Originally Posted by
gpburdell
You ignore the opportunity cost of the time invested in performing the patching and swapping the tube back. Convenience has a cost, and the value of free-time depends on the individual and their situation.
The cost of patch time is minimal. Even at my high hourly rate, patch time doesn’t cost $9. I don’t generally patch on the road and just replace the tube (with a previously patched tube) just like you do. But there are instances where I’ve flatted more than once on a ride. There are instances where I’ve flatted more than 10 times on a ride.
So sure, if I had abundant free time and flatted so often that the cost of tubes caused a discernible disturbance to my finances, then I too might patch vs replace. That's not my situation though and the cost of a tube once or twice a year is immaterial to me.
Count yourself luck then. That 30 patches on a tube above is only
one tube. Every tube I own that has been in a tire…and I have a couple of dozen of them on hand right now, in addition to the 30 that are mounted… has at least one patch and most have far more. I’ve flatted on goat heads in every month of the year. Fixing flats is just part of riding here. I know how much a box of 100 patches cost and how long a can of vulcanizing fluid lasts based on experience. That cost estimate I gave above is only for
one tube that, granted, was probably silly to patch that many times. But 3 boxes of patches (i.e. 300 patches) and the time involved in fixing the flats is far cheaper than $2700. Ain’t no amount of “convenience” that is worth that much!