from Michael Flaherty, Facilitator at Target Litigation Consulting,

A flat tire like this one can be upsetting, especially when its cold out.

Wow, 16 degrees last night on my ride home from work and I got a flat tire. Fortunately I had just passed a community college. I was able to go inside, remove my hat and gloves and comfortably change the tube with plenty of light. In the past, I have also used a bank ATM booth to change a flat and I am looking for suggestions on places I may not have considered. There are some fairly obvious spots such as a fire station, convenience store and nursing home. Anyone have any other spots worth sharing that aren’t so obvious?

A response from A. Moss:

You are fortunate! My commute takes me through some neighborhoods where there are no indoor options for an emergency maintenance stop. I learned this the hard way, three weeks ago on a cold, wet afternoon when my front tire flatted on my ride home from work. After changing the tube, I discovered that my rear was flat as well, but my hands were too cold and numb to change another tube. Fortunately, it was a fairly slow leak, so I was able to inflate the tire and ride like hell before I had to stop to re-inflate it.

The lesson learned is to carry extra hand warmers in my repair kit in the event that I have to do more than one wheel outside in the cold. (The multiple flats were due to glass shards hidden by slush and dirty water.)

If you have some helpful tips or stories of handling repairs in the cold (photos also welcome), send them to: [email protected]