When you're on a ride and all of a sudden you go flat..do you carry a tube to replace it with, or a repair kit to patch things up?

i carry both. I replace it because thats faster but I keep the old tube in case I get another flat and have to repair one.

Yes.

Depends on where I am on the ride and what the weather is like.

+1 - if no other flats during the ride, I patch the tube, later, and it goes into my seat bag as the spare.

used to carry both, but now only a replacement tube. I have no patience for patching a tube standing in the grass while cars whizz by........... I can patch it when I get home, or usually not, but throw it out. I got a bunch of Kenda tubes on ebay for $12, so I won't have to buy any more for quite a while.

I usually just dump the tube. Call me wasteful, but I tried one of those patch kits once and could never get it to work right. Just be careful of what you run over and you won't get flats very often.

same

Replace. I used to patch when I got home, but no longer.

I carry both and I'll usually patch right there on the road unless I'm riding with a group.

You never get two flats on a ride?

I carry a tube, and a patch kit. Tube is for the first flat; patch kit is for those rare occasion you get more than one flat.

Replace. (And I carry two tubes. I rarely flat but, last Saturday, I flatted twice. First flat I remember this year.)

If you figure any value for your time spent patching, the patch costs about the same as a new tube and you end up with a result that's not as good as a replacement.

The argument for value/time only works if you loose wages for time spent patching the tube. This is, of course, not the case for the vast majority of people, unless, perhaps, it makes one late for an hourly wage job.
Also my experiences with patched tubes contradict your assertion that a new tube is better. In my experience a properly patched tube is as good as a new tube.

2 spare tubes always, then patch the flat later.

Will do.

I replace my tubes when I get to maybe 5-7 patches. I buy a pair of tubes every 9-12 months.

Unless the tube has a gigantic cut in it, I always patch the tube. My rear tube probably has 4 or 5 patches on there, its still going strong.

me too. kids these days! they think rubber grows on trees?

I carry a spare tube and a patch kit.

On my first flat, I'll use the spare tube.

While riding, I'll patch the tube I just flatted in case I get a second flat.

Just kidding, I'll use the patch kit on my second flat, but I haven't flatted twice in a ride yet.

I carry a full patch kit and two CO2 cartridges. One day, I will get that magic blowout that can't be patched. I should carry an extra tube.

First, I try to find the leak without removing the wheel from the bike. If I can, I rejoice, and then unhook the tire from the rim just at the point of the puncture, pull out the tube just at that location, patch it, and put it back. Otherwise I go through the normal tube removal and patching, unless it's raining or I'm in an unaesthetic location. In that case, I put in the spare tube.

I replace, and keep the old one to patch later. Though... I haven't gotten to that step... I have like 15 holy tubes at home awaiting some rubber cement and one sacrificial tube.

I RARELY flat (light, nimble, and good eyesight ), so I just replace without ending up broke. The 15 include everyone I've ridden with (that flatted and was gonna dump at the next trash can, or appeared to be leaving it behind)... over the past 3 years.

Maybe I'll just make a jumbo rubber band ball or some other crafty thing.

+1

How can the previous poster find where to patch the tube without inflating it? Don't you need a pump?

I don't carry a pump. I carry two CO2 cartridges. Sometimes a pump would be nice but I don't want to carry it around. If I exhaust both cartridges then I have an adapter to be able to use a gas station air hose or I call in for SAG (support and gear).

First, if you are able to get off the bike before all the air has escaped then you can listen and get a good ideal where the hole is located. Second, inspect the outside of the tire for penetration. Usually you can see the radial tire wire sticking out of the tread. For me these are my most common flats, then glass, sharp rocks, pinches, and rarely do I find a sticker on the roads I travel. Thirdly, if the location can not be identified then I will feel for the sharp object on the inside of the tire. Once the location is generalize you can locate the leak by close inspection of the tube. Stretching the tube at the suspected sight will help confirm the location. If all this fails then out comes the spare tube and I will patch the punctured tube at home where I have a pump.

Sometimes (rarely, for me at least) you can see where the tire was punctured by seeing the culprit - glass, nail, etc - and then pull the tube out as he suggested and patch there. And yea - to reinflate you do need a pump, but i always carry one on rides.

Any suggestions for good patch kits? I'm using one of the "vulcanizing liquid" kind, and I'm not wild about it. It's okay, but cumbersome.