Originally Posted by
noglider
My rule until this fall is to ask myself how far from home I will be. If it's 2 miles or shorter, I won't carry anything. If it's more, I'll bring my standard repair kit. It has stuff for a flat tire (spare tube, tire levers, patch kit) plus some tools for other, less likely repairs.
This is my thinking too. My commute is 2 miles one way. If I'm closer to work when I flat, I'd just walk to work, then walk home that night, get the car, drive back to work and get the bike.
What's your thought process in deciding what to carry?
For your situation, I think I would go with urban commuting tires that don't flat. Check out Goodyear too; they might be cheaper than the German Schwalbe & Continental now, with tariffs. Continentals went up recently.
I figure you'd be carrying the weight in the tires in a convenient form factor instead of the repair kit in your luggage. Yes, you'd be carrying it all the time and it will slow your acceleration a bit, but flats in the middle of the commute are a REAL pain. It just ruins the whole day.
Another option: Sealant for your current tires/tubes.
https://us.muc-off.com/products/inner-tube-sealant
Last thought: build a repair kit at work, in case you flat closer to work, you don't have to subway the bike home; just fix it before the commute home.