Witterings

This may seem like a bit of a daft question to the more hardened cyclists ...

I've been a leisure cyclist for many years and have always just carried a puncture repair kit but as I've really gotten into cycling and have joined forums I see more and more reference to carrying a spare inner tube which I've never done before.

What's the main reason, is it in case the inner splits so badly you can't repair it or is it just quicker / easier to swap the inner tube and worry about the repair when you get home???

What really got me thinking about it is I've started doing quite a lot of night cycling with decent torches but it'd really (couldn't see a censored emoji) if I got a puncture on a freezing night miles from anywhere ... you know you wouldn't be able to find the hole in the dark for hours and get frozen fingers .... all of a sudden you start thinking maybe a quick inner change may be a better option **********????

Interested to hear more experienced cyclists main reason for carrying a spare between the 2 options I've given or any other main reasons????

North Coast Joe

I'm just a leisure cyclist as well, and changing a tube is more leisurely of those two options!

Gresp15C

I carry a spare tube plus a puncture kit. It's for all of the reasons that you surmise.

ThermionicScott 

Having a spare tube saves you from needing to open the tube of glue unless worse comes to worst. Finding out that your tube of glue has dried out from being opened too long is a real bummer when you need it.

I save up punctured tubes at home, and patch them in batches.

Witterings

Cheers for the quick responses ..... Me thinks me needs to stick inner tubes on my Xmas list but is it too late to get the list to Santa

caloso

Yep. I always carry a spare tube and a patch kit. I also carry a CO2 cartridge and a pump. First flat gets a new tube and CO2. I can usually swap out the tube and be on my way in under 5 minutes. Second and subsequent flats (yes, unfortunately that's happened) get a patch and the pump.

#beltandsuspenders

TGT1

That and carrying a spare tube can save you from a embarrassing call of shame.

I had a tube that the locknut and a bit of stem had broken off and since on a presta they work fine as long as some pressure is maintained so it stayed on the front wheel for months.

Then I had a puncture, patched it and hit it with the CO2 inflator.

Of course as soon as it was disconnected the tire went immediately flat with the valve core blown irretrievably into the bowels of the tube. (insert censored emoji here)

Dried glue, big rips, stupid operator, &#!t happens.

Have a spare unpatched tube!

Fastfingaz

,,,,,,,At least one,,,,,

rumrunn6

not all tube damage can be patched





& after 2 flats back to back about 4 miles apart, it's good to have redundant options. 'specially in the winter about an hour before dusk

rumrunn6

veganbikes

With practice you can easily get in under that.

I generally always carry a spare tube and patches with glue, when I open my glue I make sure to get a replacement tube or replace it in the kit. However most of my patching (which is minimal) happens at home when I can take my time and relax and let things dry properly. A patch can easily fail and when you are having to do more work to save a busted tube then just replacing it, it can be silly especially on the road. I don't get a ton of flats but mainly that is due to good tires and proper inflation and certainly being careful as a I ride. Jumping curbs and not pumping your tires and using cheap tires are a great recipe for potential flats.

caloso

I live in goat head country. I’ve had a lot of practice.

bikingshearer 

I carry at least two tubes, often three. I hate patching tubes on the road, but I hate having no options in case I hit Puncture City even less. (I dislike patching tubes slightly less at home.) I also carry a pump and CO2 (again, 2 or 3 cartridges). When I puncture, I replaces the tube, use the pump to get the tire up to 30 or 40 psi, then use a CO2 cartridge to finish it off. But I always have patch and pump capability, too, just in case.

You don't have to take to my extremes, but I do think changing tubes beats the heck out of patching, at least in the middle of a ride.

79pmooney

You're a leisure cyclist and are willing to walk home in the dark because you couldn't successfully patch your tube? I'm not a leisure cyclist and I don't consider that either leisurely or OK. (I know, you have probably just been going under the "it hasn't happened yet". But ride long enough and many of the "yets" do happen.

Seriously - I carry two tubes I trust in a sock (to protect them from my tools), a patch kit, two tire irons and several (at least 4) dollar bills in my wallet. The bills make very good casing patches to get you home. I needed 5 once for a long cut in the casing.

Advantages? Peace of mind. Redundancy. Ruined tubes aren't catastrophe. I am in a better place to help others. Now, I do patch my tubes if I can and always look for the cause. (I ride roads and tires subject to those tiny steel wire shards from truck tires that hide in casings and cause flat after flat until removed. Easiest way to identify and find them is to note when patches overlap or are equal distance from the valve. See those signature pair of patches? OK, there's a problem exactly that far from the valve. I have to find it. And when you know it's there, 9 out of 10 times you find it.

Edit: I only use good pumps and put one on each bike. They pump to full pressure (and work very well to top off pressure anytime)/

Ben

jefnvk

Far quicker to swap and fix later. As someone said above, the tubes of glue can dry out, so I'll generally wait until I have a couple tubes that I can patch in one go.

Plus it is easier to have the proper gear attached in a saddle bag for each bike than remembering to grab the stuff to shove in a jersey everytime I go out.

alcjphil

I learned early on that patches cannot always repair a puncture. I had one in 1972 that was too close to the valve to successfully hold. A spare tube makes on the road repairs much easier, a patch kit provides extra insurance. These days I usually carry 2 inner tubes and a small patch kit. It really helps, I haven't had a flat out on the road for almost 3 years

robsta

Not everybody likes them but I haven’t had a puncture with my Schwalbe Marathons in the 7-8 years I’ve been using them. Worth checking out.

Dave Cutter

I carry both a (scab) patch kit... as well as a new tube. I carry the new tube in a corn starch dusted sandwich bag... inside of a gallon Ziploc bag. When I do (rarely) have a flat... I replace the damage tube with the new tube and place the old tube in the gallon Ziploc bag. That way I can stuff the old tube in a jersey pocket and not get too dirty.

Say I was to have a 2nd flat (like the other tire).... I then have an option of which tube to repair. Otherwise... instead of scab patching "on the road" I can do a better patch job back at the work bench.

P.S. I carry two CO2 cartridges too!

dabac

As already stated, replacing a tube is a faster/easier roadside fix than patching it - assuming it's a flat that can be repaired, which isn't always the case.
I don't carry glue b/c the tendency to dry out. I carry two tubes and self-adhesive patches as a last resort.


For evening rides away from street lights I also carry a headlamp.
With battery-operated lights, you can usually unclip them to use as a work light, but with dyno lights it gets really awkward....

rumrunn6

never heard that before. what benefit does that offer?

rumrunn6

yikes, OK. thought I was good w a consistent 15 minutes. maybe I'm just not motivated enough. found another flat photo, this one needing a new roll of rim tape

drlogik 

Convenience mostly but also if you have a major blowout that can't be repaired with a patch a new tube is your way home. I carry two tubes when I go on rides over 40 miles. I carry a pack of Park self-sticky patches in my seat bag also.

It's funny though. I can go six months without a flat and then get 3 or 4 in one week.

FBOATSB

What about a tire? If your rims are folder capable and depending on how far from home your willing to walk, or make "the call". I occasionally still ride on straight walled rims though. YMMV.

u235

I get a ton of flats, I go through phases where I've got 5 flats in 300 miles. Even two flats on one 30 mile ride. I used to just carry skabs until I ran over a nail that put like 10 holes in my tube. Now I carry skabs and a tube. I will skab first if it's not hard to find the hole. For my tubeless MTB I still carry a tube and skabs. I also wrapped about 8 rounds of gorrila tape around my pump body just incase I need to fix a tire or something.

Wileyrat

This minus the cornstarch, plus one more Co2 cartridge. Two for me, and one to donate to those less equipped.