Gatorskin & Armadillo users, do you carry a repair kit & spares?
 

I'm considering changing to Gatorskin or Armadillo tires. I don't want to change a flat. Fortunately I can jump on a bus or call a cab if I have a flat while commuting.

Do I need to carry a repair kit & spares?

Michael

I do not carry anything. I use gatorskins. Nothing guarantees that you will not get a flat. I am close enough that I have no problem pushing my bike home. If I am far away, hopefully I can call someone to help or I will carry a spare.

If you don't want to change a flat then you probably won't, so blow off the flat kit and make sure your phone is charged. I ride Ultra Gators and don't expect a flat, but who expects a flat? You know the drill, expect the best but plan for the worst. I carry a patch kit and a spare tube.

Yep, I still carry a repair kit, spare tube, and CO2. I run armadillos on my commuting bike. I haven't had a flat yet on the armadillo (700 + miles) but I have plenty of room to carry supplies to change/fix a tube.

Icedmocha -

One of my loveliest days ever was spent with my fiancee (now wife) at the Holiday Tree Farm in Mechanicsburg, PA. Beautiful berg, that. :)

I bet the riding is glorious...

I've flatted on gatorskins before, with less than 400 miles on the tire. A small sliver of glass was embedded and worked its way through the kevlar on a long ride. I carry a spare tube, levers, and a pump if I am going to be far from the house.

I don't use 'em, but I'm a belt & suspenders kind of guy, so I'd carry flat stuff if I did.

I am glad that you enjoyed your time in our small part of the world! The riding is rather enjoyable around here, and the drivers friendly :)

I flatted the first day with ultra gatorskins, but not since. yes, I carry pump, patch kit, and spare tubes.

I had Armadillos and swapped them for Gatorskins. So far no flats, but I do carry CO2 or a pump (Topeak Road Morph G), levers, and a tube and patches. I did have a presta valve fail on me before a ride before I left home and swapped out the tube. Just because you have a puncture resistant doesn't mean the tube still can't fail.

Two is one, one is none.

I pinch flatted on armadillos due to my own stupidity. I have also had a fair number of flats on ultra gatorskins due to goat heads. I can't walk 10 miles or more. To leave my patch kit and spare tube at home would be pure idiocy.

I'm running Gatorskins. They won't stop something like the thumbtack yesterday that I picked up with the front tire. A few minutes and a patch later, back in business. If I didn't carry a spare tube/patch kit/CO2, that would've been a couple miles of walking. I figure I'm hauling a bag to carry spare work shirts and lunch already, there's room in there for a flat kit.

I have found myself over 50 miles from home with no mass transit near. I always carry a repair kit and extra tubes. As much as I liked Armadillo's for endurance, I gave up on them. The sidewall is so rigid, I'd have a problem inserting the tubes without developing a pinch flat. they are great for flat resistance, but when you get one, they are so very difficult to insert new tubes into.

Sure, but I don't use 'em much. ;)

Always carry spares. ALWAYS. Nobody actually wants to use them.

I wouldn't ride without flat supplies any farther than I was willing to walk. But if you've got cabs and buses, sure why not?

I ride Gatorskins, and I carry spare tube, pump and patch kit, but I haven't used them yet. If I was open to jumping on a bus or calling a cab I might not bother. But if you've already got a bag, they take up almost no space.

I lol'd. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!"

I carry a spare tube with my Gator'skinned bike. I DO NOT carry a spare tube on my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire shod bike, cause I'd rather walk 100 miles than try to change those tires on the side of the road...

i've had 2 debris flats on ultra gatorskins in the last 30 days. needless to say... yes

Never had a flat from something outside the tire in >1000 miles on my old armadillos. But I did have several flats from the spokes - rim strip was sliding over and exposing the tube to the heads of the spokes. Took me a while to figure out what was causing it - I'm kinda slow that way. There's more than one way to flat a tire! Very glad I had the spare tube...

I really hate flats so I use Armadillos and slimed tubes. I just carry a pump..I haven't been stuck yet.

I have gatorskins with 500 miles on them with no flats from glass or thorns but I have gotten a pinch flat. My fault of course. A 210lb rider should have more than 100lbs of pressure in the tires if riding on Tucson's crappy roads. But I am a newbie to the road bike skinny tire stuff and commuting. So I carry a spare tube and CO2. My commute is 18miles each way so I don't have an option to walk and calling someone kinda defeats my purpose of commuting.

you pinch flatted at 100lbs?

The theme I'm getting about the Schwalbe Marathons and the Spec Armadillos is that they're really difficult to mount or insert tubes into.. is this a characteristic of tough, puncture-resistant tires?

My wire-beaded Gatorskins are also "mount resistant" but that seems to be purely because of the wire bead; I'm hoping that the folding bead version is pretty easy to mount...