Kojak

Ruh Roh! The gods will be angry my friend.

Mark Stone

Ouch! Murphy's Law states that you will be having a number of flats starting right away! Be ready! "I've never had a single flat with my current tires" - wow. Talk about an invitation to all your local thorns and nails!

bud16415

The tube is in case I get a flat the patch kit is in case I come upon a young lady standing by the side of the road in distress and she has a different size tire than the tube I carry. The odds of that happening are about 10 times the odds of having two flats in a row but hey you can’t be too over prepared… :-P

Stealthammer

I don't give up my spare tubes to other riders who came unprepared, but I also won't just abandon someone for being stupid.

Kojak

I was given a tube by a passing cyclist (nearly 20 years ago now ... yikes) when I was inexperienced and yes, admittedly not prepared (not so much stupid as ignorant). I have since done the same numerous times. Goodwill begats goodwill.

wolfchild

I carry 3 spare tubes and a patch kit, is that too much or what ? It never hurts to be overprepared. I have a peace of mind knowing I can handle any emergency.

no1mad 

I have a patch kit and spare tube in the seat wedge. I tend to just swap out and then patch when I get home so I can use the old look-for-bubbles-in-the-water trick. My vision isn't good enough to perform surgery in the field

nashcommguy

+1 Except I carry 2 tubes and a patch kit. I buy the cheap patch-kits at Wally World or Target and always make sure I've got an unopened tube of cement. They'll dry out over a period of time. Mostly, I roll on flat-resistant tires which has lowered my flat rate to about one every other year.

old's'cool

Not so fast there friend...
I've always carried at least one spare tube along with a patch kit. The spare tube has allowed me recover from a flat and continue my ride home on numerous occasions; I don't recall that I've ever had to resort to my patch kit... However, one day I had a sidewall fail, and my lack of preparedness was rewarded with a 5 mile walk home. Ever since then, I've always carried a spare folding tire as well. That was before I learned about the dollar bill trick, so that's my backup if I fail two tires in one trip
In the interest of full disclosure, the bikes I commute on (all my bikes, for that matter) are road bikes, but I try to make reasonable choices for tires, e.g. 28mm cross-section, kevlar belt, mostly. The one that failed the sidewall happened to be a standard Pasela, not that a kevlar belt would have saved the sidewall.

The Chemist

I once thought the same as you. Then I nearly got stranded 70km from home by a broken valve (which cannot be repaired using a patch kit), and was only able to make it home because a riding partner had a (not correctly sized) tube that was able to inflate my tire enough to get home.

Needless to say, now I ALWAYS carry a spare tube with me, especially since I do mostly solo riding.

nelson249

In the case of a bad puncture I use the spare tube and use a patch on the inside of the tire to protect the weak spot.

nashcommguy

Yes! Except I use a cleat made from a pie pan covered w/duct tape about the size of a business card. The corners are rounded, though.

Digital_Cowboy

Agreed, or they've never ridden with a group and have had friends who have had multiple flats. By carrying a tube, a patch kit, a CO2 inflator, or a frame pump one is prepared for (hopefully) anything that might come up/go flat.

a1penguin

Try patching a tube in the rain.

MichaelW

I carry one spare and a patch kit with me and revert to the spare tube first.
I usually stock a spare inner at work for the return journey so I dont need to do a repair at my desk.
I find that bike repair generally gets delayed until the weekend if possible and I like to keep sufficient common spares so I dont need to go shopping for each repair.

bhchdh 

This.

Condorita

Huh?

Grim

Commuting bike Both and never needed either for MY bike in 5 years. My one flat in that time happened while the bike was sitting in my foyer almost 2 hours after getting home. Tube just blew and scared the hell out of my wife and I. Thought a water line went in the Laundry room. I have patched a few tubes for others while out.

on My hot rod road bike for Sunday rides I have had one flat and their was no fixing it. The tire actually split causing the tube to blow. Had to call the SAG (wife in the mini van).

The way I look at it on the commuter is I'd rather have it and not need it especially if on my way to work when it happens. Ten minutes of riding is about 40 minutes of walking/carrying a bike. Takes about 10 minutes to change a tube. 15-20 to patch.

Monster Pete

When it's cold, dark and raining, it's so much easier to change the tube than try to patch it. You can patch the old tube when you get where you're going, and it then becomes your new spare.

mikeybikes

If I ever get a second flat on a commute (which has only ever happened once) I surrender and put my bike on the bus.

For those that have long commutes and or more rural commutes, I understand the redundancy aspect.

MK313

I always carry an extra tube, 2 co2 cartridges & one of those glueless patch kits. The glueless kits are easy to use, but don't last very long. I've never had to use one, but it's a good backup just in case I have a multiple flat ride. But I'm like a lot of the others, if I have a really bad day, I'll just get a ride the rest of the way.

I suppose if I were going on a longer, self-contained ride, it might be worth it to pack heavier, but, knock on wood, so far I've been lucky.

Kojak

Well thanks for this one folks. I got lured into making a simple quip on a flat thread and the gods struck me down on the way to work this morning. Next time I'm not even going to read it, let alone comment. Needed to boot the tire and we have no spares in the office. Looks like it'll be a nervous and careful ride home tonight.

alan s 

Man, I hope this isn't spreading.

I got a flat this weekend on my Big Apples. Second time in the last few weeks. Again, a large chunk of quartz was embedded in the tire, and took some effort to dig out. At least the weather was in the 50s and sunny, so it was not so bad (mid 60s tomorow . . . I think this is technically still called "winter"). I used a Slime Skab patch, rather than spare tube, since I was only a few miles from home. Held fine.

alexaschwanden

When i ride it is easier to swap the tube and patch the old one when i get home. sometime times somebody forgets to bring a tube when they have a flat and yours wont fit theirs so patches come in handy.

bluenote157

swap the tube.. if i have time, I'll patch it and shove it back in the bag. btw.. patch it with a real patch kit(glue and sandpaper) and not one of those sticker ones. The glue fuses the rubber where as the sticker..well.. is just a band-aid.

Also..you really need a spare tube in the event you rip the valve.