chasm54

Nope. I used to carry a spare but these days I don't bother, because I've never destroyed a tyre in many many thousands of miles of touring. It could happen, of course. But my bottom bracket might fail, too - and I don't carry a spare one of those, either.

staehpj1

I don't carry a spare. Tubes and patch kit yes, tire no. In almost 60 years and 100's of thousands of miles of riding, I have never had a tire that couldn't be booted well enough to get me to the next place where I could replace it.

I have had other mechanical problems that stopped me from riding and was always able to hitch a ride within 20 minutes or so. Even in places where there is almost no traffic the few cars that do go by are likely to stop and help an obviously broken down cyclist.

So given that it is pretty unlikely to be needed and that hitching a ride is usually pretty easy I just don't see it as a necessary item.

thumpism 

Still a novice tourist in '74, riding a bike with 27" wheels in the depths of France when the rear gave out. 700C was all the local shops had and I needed to take a train to a real city (Nancy) to find a shop with 27s, and that was not found in the first couple of shops I tried even there. I've carried a tire since.

thumpism 

Same trip, different country, but I relied on a shop to overhaul that for me. Still don't carry a BB but do carry the Phil tool to fit mine, just in case. Now back to your regularly scheduled tire thread.

Mark W

I carry a spare tire on our tandem tours because of a couple of reasons:
- if I ruin a tire I can just replace it and go on without having to hitch. I have ruined a couple of tires beyond booting.
- I have had multiple flats where I couldn't find anything in the tire, so I can replace the tire and then check it later, out of the rain or dark where I can see better.

I have also loaned out tires a couple of times.

Unlike some spare parts, no special tools are needed to use a tire.

Mark W

grampa.sjb

Yes, I carry a spare tire. A couple of years ago while coming down a hill I encountered what must have been a piece of bent metal which made a nasty slice through the sidewall just below the bead down into the tread - over 3" long. I couldn't make an effective boot with a Park stick-on boot, a dollar bill (not even a $20!), or anything else I had with me. It was a very slow, uncomfortable ride back, trying to baby the rear tire - I finally got a semi-working tire from multiple tube patches and a dollar bill that stuck out between the bead and rim. Ever since, on any ride that takes me out and away, I carry a spare folding tire. Dead weight? Maybe, but it's cheap insurance.

Possum Roadkill

If touring carrying our gear, I'll carry a folding tire as a spare. I prefer to use steel beaded tires, especially while carrying extra weight on the bike, but not sure how I would manage to pack a non folding tire. Last supported tour I did, I took three extra tires, however these were stored in one of the support vehicles. This was definitely overkill, but better to be over prepared than under prepared. Only one tire was replaced during the tour and we really could have continued to ride on it. The long descents had me a little concerned though, so I replaced the tire a little sooner than I usually do. I gave the tire to the tour coordinator who will donate it to one of the charities he runs.

It makes sense to me to at least have a spare good enough to get you to the nearest bicycle shop.

Biketouringhobo

A support vehicle lucky you! and I don't have Car since 3-1992 and only one bike a Surly LHT
in Oceanside, CA

Possum Roadkill

I don't own a car either although my sweetheart does. Actually, there were four support vehicles, but I had to share them with about thirty other riders. This was on the last tour that I did on tandem recently. Link to my blog about it below.

PAC TOUR, Pacific Crest - 2015

The people who put on this tour were really top notch. The tour was expensive, but definitely worth it.

rawklobster

I carried a spare tube. My tires were 20" with Schwalbe Marathons, and my rear wheel got a bulge in the sidewall. I got a flat shortly there after, and with a makeshift boot, I put the new tube on, and after about 20 minutes the next morning, I got another flat. I realized I should probably move the back tire with all the weight to the front, or I'd just keep getting flats. So, I took off the back wheel, moved the back tire to the side, where I could see it, and patched up the tube, and also put it in the front, moving the side front tire to the back as well as the tube. It got me three days to the neared bike shop, but in 20", the only Schwalbe they had was a Big Apple. So I got that. Although it was a different size, it didn't cause any problems, and I didn't have any tire/tube issues for the next 40 days and still counting! Although now the new owner has that setup. I offered to change the Big Apple so it matches, but she said it was fine.

tmac100

Yes, I carry a spare tire and several spare tubes. They have proved VERY useful while doing long distance touring in outback Australia - my favourite place to tour