Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I just posted the other day, to a different thread, that I've successfully limped home twice with a booted tire and lowered tire pressure. I've also had three or four times when I tried a boot and it didn't work.
Based on that history, I agree with the recommendation to carry a spare tire. Get a light, kevlar belted folding tire. If you have to use it, replace it and keep it as your spare ASAP if you're touring more than a few days longer.
While you're prepping, make sure you know how to patch a tube. No matter how many you take (at least within reason), on a long enough tour you may run out of spare tubes and have to patch one.
hey PD, are you talking mountain biking and going through big rock gardens or stuff like that? I dunno, I guess I've lived a sheltered life but (big touch wood here again) I've never damaged a sidewall of a bicycle tire in all my years cycling, so its hard to imagine that you've experienced it 5 or 6 times--but again, mountain biking is something else where the chances of riding up against sharp stuff is way more common.