Quote Originally Posted by Eagle-Eye
So, I have a question about the tire... The piece of shrapnel left a couple tears about 1/8-1/4 inch long and about 1/8 inch apart. Is the tire still usable? I rode it the rest of my planned ride, but being a beginner I am not too sure about these things. I know I could always use this tire on my trainer in the winter instead of wearing out a new tire.

Any of you ladies have some advice for me?
I had a much smaller hole in my tire than that and it pinched the tube and caused slow leaks. I had to patch my tube after every ride. It took me about 4 rides to figure out what was causing the flats. This hole was really small so I just applied a patch to the inside of my tire. Worked for me. But in your case I think I'd try a boot like others suggested. When I got my first two flats on the road I was riding with a group. Of course one of the men just changed the tube for me. I guess since he knew I was new that it would be a lot faster if he just changed it. So, I was actually glad when I developed a flat overnight. It gave me a chance to change and fix a flat all by myself. Took me an hour the first time (but that included patching the tube)...so 20 minutes is excellent. Isn't it's nice to know that if you flat while you're out by yourself you can take care of it?