$6/Conti Med. Length Presta Tube.

I have yet to ruin a tube in a patchable manner. Usually they manage to tear around the valve stem. :/

somebody say tubes?

I know everyone has heard it enough, but supporting your local LBS in situations like this is really not such a bad idea.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.

Well said. I mean, I dont know a lot about lubes, I've always used tri-flow on chains and its worked but the other day I realized mine is still at home, an hour and a half away and I rolled into the local shop. Dude walked over and spent 15 minutes of his time explaining to me the benefits, setbacks and uses of a variety of different lubes in a variety of different situations. He was more than happy to field my questions and give explanations. The price difference on maintenance items is minimal, help out the people who help you out when you are in a pinch for something by keeping it all on the shelves for you.

Guess I haven't been as lucky as you have. http://fixed.gr/nyc/extensions/Vanil...rd/neutral.gif

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...bike/tube2.jpg
Moustache tubes.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...bike/tube1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...bike/tube3.jpg

It'd have been a lot cooler if they were round and didn't leak at the valve. Just sayin'

I pick up continentals when ever they are on sale. Generally I get them around $4-5.

when are those 19-20 tubes going to be inflated to that size ever?

Oh, my bad. I should probably have taken the picture after they went flat 5 seconds later.

I totally agree.
my lbs is so cool, it actually pains me to buy stuff elsewhere. unfortunately, he doesn't have an endless supply of stuff, despite having these bareknuckles and aerospokes that everyone says are hard to find. hell of a wheel builder, too, but how may wheels do you need?

I haven't had a flat since the summer in Boston (I got like 5 flats in 3 months there), but I bought a spare tube at Performance for like $1.50 that I keep in my bag.

I have a few tubes that I meant to patch, but never got around to. I guess I'm lazy for procrastinating, but I definitely don't want to deal with patching on the road.

Agreed. I'm not saying you should spend a fortune on super light racing tubes or anything, but I've had bad experiences with cheap Tioga branded (Chin Sheng or something I think) tubes. Valves tearing at the base mainly.

At this point I have 10 patches on my rear and 7 on my front and it doesnt leak that much maybe a pound a day.Also instead of the metal buffer in the patch kit I glue a piece of sandpaper to a piece of a window shade wood and use that to buff the inner tube.