Originally Posted by
fholt
I carried a patch kit and a spare tube for my first 5K miles commuting. Next ride after passing that boundary, I flatted about a mile short of work, in dark and wet conditions. Only then did I find that the spare tube I'd been carrying all those miles was a Schrader, and thus unusable in my rim. The patch kit was a lifesaver.
Not to mention there is a limit to the number of tubes you can carry without things looking ridiculous. Plus, you can carry enough patches to patch the tubes of a whole squad in one tube box..
