting flat in a long time today, when I looked down at my tire I had not one but three staples in my rear tire. what the hell.

Witchita Falls, in the Texas panhandle, has this ride once a year called Hottern' Hell Hundred. For some strange reason it attracts over ten thousand riders, bent on avoiding those goatheads. They probably go through as many spare tubes as oranges. Once my friend and I rolled our bikes across a meadow to the start line, picking up dozens of those thorns in all our tires. We had one spare tube each, so it was sayonara, HHH. A glutton for punishment, I went on that ride again, and got at least one flat each time.


Next time you do the HHH, use your tougher training tires. Haven't had a flat yet in the three times I've ridden it. Plus those chipseal roads on the back half of the ride need a tougher tire.

As far as riding with a pump. I try to keep a frame pump on all my bikes. I also have a CO2 with spare in my messenger bag. If I somehow flat on the way to work, at least I'll have some options.

I have four bikes. Each bike has a pump, a seat bag with a patch kit, inner tube, and tool kit (except one right now but that is going to change very soon). I, too, forgot to move my seat bag once on a ride and needed it.

For commuting, I used to ride in cycling shoes but have switched to MTB shoes for a few reasons: it's quicker to unclip from the pedals and walk into the office building or on to the subway (AKA BART in the San Francisco Bay Area) in mountain bike shoes. With cycling shoes I have to carry cleat covers or else I'm trying not to slide on the smooth floor surfaces in either place. Not to mention, it's a b!tch going up or down stairs in cleats. It's downright dangerous.