Cycling along one of the many mies of approved cycle tracks in the New Forest can be a fabulous thing to do. On a sunny day and on a well maintained mountain bike, well it just doesn’t get much better than this. My bike has Specialized Armadillo ‘puncture resistant’ tyres as the Forest tracks are hard on tyres, but even so I carry a spare tube, tyre levers and a pump, just in case.

Cycling back after a particularly pleasant early morning jaunt in the forest, I got a flat tyre. I replaced the punctured tube, after checking the inner tyre wall for thorns or other spiky objects. Unfortunately my replacement tube was holier than the Pope. The air was coming out faster than my CO2 cartridge could pump it in. After a few choice expletives, I fumbled around in my wedgie saddle bag for my patches. Oops, it would seem I must have left them on my road bike!

5 miles from home, I gave my wife a rather sheepish call to ask her to rescue me in the car. Having said that as I was waiting 3 or 4 passing cyclists offered help and patches, so I probably would have been good to go. However, I was fortunate to be near one of the busier parts of the forest, just imagine being without mobile phone coverage and in a remote spot. You might have to wait a long time, or face a long walk pushing your deflated steed.

Next time, I will have 2 new inner tubes and patches as well as my normal toolkit. I suspect this won’t be the last of my punctures in the New Forest.

Yesterday I took my Specialized Rockhopper Disc ’08 mountain bike for a quick spin. In the end it turned out to be a little bit more than a fleeting outing around the forest.

As a former Scout, I try to adhere to the "be prepared" mantra. Cycling round the New Forest, especially on it’s gravel tracks, can be hard on bike and rider. Cycling alone, brings added responsibilities too. Do you carry a puncture repair kit, tools, and a pump with you? My Speacialized Sirrus Pro for 7 years yielded no punctures on it’s daily commute, on the relatively smooth West London streets. I did have a good tyre though. Specialized Armadillos. Heavy, but exceptionally puncture resistant.

No matter how prepared you are. Things can go wrong. A friend of mine used to regularly take his campervan abroad in the summer. Trekking down to Spain, he even took a spare clutch with him. However when the clutch did eventually give way, he found that his spare clutch was the wrong model! I found myself in a similar situation yesterday. I got my first flat in the forest. Luckily it happened less than a mile and a half from my home. I had a spare tube, pump and CO2 canister, what could go possibly wrong?

I thought that I would just inflate the tyre with my brand new CO2 cartridge, and cycle straight home. This is where I came unstuck. I installed the cartridge, in the pump thing. But I couldn’t get a good coupling on the front tyre valve. The cartridge released, but most of it escaped the tubes inners.

I tried using the manual pump but again couldn’t connect properly with the valve. So I gave up, and pushed the bike home. Along the way I admired and took some pictures of ponies, cattle and also some funguii that I would have missed if my tyre had been inflated.

Today, I fixed the puncture at home, and inflated the tyre using my stirrup pump. At least the bike is ready for another outing. I know how to connect my Combo2 pump, now the lever needs to be up to latch the valve, the opposite to my stirrup pump, again made by Specialized. Well, I know now. Next time I will be better prepared before I cycle out into the New Forest.

Essential Cycling Kit

• Helmet – goes without saying on these gravel tracks
• Pump – working!
• Puncture Repair Kit
• Tools – allen keys, spanners, screwdriver
• Mobile Phone – a good idea