Darth Lefty 

I've been riding back and forth for a few weeks on a tire held together only by sealant. This is not the first time I've ever cut a tire although it's been maybe five years. It even happened in about the same location,

We had a thread a while back about "spare bike" and that's... okay, but my other bike that's ready to go is a pretty serious MTB and it's about 25% slower. I've got some steel roadies that are unused right now but they are under the garage pile. And my wife's bikes that wouldn't fit, and the tandem but that would be ridiculous. I really just want my commuter bike back.

I've had an irritating time getting a new tire. The first order turned out to be a back order, not made very clear by the website... and the second try will be here next week. The first go, I was only shopping by price. I suppose this year being how it's been, I could have anticipated this and looked a little harder and spent a little more to find exactly what I wanted in stock.

I have a lot of bike parts but there's no organization to them. I have pedals I've replaced with nicer ones, I have 3x8 cranksets and shifters and derailleurs that I replaced with 1x11. I might have a chain but doubt it's 11 speed.

Should I have had a tire sitting in my garage ready to go? Do you? What else do you have and why?

ThermionicScott 

Could you rob a compatible tire from one of the other bikes, if you had to? Could you pop in a boot and/or a tube to keep this one going?

I have at least one spare tire, tube, chain, etc that would work on each bike I use for commuting. But the urgency for that has gone way down with WFH...

caloso

Honestly, I've got multiple wheelsets ready to go, not to mention a box full of used but still useable tires and tubes. That's not a commuting thing, more a function of racing road and CX.

GhostRider62

I have many spare tires. Spare wheels. Obvious things like spare chains, brake pads, cables, etap batteries, tubes, derailleur hangers, bar wrap, bearings, cleats, etc.

I do all my own bike work and have most of all the routine stuff on hand.

noisebeam

Just a spare tire, but I take it with me everywhere I go.

BobbyG

I had three commuter-ready bikes when my daily commute ended last winter. So if I found the one I had in mind to ride that day had a flat I could take another, except in snow and ice, since I only had one set of studded tires for the 26-incher. When I first started commuting I owned just one bike and I always kept an old, spare 26-inch tire at the office to get me home. I then added a 700c when my first 700c bike came along. I carry a patch kit and inner tubes on each bike. I now have a fourth bike, but it's a 20-inch folder with a patch kit and inner tube in the saddle bag. I suppose if I had a daily commute again with the generous space I had for my bike at the office, I'd get a cheap used 20" wheel for there, too. My wife also has a bike, but it is a not-so fun to ride 26-inch "comfort" bike with soft suspension and under-geared for my commute.

locolobo13 

2 bikes, 29er & hybrid with 27x1.25 tires. At home spare tires, used but still ridable usually, and new tubes for both. At work just tubes. In my panniers or pack just a spare tube for whichever bike I'm riding.

And Heaven forbid, patch kits, pump, etc. Been thinking about the spare wheelset thingie.

timdow

I always either have a new pair that I purchased to replace the current tires, or at least one old one I took off with a little tread left, which I keep around for exactly the reason in this thread.

I personally am of the opinion that riding the tire to the cords is false economy.

pdlamb

I could just about build a bike (or three) with my spares. Brifters, cables, housing, brake pads; chains (I've kept all my bikes at 9 speed for a reason!), cassettes, just one spare crank; tires, spokes, and one spare rim. I guess the bad part is that if I break another seatpost that bike will be out of commission until I get a new one, but the last time that happened it was over 15 years old -- nothing else is close (yet). Or bars, or a frame, but that's what the spare bike is for.

Of course, I had to walk a couple miles home last week when my pump didn't work after I flatted. S4i7's gonna happen.

SkinGriz

If it’s how I got to work then I would definitely keep a spare of most of what goes wrong.

And if its how I got to work I’d probably want a bike that’s whatever the most common style of drivetrain is. So maybe 3x7 freewheel?

Or go the total opposite way. IGH and belt drive. And change the belt preemptively on a service schedule like a Honda timing belt.

But I’m the kind of guy that thinks lo pro tires are stupid unless they’re on the racetrack, so IDK how far out of fashion others want to go.

Darth Lefty 

Was some part of the chuck plastic cracked? I had that happen once with a Walmart pump but I don't think a fancy one would be immune.

rumrunn6

at least 1 for each of my 3 bikes mountain, hybrid & of course road. but I know I have some pairs as well. if my road bike went down, I'd put street tires on my hybrid & take that. 22 miles is longer on a hybrid but it would work in a pinch

Darth Lefty 

I rode this tire flat for a mile after discovering the hard way I had let the sealant dry out, and I had forgotten to move sealant and pump to my laptop bag, so it accumulated further damage. I added more sealant and it's been holding since. The casing is intact enough to seal. The holes are continuing to leak antifreeze but not latex, which is kind of funny. It illustrates how sealant is a heterogenous mixture. Those leaks would not be a problem enough to replace the tire except one of the holes is a pretty good slice down to the cords for about 3/8" and through them for a shorter distance.

pdlamb

I didn't do a full post-mortem, but probably either the check valve was rusted (likely) or the internal O-ring had dried up. It was somewhere around 10-15 years old.

fat biker

When I was doing the 28 miles/day AND broke as all hell...
Using Armadilloś, 2500 miles/tire front - 2000miles/tire rear Iretired fronts early to have a used spare at home and work.

still fat

noglider 

I have tubes, tires, brake cables, gear cables, cable housings, saddles, derailleurs, brake calipers, brake levers, stems, seatposts, bikes, patches, all kinds of spares, including small parts and accessories. I could start a bike coop with my collections.

Calsun

I keep spare tubes and brake and shift cables as I do not want to drive to buy such cheap items. The Campy brake cables are great for my old road bikes but for V-brakes the Shimano cables and similar ones for V-brakes are poorly made.