Originally Posted by
wolfchild
I have 3 bikes which are in perfect working condition and I have a lot of spare parts, tools and few wheelsets. I inspect my tires regularly for signs of damage. Never had a catastrophic failure or been stranded yet
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I have. Once, I accepted the LBS's advice that I could put a smaller tube size in than the one it was replacing because they were out of stock and only had a smaller diameter.
It worked okay until I got a flat. The flat was unrepairable because the tube had to expand too much to fill the tire. I spent an hour and all my patches trying to get one to work, and then walked a block and caught the bus to work. I was very glad that I had made being able to carry that bike on the bus, one of the criteria when I bought it.
With an apartment, I have to keep the spares to a minimum.