Is it necessary to carry two spare inner tubes?

Signal_ rabbit

I mean what with all the other stuff to carry plus food, pockets are bulging and you'd need a saddle bag the size of a suitcase. Realistically whats the chances of getting two punctures within 100 miles?

Doh! I've gone and done it now and challenged the puncture fairy!

abcdggs

Last weekend i was out both tinyexplosions and astramonti got two punctures. if we hadn't been in a group they would have been f****d. granted it was partially down to the dreadful state of the roads but still... better safe than sorry

edit: should have said even after this i would still only ever take one tube with me and no repair kit.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Beasty

Signal_ rabbit wrote: »

Realistically whats the chances of getting two punctures within 100 miles?

Punctures do not normally respect distance. All other things being equal (and they are not!), the chances of getting one in the first 50 miles are the same as getting one in the next 50.

One of the main reasons for caution is when changing over tubes you increase the risk of another puncture in the near term, either because of incorrect installation (possibility of nipping the new tube for example), or if the reason for the original puncture remains (a bit of glass embedded in the tube for example - you may think you had removed it, but there could be another lurking somewhere) and the increased risk of a pinch flat if you cannot blow the tyre up to the correct pressure. In addition the spare may simply be faulty.

I always try to remember to carry 2, and a repair kit - to date I have never needed the back-ups, but I'm a cautious type.

murph226

two is one, one is none!

better lookin at it, than lookin for it!

petethedrummer

5 patches, a small piece of sandpaper and a tube of rubber solution will take up very little room in your saddle bag.

blorg

I go with one and a repair kit.

blorg

blorg wrote: »

I go with one and a repair kit.

Me also. Have had to use it a few times. Obviously takes longer than just changing the tube, but the times when I get more than one puncture on a ride are few and far between (generally only happens if a tyre is very worn), and the added bulk of an extra spare tube would be overkill considering how seldom one would have to use it.

Also, in emergencies, it can be used to patch a tear in a tyre (temporary repair obviously)

Captain Havoc

I went a year with only one and then got two in one day.

wersal gummage

have two spare tubes, repair kit, surgical gloves and a small mini tool in a bag under the seat - on both bikes. have had two punctures in the one day

FISMA

What caused one tube to go might just cause the other: glass on the road, thorns, bad potholes.

Rainy days are especially probelmatic when cycling roads that are unfamiliar. Potholes don't look as bad when there's a nice flat layer of water across them.

I haven't double flatted, often, but have indeed.

Also, consider if something goes wrong. A lot of people do not check the tire for a cause. I have known several people that put a new tube on, pumped up the tire, and wasted a new tube because the thorn was still there. Despite checking by hand, there was nothing protruding. Some problems are hidden until you put some pressure in the tubes.

Also, some people are not good a seating the bead of the tire and the rim. Seen several snake bite punctures due to the tube popping out between tire and rim due to incorrect seating.

In the end, it is you that will be walking home. Thus, it is you're choice.

Git101

I normally carry 1 tube and a repair kit.
I did have 3 punctures in the last 15 miles of a 50 mile spin, the third one resulted in a phone call home for collection... enough is enough !!

doozerie

I used to carry only one tube, plus a puncture repair kit, but on one particularly cold/nasty day I got 2 punctures and the few extra minutes it took to repair the second left me cold and determined to avoid such a situation again.

These days my compromise is to carry two tubes plus one set of self-adhesive Park Tool patches so that I don't have to worry about a tube of adhesive which might or might not actually be usable when I call on it (once they are opened they don't last long). The self-adhesive patches are a bit hit and miss, unfortunately, so even though they are quick enough to apply I only use them if I really have to hence the second tube.

markcroninbsc

you can get little boxes of (6?) sticky patches now, so its just a little plasic box 1 inch X 1 inch weighs about 3 grams, stick it under your saddle witha bit of insulatin tape and its always there even if you forget to bring your one spare tube. no need to be bringin glue and sandpaper, they're too heavy.

joker77

I carry 1 tube and a few these:http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7206

They don't require glue - if it's a small puncture you can just apply the sticker and that'll get you home

doozerie

Those self-adhesive patches are what I carry, but they haven't worked every time for me and some people have no luck at all with them (check the reviews on the CRC link above for a start). You do still need to use sandpaper to prime the tube before applying them, and lack of doing this might well explain the consistent problems that some people have.

