This morning a broken bit of a twig – no doubt debris from the St Jude’s storm – embedded itself in my front tyre. Faced with the choice of leaving it be until I reached my destination, but risking the twig being forced further into my tyre, or picking it out and having a puncture to deal with, I decided to pick it out, and was able to ride with a slow puncture; now fixed.

So should you pick it, or leave it alone?

You did the right thing. An uncontrolled deflation could end in disaster!

If I see a thorn or small piece of glass in my tyre I tend to leave them until I get where I’m going. Removal usually causes sudden deflation.