Fixing flats used to mean patching everything

I remember back in 2010 when I'd spend 20 minutes patching a tube on the side of the road in Portland rain. Now I just swap in a new tube and deal with patching later at home, maybe. When did everyone start carrying so many spare tubes instead of patch kits? Do you guys still patch on the go or am I just getting lazy in my old age?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eva11d ago

I mean, is patching really that serious though? I still patch on the side of the road in the rain and it's fine. People act like waiting five minutes for glue to dry is gonna kill them. I get that swapping a tube is faster but then you gotta haul your punctured tube home and patch it anyway, so you're just delaying the same chore. Plus those spare tubes cost money and take up space, a patch kit fits in your jersey pocket forever. I dunno, feels like we overcomplicate things sometimes and call it an upgrade.

grantf7311d ago

Honestly, I read somewhere that a lot of the shift happened when tubeless tires got popular and people just carried a spare tube for emergencies instead. Ngl, I still have a patch kit in my bag but I rarely use it on the road anymore. Tbh, it's just faster to swap a tube and deal with the leak later at home under good light. Plus, those glue patches take forever to cure in cold or wet weather, which is half the year here. I think it's less about being lazy and more about not wanting to freeze my fingers off trying to find a tiny hole.