Where they haven't worked for me they've usually just slowed the escape of air rather then just lifted straight off but I've had the latter happen at least once. The nature of the puncture seems to play a part as I've had total success with tiny pierce punctures and less luck with pinches where the rip in the tube is a little larger. Variable quality of the adhesive itself may be the real culprit though as some of them seemed to just be "stickier" than others - possibly a manufacturing fault, possibly the result of how they are stored (exposure to heat, etc.?), possibly my ability to measure "stickyness" is below par!

seamus

abcdggs wrote: »

Last weekend i was out both tinyexplosions and astramonti got two punctures. if we hadn't been in a group they would have been f****d. granted it was partially down to the dreadful state of the roads but still... better safe than sorry

Jaysus, Tiny's not been having the luck.

3 weeks ago (?) both Tiny and Blowfish double-punctured on the Manor Kilbride descent within 100m of eachother.

I tend to carry 2 tubes, but I've been risking it with one tube and no repair kit for the last while because I've a pile of tubes at home and I've been too lazy to figure out which ones need patching and which ones don't. Puncturing twice at different times in a ride is probably less likely than double-puncturing tbh.

tomasrojo

doozerie wrote: »

[...] a tube of adhesive which might or might not actually be usable when I call on it (once they are opened they don't last long) [...]

If I open a tube of vulcanising solution today, I write a note into my diary on a date six months from now to remind me to replace the solution.

I'm not sure whether six months is the lifetime of the solution after opening, but I think it's roughly right.

blorg

FISMA wrote: »

Also, consider if something goes wrong. A lot of people do not check the tire for a cause. I have known several people that put a new tube on, pumped up the tire, and wasted a new tube because the thorn was still there. Despite checking by hand, there was nothing protruding. Some problems are hidden until you put some pressure in the tubes.

I pump up the old tube before removing it so that I know where to look in the tyre for the object. Saves a lot of time if you can concentrate on a small area. Often the cause is so small there is no way I would have found it by sweeping around the entire tyre by hand.

The Park patches are a temporary fix; I've never had one fail to get me home but all have ultimately failed between 24 hours and one month.

el tel

I always carry two tubes and some patches although I've only ever had to fix one puncture on a ride. The second comes in useful should someone else with only one tube :rolleyes: gets a double flat or if you happen upon a stranded rider who you can help out and potentially mate with

cdaly_

el tel wrote:

a stranded rider who you can help out and potentially mate with

Ah yes, men in lycra...

Highway_To_Hell

seamus wrote: »

I've a pile of tubes at home and I've been too lazy to figure out which ones need patching and which ones don't.

Any tube that comes home with a puncture gets a loose knot tied in it until I get around to fixing them. nothing worse then having a load of tubes lying around and not knowing which ones can be used straight away.

I tend to carry 2 tubes when out on my road bike and one with my commuter, but I have a spare tube and repair kit in the office as well.

Joxer_S

markcroninbsc wrote: »

no need to be bringin glue and sandpaper, they're too heavy.

Seriously?

Highway_To_Hell

Jinxed by talking about tubes and punctures, 2 punctures on the way home and only one tube with me. 2nd puncture was only a 10 min walk from the house so I just walked home instead of fixing it. When I got home i decided to fix the back log of punctured tyres in the garage, ended up fixing 8 punctures.

at1withmyself

blorg wrote: »

I pump up the old tube before removing it so that I know where to look in the tyre for the object. Saves a lot of time if you can concentrate on a small area. Often the cause is so small there is no way I would have found it by sweeping around the entire tyre by hand.

The Park patches are a temporary fix; I've never had one fail to get me home but all have ultimately failed between 24 hours and one month.

Second this, you should really check what the cause was before putting in a spare tube.

Also agree on the park patches, they are only supposed to get you home really and not for long term use. Although thanks to this thread I just remembered I need some more! 3.57 on wiggle delivered

buzzingnoise

three punctures within 10 km 120km into ironman france......... i always carry two, the question is should i carry four in future!!!

deandean

On my mountain bike - completely different animal I know - I used to get an average of one puncture every two outings. Started using slime and went for about forty outings until a tyre ripped on a rock.

Dunno if slime is suitable for roadies? It's add about 300-400 grams.