Rich22

Im afraid to go riding until my tubes come in. I just dont have the desire to go riding with no backup tubes. Anyone here agree with that. No riding outside unless you have backup tubes?

I wish i had a fluid trainer...

Patriot

Take a cell phone with you.

Ih8lucky13

Make a circuit that stays close to your house and ride as many laps as possible.

Jarery

Patch kit

Shemp

Who carries a tube instead of a patch kit?

urbanknight

^^^ There you have it, no excuses. RIDE!!!

sfrider 

Just stop at a store on the way out and buy a tube.

gurana

I carry both, but I've met a lot ofpeople that carry just the tube. They usually find it quicker to replace the whole thing rather than patch while out on the road, then they'll just patch when they get home. Personally I think it's a good idea to have both anyways, because sometimes you can get flats that can't be patched. In my case, I got a flat, and couldn't find the hole(s).

sfrider 

I do. And I carry a CO2 canister instead of a pump. If I have a problem that can't be fixed by either of these two I'll call my wife and have her come pick me up. I'm not going to sit on a hot, dusty shoulder repairing a tube. Are you kidding? I'll fix it when I get home.

Shemp

You won't sit on a hot dusty road patching a tube, but you'll swap the tube out? Getting the wheel off and on the bike and the tire off and on the wheel is 90% of the work.

Either way, not having a tube is no reason to not ride.

Dead Roman

I ride with no extra tubes and a cell phone. I havent had a flat since i got my new contis. But I carry a cellphone. I do carry an extra on group rides... dont wanna be a burden on others.

sfrider 

Sorry for being obtuse... I meant I bring a tube and swap it out instead of fixing the flat one. It's not so much the effort as the time sitting around waiting for the glue to dry. I've never had more than one flat, in fact I get no more than one or two flats per year, so I really don't prepare myself for that. (I ride year round, daily for errands and 3-5 days a week for fitness/touring, unless it's too windy or it's really pouring in Dec-Jan.) If I were the OP I'd just stop at the LBS and get a tube, a pump/CO2 inflator, and a tire lever and go out and ride my new bike... I'd also get a patch kit, but for a short fitness/intensity romp or to try out a new bike I'd leave it at home. For a longer day outing, yeah bring a patch kit.

badkarma

I carry both. When I get my first flat, I just change the tube. Then at least I have a patch kit unless I flat again (it's happened before).

DnvrFox

How do you attach the cell phone to the tube? Do you glue it on? Is it effective in sealing the leak?

I would think most cell phones are too bulky to fix a flat. Perhaps you have one of those new Razrs?

BTW, no one mentioned the possibility of walking or public transportation. Or of just buying a spare tube or patch kit from the local WalMart or LBS.

(And I always carry at least one tube and a patch kit and a couple of glueless patches and a frame pump.)

John Wilke

If you flat ... just ride it in. You won't trash your wheel if you're careful. I've ridden 20 miles in the cold rain on a rear flat. Just do it! *Thumpa thumpa thumpa!*

jw

Bob S.

+1. Belt & suspenders approach. My kind of thinking.

rover

I only rode without a tube once, and got a flat. A local cop gave me a ride home with my bike hanging out the trunk of the patrol car. I bring an extra tube now.

Treefox

I don't normally take either with me, though my usual route is a loop that basically circles around my house such that I'm never really more than two miles from home.

Bob Ross

I didn't think a Big Wheel even used tubes?

larue

Just don't get a flat
I'm wondering why you can't go to a lbs and pick up a tube?

BoSoxYacht

I do. I haven't patched a tube since I started work at a bike shop in the early 90's. Do you repair socks with holes ,or buy new ones?

Granny

I called my wife to pick me up once. The bit**ing I took the whole way home was so bad I swore I'd use my own scrotum as a patch before I'd ever call again.

iamtim

I can pull off my wheel, pop one side of the tire, pull a tube out, put in a new one, re-mount the tire, pump up the tube, and re-mount the wheel WAY quicker than I can patch a tube. Granted, that's probably because I've changed WAY more tubes than I have patched tubes, but even so.

Thank god for CO2.

oilman_15106

And a grammar course.

Falcone Alpini

Holy cow. Where do you live? The cops here in South Florida would have given you a ticket for loitering.