Distinguished

I've always just thrown the tire tubes unraveled in my bag, but now that space is precious, I'd like to know how to properly fold the tube so that it takes up the least space.

My guess is to just roll it up parallel to the valve as tight as possible while taking as much of the air out of the tube as possible--then just rubber band it to hold the roll.

Papa Tom

I keep mine folded as you described, but stuffed inside a sock and tucked as far under my saddle as possible, with a tight shoelace holding it in place. This saves a good amount of space in my bag. The sock helps protect the tube from the drying effect of the sun. 'Been doing it this way for about 15 years and never had a problem.

hueyhoolihan

i've kept them in the box until it disintegrated. it takes a while.

fietsbob

wrapped in a plastic bag with some Talc in the bag .
in the same pannier as the bike and tire tools .

storing a previously patched spare . you roll it up starting at the opposite side of the tube to from the valve,to get the air out

then you can refold it like it came out of the box.

Tourist in MSN

Agree.

You really do not want any sharp bits in between your tire and tube. The tire continuously deforms as you roll down the road, any small bits of debris can eat a hole into your tube. Thus, keeping your tube clean in a plastic bag might prevent that tube from failure later.

Dave Cutter

I keep those Zip Lock bags for tubes. I also carry my phone cash and ID in the bags... and even temporarily store small parts in them when working on my bicycles. I use a pinch of corn starch (from the kitchen) to power the tube and keep it from sticking to itself and getting damaged while in storage.

After I roll and compress the tube while in a baggie, I put a rubber band around it. I normally only keep one in my saddle bag and a few spares in my cabinet of bicycle accessories. For a long ride I can take along a 2nd tube.

Weatherby

+1

I test inflate a tube. Nothing like finding a defective tube in the rain. Talc it up and put it into a small snack sized ziplock bag. I snug the bag up with electrical tape.

djb

I would mention to be careful not to have a spare tube rubbing up against other stuff like tools or whatever for a long time. Last year or the year before I got a flat, put in my spare that had been in my seat bag for ages (along with some tools and I also stuff things in there tightly when needed) only to find out that the tube had been in there so long that it had rubbed along stuff and caused a hole right at a seam, so not really patchable (or rather, not worth wasting the glue and patch to find out it didnt patch properly, specifically the glue).
I had to search around for a tap behind a building nearby, empty my old Ortlieb pannier to put water in it so I could take the tube that I had the flat with and find out where the hole was. Luckily I had a waterproof pannier and a patch kit.
I often get only a flat per season, so spare tubes can be hanging around for a while. I suspect that one had gotten mixed up and had been in bags for far longer than usual, as that was the first time that happened to me, but learned to be more careful with spare tubes.
This specific one had been in its box, but the box was pretty worn away over time.

Tourist in MSN

Thanks. It had never occurred to me that there is another way I can use an Ortlieb.

djb

it hadn't to me either, it was the old "necessity is the mother of all inventions" sort of thing, the buildings around were all apartment buildings and luckily one had a tap at the back of the building that was working.
Plus I got to see that my 20 yr old bags are still pretty much water proof, not completely but still good enough for commuting.

stevage

Here are three more uses of Ortliebs:

- washing up basin (bonus: clean your ortliebs!)
- ice bucket
- keep your clothes dry in badly designed camp showers

robert schlatte

I do as others and roll the tube up after squeezing air out. Then it goes into a stuff sack with all other tools: multitool, 6" crescent wrench, leatherman tool, 8mm and 10mm wrenches, assorted fasteners, small bottle of Tri-flow, patch kit, length of chord, electrical tape, Sharpie pen, and rear blinkie. Stuff sack goes into pannier with mini morph pump. I always have this with me on the bike. I figure I can cover most every repair. On my upcoming tour this summer, I may throw in cassette tool, length of chain to use as chain whip and bigger wrench for the cassette tool.

djb

I especially like the last one, so I'm not the only one who has cursed at the morons who design them seemingly so that the spray of the shower will go right where they put the place to put your clothes. I have sometimes imagined some frustrated designer who is secretly thinking, "that'll teach em for not getting a hotel!", well, not really, but it does make you wonder sometimes what they were thinking when they made the design (probably simply its an oversight, and these places are built to be the least expensive so done quickly).

When we go car camping and take bikes, I always have panniers with me for day rides and such, so a ride to the showers using a pannier has been handy many a time for what you describe.