Flat tires are inevitable in the life of a bike commuter. If you haven't pissed off the higher powers recently, you will be lucky enough to have the flat close to home. That was my case today, as I noticed a piece of rock lodged in my front tire when I got through the front door. When I picked it off, my tire hissed in protest, going from 100-ish psi to zero in less than a minute. Since I had been a wimp so far and had the bike shop fix my flats, I decided to orient myself in fixing a flat with a patch kit. I conceptually knew how to fix a flat, but had never done it before. Until now.
Thankfully, I had all the doohickey I needed for the job. Two tire levers, one patch kit, and a floor pump. I Googled how to fix a flat, quickly gave myself a crash course, took a swig from my bike water bottle (filled with water, of course), and proceeded with the project.
Aside from a few minor hiccups, I think it went well. The tire wasn't fully inflating at the first go, but then I realized that the nozzle of the pump wasn't fully seated. After feeling like a bit of a 'tard for a moment, I continued pumping tup to 100 psi. We'll see tomorrow if this patch job worked. The worst that will happen is that I'll have another flat. It's not like I'll have a massive Ford Explorer-style blowout.
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