Flat

Having never had a flat in my life, I had two this week, one one on the Jetta and one on SoDak. Now I always check the pressure in my spare tire when I check my other tires (I highly recommend you do this). The spare was great. The jack is the easiest of any I've ever used. There was, however, one small problem. No lug wrench. Aargh. All I had with me was a crescent wrench. Luckily I had my bike in the back and rode to the nearest repair station, left my wallet in exchange for a 17mm deep well 1/2" drive and I was on the road in no time flat (pun intended). Strangely, the valve stem had a tear in it!? That was kind of an odd flat, but better than having to plug the tire.

Lessons

• Make sure you have ALL of your tool kit
• Drive no more than absolutely necessary on a flat tire. You may be able to save it
• Replace your valve stems when getting new tires