The Puncture Repair Kit Conundrum

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nickr

Über Member
Although I ride a CX bike with mudguards, a rack and pannier, I never like to carry any superfluous weight. Having commuted for a fair number of years and having never suffered a puncture, I had long since given up carry a puncture repair kit with me until on a wet winter night, I realised that if I did have a puncture at that moment. I would have a 3 mile walk in SPD shoes in the dark and in the wet, either to get back home or to work. It would ruin the shoes, be very uncomfortable and very slow. When I first started commuting I was wearing trainers, the thought of walking held no worries, but now in SPD’s it was a different matter. That night I put the puncture repair kit back in my pannier.

This morning cycling into work, a thought struck me. I always carry a set of allen keys. If I did have a puncture it would be a simple matter to remove the cleats. The walk would still be slow, but the shoes would probably survive. Is it time leave the puncture repair kit at home?
 

biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
This morning cycling into work, a thought struck me. I always carry a set of allen keys. If I did have a puncture it would be a simple matter to remove the cleats. The walk would still be slow, but the shoes would probably survive. Is it time leave the puncture repair kit at home?

the last time i tried to undo cleats it was a nightmare , so i would just carry a couple of tubes , pump and a pr of tweezer's
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
What kind of shoes are you using? If it's SPDs with a recessed cleat, you can walk a bit in those without ruining them. I wouldn't want to walk any distance in smooth-soled road shoes - high probability of slipping over. And you probably would ruin the sole as well.

Also, I'm not sure how you square always carrying allen keys with not carrying unnecessary weight. A spare tube weighs less than a set of allen keys.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Not wanting to carry superfluous weight is understandable.

THIS is (a lot of) superfluous weight, unless I really need a strong lock, when it ISN'T ...

onguard-brute-u-lock-jpg.jpg


A puncture kit and pump are NOT superfluous weight - don't be silly! (Alternatively, DO be silly, walk if/when you get a puncture, and accept that you made that choice.)
 

Salty seadog

Space Cadet...(3rd Class...)
Although I ride a CX bike with mudguards, a rack and pannier, I never like to carry any superfluous weight. Having commuted for a fair number of years and having never suffered a puncture, I had long since given up carry a puncture repair kit with me until on a wet winter night, I realised that if I did have a puncture at that moment. I would have a 3 mile walk in SPD shoes in the dark and in the wet, either to get back home or to work. It would ruin the shoes, be very uncomfortable and very slow. When I first started commuting I was wearing trainers, the thought of walking held no worries, but now in SPD’s it was a different matter. That night I put the puncture repair kit back in my pannier.

This morning cycling into work, a thought struck me. I always carry a set of allen keys. If I did have a puncture it would be a simple matter to remove the cleats. The walk would still be slow, but the shoes would probably survive. Is it time leave the puncture repair kit at home?

Always carry the basic tools.
 

ADarkDraconis

Cardinal Member
Location
Ohio, USA
Personally I would rather take the two minutes to change a tire in the cold wet snow and then pedal home, rather than trudge home in the cold wet snow pushing a bike and freezing my toes off for a good while. The weight is minimal, you already have panniers but to what point and purpose if you think a tube is unnecessary weight? What do you carry in them?
 

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
How heavy is a repair kit, and will it make any difference at all to your journey time?
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Patches weigh even less and you still need the rest either way.

By "the rest", I presume you mean tyre levers and a means of inflation?

Whichever method you choose for repairing a puncture (spare tube vs patches, pump vs CO2), the whole kit and caboodle isn't going to amount to more than a few hundred grams. Anyone who would walk home three miles in cycling shoes rather than carry that "superfluous weight" is, to put it bluntly, a bit soft in the head.

I can get my tyres off without levers but I still carry them in my kit. They're not the thing that's stopping me going any faster up hills.
 
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mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
By "the rest", I presume you mean tyre levers and a means of inflation?
Exactly. So I think it's worth carrying both.

Whichever method you choose for repairing a puncture (spare tube vs patches, pump vs CO2), the whole kit and caboodle isn't going to amount to more than a few hundred grams. Anyone who would walk home three miles in cycling shoes rather than carry that "superfluous weight" is, to put it bluntly, a bit soft in the head.
I think we're in vigorous agreement. I don't even wear cycling shoes much and I'd still rather ride than push the bike home because I'd have to push along the main roads because I don't fancy lifting the bike over stiles or locking it up by the first one.
 
Every item you carry should be assessed in terms of utility/weight. A front light weighs a bit, but on the other hand is quite useful in the dark. Puncture kits are too useful and too light to leave out except on short hops where walking back home is not an issue. I generally use a backpack rather than pannier for these, so the toolkit lives in the pannier bag.
It is smart to reassess your toolkit every so often. I chucked out some duplicate wrenches that sneaked in.
 

clf

Senior Member
How much time have you gained over the last 3 years with the weight saving? If that's more than it would take to walk 3 miles home in spds and pushing a bike in the wind rain and sub zero temperatures then you've made the right choice. :laugh:
 
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