What's better to carry with you, a new tube, or a patch kit? Supposedly you get a flat, and you're some distance away from home, and let's assume there are no motorists on the road to help you out. What is more simplier to use?


Does a patched tube affect wheel balance if you have a racing bike that you use for commute?


Does putting nylon liners between tube and rubber affect ride, speed, or efficiency?

Carry both. A tube is simpiler to change, but you may get a second flat, or come across a felow cyclist who needs help.

I carry a spare tube with me and have a patch kit at home. Either way you have to remove the wheel, use levers to get the tire off and remove the tube. Using a patch kit on the road you would have to also find the leak, make sure it's clean(small alcohol pad) and apply the patch. Changing the whole tube would be easier.

The rubber patches wieght practically nothing...I would think a small rock lodged in the tire thread would affect balance more than a patch. I don't know for sure.

I don't know. I ordered a set of schwalbe marathon plus tires after considering liners. They are pretty spendy but it seems like alot of people like the flat-resistance of this particular tire.

Both

I'll be carrying both. Not that much weight.

Patch kit for when you've got time and the puncture's patchable, tube for when you don't, and/or it's not patchable.

I carry both because I don't trust the patch kit I have to be worth a tinker's damn.

The best patch kit I have found is a small gob of Shoe Goo, but it has to dry for a while (overnight is good) before the tube can be used again.

Carry both, in case of a second flat. You do not need alcohol to clean tube before applying a patch; use small piece of sandpaper to roughen up tube. Glueless patches are not as good as the old fashioned system of glue/patch.
Even several patches on top of each other will not affect ride quality/balance.
We do not use liners or put goop in the tubes.
Watch where you ride and avoid roadside debris.

I carry both. In all likelihood, I would simply replace the tube on the side of the road and carry the punctured one home to repair/inspect to either keep or discard.

Also, It's very important to inspect the tire for sharp objects for installing the tube.

Depends on the ride. For work commute I carry an extra tube, it's faster to change the tube than find and patch a flat. If I'm unlucky enough to flat the new tube, I call the honey wagon.

I keep spare tubes and patch kits at work.

I carry 2 tubes, no patch kit. Traditional patching requires some time for the glue to cure the rubber before you can apply the patch. So its quicker just to insert a fresh tube [though I have seen some people patch the tube with the wheel still on the bike - that's the fastest].

Secondly - once a glue container has been opened whenever I go to use it in the future I always find it all dried up.

Never tried the glue-less patches but what I've read in the forums here suggest to me that they have a higher failure rate over traditional gluing.

P.S., I'm saving all my old tubes and when I get enough I'm going to buy a patch kit, a couple of beers, and sit out on my balcony and patch the afternoon away.

I carry both. And get some metal tire levers, the plastic ones are crap.

Both:

Patch Kit Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive, works most of the time, and can fix more than one tire.
Patch Kit Cons: Won't fix every flat, takes more time, and adds extra steps to the flat fixing process.

Spare Tube Pros: Usually provides a more sure-fire fix that is easier and faster to perform.
Spare Tube Cons: Cumbersome and heavier than a patch kit, and alone, can only fix one flat tire.

So, I keep a tube (2 on my road bike) with me AND a patch kit. I replace the tube with one I keep with me, then when I get to work or home, I patch the punctured tire, and keep it with me to use as my spare next time.

So it's decided, I get me a patch kit and two tubes. I got a book bag, so all my stuff will be in there. No a big deal. I doubt I'll be getting a flat any time soon, because thus far I drove side walks full of debris, and it was ok. We'll see.


I know it will happen, so I'm preparing.

Both. One time I got 3 flats on the same tire with in 10 miles.

I carry both and plastic tire levers. The plastic ones have worked for me for about 15-20 flats.

Patch kit + spare tube. Park plastic levers work wonderfully.

Both.

Tubes cost 3 bucks at MEC, so I just carry two of those.

I carry two tubes with me on long rides. I actually don't have a patch kit, but I've been meaning to get one and add it to my arsenal.

On my commute, I carry just one tube. There are like five bike shops within a half-mile of my (five-mile) commuting route, so I have plenty of options if I botch a repair.

Both here as well. I tend to agree on the metal tire lever idea, at least for road tires. I've yet to find a plastic one that can get under the bead of a tight road tire.

And 2 CO2 carts.

My plastic ones can get under the bead of my cheapo 32-630 Wal-Mart road tires...

Two tubes and a patch kit for all my bikes. I don't want to be stranded because of something as simple as a flat.

Plastic tire levers are ok until they snap. I've had them snap twice on the side of the road fixing a flat. Once the tip got caught under the bead and I could not get the tire off. I had to walk back to the office and get a ride home.
They've failed twice for me, I'll never consider them reliable again.

Your going to get a thousand answers to this and you just have to decide which will work for you. Personally I carry both a spare tube and a patch kit (I also carry a spare tire because I ride into remote areas because a destroyed tire would mean a long walk and it fits in the saddle bag anyways). First thing I do is attempt to fix the tube because I would rather have a new tube available if later in the ride something happened to the tube that made it unrepairable, also while the flatted tube is still in the tire it's easier to find the reason for the flat and then repair the tube and remove the offending object from the tire.

And no, replacing a tube vs fixing a flat is not any quicker especially if you use glueless patches unless you can't find the leak. I've been able to find at least 95% of my flats within a minute or two of becoming flat.

Patching a tube does not effect the balance. I use Park Glueless patches which are very thin and never had a problem with balance or feeling the patch as you roll over it.

I don't like tire liners but some folk swear by them. Tire liners can cause an abrasive effect on the tube especially thin racing tubes, and literally rub a hole into the tube. If your worried about flats then why ride on racing tires commuting to work? That whole idea seems silly to me! Better to buy a good flat resistent tire like the Specialized Armadillo All Condition Reflect that not only would provide you the best flat protection you can buy but also long tread life, and now with the added benefit of a reflective sidewall stripe. Then when you train for races and race you remove the Armadillos and put on faster wearing more fragile racing tires.

Both. Sometimes 2 tubes and 2 patch kits (depending on which camelbak i'm taking).

I usually purchase my tubes in bulk (sets of 3 or 5 to get a discount) and i'll grab a patch kit or 3 from the local bike shop or REI.