jgf310

i searched, but couldn't find anything...

yesterday, i got a flat - no big deal, but i hadn't had one in a while.

i was in a hurry, so i decided that rather than look for a puncture, and patch it, i would just use the (never used) backup which i carry in my seat bag.

well, it had multiple holes, and i ended up using all my CO2 discovering this....

luckily, i was nearly home, so i was able to walk.

anyway, this inner tube has been in my seat bag for maybe a year.., so a few thousand miles, at least.

it seems that the holes probably developed because the inner tube abraded against the seat bag itself, or things in the seat bag.

what's the best way to carry a spare inner tube so this doesn't happen?

and.., yes.., i'm thinking a pump is a better way to go.

Bioluminescence

Maybe a plastic bag? Just a thought.

merlinextraligh

I seriously doubt it was abrasion with your seat bag. More likely stabbed by tools in your seat bag. One answer for that is a mini tool where no sharp points stick out, like a lezyne that comes with a little neoprene sleeve.

jgf310

maybe...,

but i had the inner tube folded with a rubber band around it, and so it had fairly sharp corners at the folds. i think it is at these folds where the holes are.

i can't be sure that they are at the folds, but the holes are regularly spaced...., and on the side wall of the tube a bit - not in the center.

i want to continue to carry a spare.., but it has to be reliable.

is this just not an issue for anyone else?

math is fun

it is most likely your tools that abraded your tube, If you can get your hands on an old Mtn bike tube you might be able to make a sleeve for your tools or tube. Low cost, and light.

merlinextraligh

In almost 40 years of carrying a tube in a seat bag, I can't recall more than a couple of times that I had a spare tube that was bad. And those occassions were likely defective tubes, or getting punctured by a tool.

So it's going to be very rare. And carry a patch kit and a mini pump for the rare occassions you do have multiple problems and you're fine.

Jakedatc

i wrap my tubes in a small shop rag. you could use an old tshirt sleeve too if you had tight clearances.

tagaproject6

I use a resealable plastic bag with talcum powder.

DScott

I use a small nylon bag with a zipper that came with giveaway of some kind. Holds two tubes rolled up tight, and takes the brunt of the wear in the bag. If your tubes were abraded by just being knocked around in the bag for a year, I'd think that the bag is too big. It's pretty common for stuff to poke tubes, but it seems that it'd take quite a lot of churning to wear the edges of a folded tube. Make sure the bag is snugged up tight to the saddle rails?

tagaproject6

Was there a valve cap on the tube when you stored it?

gus6464

Put the tube in an old sock.

superbleu

Put the spare tube inside a latex glove. Latex is pretty puncture/abrasion resistant. Plus gloves are nice to have to keep hands from getting greasy when fixing the bike on the side of the road.

mmmdonuts

This. I've had the same happen and it was abrasion while in the bag, not tool pokage. It can also happen if you keep the tube in its box and store it in your seat bag. The edges where the tube was folded/bent wore thru. Since then I keep my spare tube in an old sock that also serves to wipe my hands when I'm done with repairs.

Doohickie

I put my tubes in ziplock bags. Sometimes the bags themselves end up with holes by the time I use the tube; better to wear out the bag than the tube.

rbart4506

I use a piece of an old sock...

clx1

I have experienced the same problem so now I carry my spare tube in my jersey pocket. I use Continental lightweight tubes which hardly take up any room at all in a pocket.

FL_MarkD

This is my method too. Works great for when you have to help the fred with a rear wheel puncture and notice that chain cleaning is not in his repertoire. I guess a sock would work just as well and also have other uses.

Mark

nhluhr

All the people saying "it wasn't abrasion from your bag" have just never had this happen. To solve it, get the smallest bag you can get and make sure when you put your tube, CO2, and tire lever in there, it's a tight fit. Second, it can help to have a 5" section of mountain bike innertube to stretch around your road tube as a sort of protective sock.

Bioluminescence

Ok, so maybe two bags?

rooftest

That's what I do - ziploc bag filled with baby powder. Makes installing much easier, too.

Scooby214

I have been carrying my tube in a ziploc bag, but haven't used the powder in the bag. Sounds like a good idea. Does the powder help when storing the bag, or is it just to make installation easier?