Do you patch or swap?
 

When I get a flat, I always patch it. Why?

* Because I have to find the hole anyway to find the cause for the puncture in the tyre.
* While I fix the tyre, the rubber cement might as well dry. So, I quickly cement the tube before searching for the thorn/glass/whatever.
* My spare tube is in a ziplock bag with talcum powder rolled tightly; I can't be bothered to get it out and pack the leaky one away. Might as well smear the cement on the leaky one instead.

I swap - it's faster. I repair the old tube later and use it as a spare.

dingdingding

<flashing lights> ****WINNER*****</flashing lights>

It depends on the circumstances. If I'm in no hurry then it's patch, otherwise I replace.

I've had bad luck with patchs lately, I used to use them all the time, but now I usually just swap the tire...

I go with the convenience of swap and patch later, hoping I dont get another puncture.
An anecdote: in China, you can see dozens of people walking their flat tire bike to the nearest streetside bike mechanic/flat fixer everyday. The dialogue is always the same: fix my flat, I'm in a hurry! Fix it yourself, then. I dont know how. (An acronym for I dont want to get my hands dirty.) OK, I'll do it. You might want to get a new tire pretty soon. Fix the hole, I'm in a hurry. OK, done. Heres 5 yuan. It costs 10 yuan because youre in a hurry.
What a racket! 10Y to fix a flat. Thats $1.25. And if its a waitress or factory worker going to work, they make only 800Y a month. If you make $800 and month, would you pay somebody $10 to fix your tire?

Brilliant!:beer:

This answer should have been in the poll.

Almost. I swap and save the old tube until the ride is over...then I chuck it.

I swap. I use old tubes for straps, they're pretty handy. I'll tie them to the rack, or just tie a hook in them. Instant cheapo bungee. You can carry a bike frame pretty easily on your back using a tube as a strap. I seem to do that more than I would even expect. You can tie them around just about anything and throw it over your back. They're pretty strong. You can cut them up and use them for accessory shims too (great for lights, reflectors, speedometers, etc.). I don't use the old tubes in my wheels, but I still use them.

If I am riding alone I view a flat as an opportunity to practice patching on the road in all kinds of situations.
I take my time and see what I can learn when I patch the tire. It's interesting, and a handy skill to have.
On a group ride I usually swap because no one will have patience for patching. Although I would wait for another rider to patch a tire. I have no problem with that.

I end up saving everyone who does not have a spare tube, or patches, or inflation, or ...........

Tubes are cheap . Who wants to fumble with finding a hole and cementing it and contact patches are crap.:D

That is fine as long as you take the old one with you and dispose of it properly. Of course if everyone did that my main source of "new" tubes would dry up :D .

It really depends.
Sometimes one has an obvious flat source and one can just pull a bit of tube out without even taking off wheel and patch and go. I've done this a few times.
Othertimes one takes out a tube and even then it can be hard to find the hole in the tube, then it easier to put a new tube back in (after ensuring no object still remains in tire)
Al

I always swap over- but before rolling up the punctured tube- I repair the damn thing.-Ready for the next ^&$£"* puncture. They say the best ones come in 3's

What does option 2 mean to you?

No I never leave ANYTHING on the road or trail. Wish I could say the same for some consumers of energy gels.:(

I patch, unless the weather's too crummy. I try to be all zen about it, and enjoy the few moments of peaceful contemplation that patching a tube provides.

Oh, that's precious.

Wang

I do the same

Yep...although lets say I only patch 50%...sometimes I have actual blowouts which aren't worth fixing.

I am having flashbacks of repairing my tubes without removing the tire from the bike. Boy .... I was pretty handy at age 10!

I would swap if there was a quick reliable way to find the puncture cause. What is a good way?

I usually swap tubes and patch the punctured tube when I get home. Then I put the repaired tube back into service and keep the unpuctured tube as a spare.

Mountain Bike: Swap and throw the tube in the ditch. (I confess, spare me the lectures, at least i'm honest.) I don't like hauling slime filled tubes.

Road bike: I swap and patch the tube when i get home, then re-use.

I always check the tread before taking the tire off. You can usually see the object that way, even if you can't remove it yet. Just don't stop at the first glass sliver, finish checking the entire thing.

Doing this, I can remove all offending objects and swap a tube, co2 it, and ride off in about 4-5min.

A good way to check the inside of the tire for stuff is to use a good section of the flat tube to rub inside the tire....that way, your fingers won't get cut up.

Both option 1 and option 2. If I am on my way to work and don't have time to fuss with it on the spot, I swap and patch the old one later. Otherwise, if I don't have time constraints, I patch it and save the spare tube for later.

The "what happens if I get a second flat?" factor is the main reason why I carry two spare tubes on every ride. I have an inordinate distaste for patching on the side of the road (probably because I am a klutz and tend to drop the tube, glued-side down, into dirt (or worse:eek: ) more often than I care to think about). Throw in cold, windy and/or rainy conditions, and my desire to patch goes into serious negtive number territory. On the other hand, patching a tube or two at home sitting in front of the TV (or in camp at the end of a touring day) bothers me not at all. (Beats the living hell out of fixing tubulars, which I used to do as a kid when I had delusions of being a racer not a lot of money - or is that redundant?)

Having two tubes along also allows me to be the hero every so often to save a ride for someone who has no spare. (Boy, is that a cool feeling.:))

In addition to the two tubes, I do also carry a patch kit. Even more than patching on the road, I hate the idea of wiping out a ride for lack of a tube that will hold air. I'd rather patch a cactus blindfolded that have that happen.

Another reason Slime is a waste of time and money. :mad:

The only thing any tire sealant goo has ever done for me is make the job of fixing the flat, and the rear end of the bike/motorcycle/car a disgusting mess.

Used to have the parents fix flats for me but theyd go flat again a week later. Finally decided to just invest some money in the local LBS and I get a flat every 4-5 months now. Its worth it in the long run! Honestly though... Im on a bike team and cant even fix a flat. Its funny and severely pathetic at the same time. Oh well, as long as its fixed in a quick amount of time. :)