Gatorskin & Armadillo users, do you carry a repair kit & spares?
05-30-08, 02:47 PM
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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
Do I need to carry a repair kit & spares?
Michael
05-30-08, 02:50 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 02:51 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 02:52 PM
#4
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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.
05-30-08, 02:54 PM
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Icedmocha -
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I bet the riding is glorious...
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05-30-08, 03:08 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 03:09 PM
#7
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I don't use 'em, but I'm a belt & suspenders kind of guy, so I'd carry flat stuff if I did.
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05-30-08, 03:15 PM
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05-30-08, 03:24 PM
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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.
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05-30-08, 03:26 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 03:28 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 03:33 PM
#13
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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.
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05-30-08, 03:37 PM
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05-30-08, 04:47 PM
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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?
05-30-08, 04:49 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 04:53 PM
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05-30-08, 05:02 PM
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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...
05-30-08, 08:59 PM
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i've had 2 debris flats on ultra gatorskins in the last 30 days. needless to say... yes
05-30-08, 09:12 PM
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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...
05-30-08, 09:57 PM
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I really hate flats so I use Armadillos and slimed tubes. I just carry a pump..I haven't been stuck yet.
Last edited by Domromer; 05-30-08 at 10:34 PM.
05-30-08, 10:14 PM
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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.
05-30-08, 10:24 PM
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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.
05-31-08, 12:33 AM
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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...
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...