Why do people bother to carry puncture repair kits with them?

[User33236]

I would add to the sin/idiot bin some mamils who ride with mini mini ear-ring pumps..

My pump, at a mere 16cm in length, saved a blokes RideLondon last year when it did a sterling job on inflating his tyre to an adequate pressure when his mates oversized one fell way short of the mark.

I only ever travel without pump and spare tubes when I forget I transferred to another bike the previous day (or it's a Boris bike in London )!

 

[Tin Pot]

In the off chance that your tyres get punctured, would you not just use public transport?

I would lock my bike up to a nearby rack, and then catch a bus or taxi to where-ever I need to be. Do other people's tyres get punctured that often to make it worthwhile constantly carrying a repair kit?

No, not feasible.

Yes, it does. But I take a spare tube not a repair kit.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

On reflection, I'll qualify my post - to give the OP his due, he did post in the commuting section, so perhaps it's not for us who ride mostly out in the sticks to comment.

People who live in the sticks do cycle to work...

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Agreed, but maybe the OP is in that lucky position, so in his personal case it may not be such a stupid question . I always carry 2 tubes, puncture kit, and glueless patches, but only once have I had to use all of them, and that was to help another in distress.

We're second guessing now tho. Even with a bus stop 25 feet from my front door and both tram and bus stops directly outside my workplace giving me an albeit indirect and relatively costly door to door service, I clearly see and appreciate the benefit of being able to repair my bike and be on my way, all done and dusted in matter of minutes more than our OP does. They would appear to have a luxury of enough free time to attend to their chosen aftermath and a confidence that their bike will still be there and no less damaged when they return to it, that others of us maybe don't.

Like I said before tho, each to their own.

 

[slowmotion]

The frame looks quite substantial.

 

[rualexander]

Punctured.

I carry a repair kit.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

OP
You said the P word
You may want to buy a kit urgently. The fairy has you in her sights.

 

[EthelF]

I could lock up my bike, traipse to the nearest public transport, and make my way to my destination (bearing in mind that punctures invariably occur at the furthes point from home, destination, station and bike shops), then get said public transport back to the nearest stop, traipse back to where I left my bike, hope it's still there, then, what, walk the bike home, and fix the puncture there?
Or I could add c500g to my 20kg all weather commuting bike setup (including panniers containing clothes and my lunch), and fix any puncture at the roadside in 10 (front wheel, little cursing) to 20 minutes (rear wheel, Alfine hub, language that would make any passing sailor blush).
I hope that answers your question.

 

[EthelF]

Oh, and I do not carry a lock on my commute as I keep one at work. My lock weighs at least four times as much as my inner tube, pump and tyre levers.

 

[mjr]

While we have terrible bicycling infrastructure in Connecticut, USA, we do have a couple of cool things around here. One is bike racks on buses.

Yeah, we're not allowed those because the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency hates bikes

Perhaps if there are any AAA members on the site, you may want to mention this program to the UK AAA company.

The first A is American, so it's just AA here. I don't think they offer cycle recovery, but competitor ETA does: https://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/bicycle/

That's the difference between a cyclist, and someone that rides a bike. A cyclist would rather down hemlock, than give in to the p*ncture fairy, a person on a bike will phone for a lift / use public transport, to get them home.

Again with the Judean People's Front schtick. Doesn't it get boring, splitting a minority into smaller ones?

The mess that is public transport is the reason I ride a bike in the first place.

Literally true in my case - I wouldn't trust the school buses to get me to exams...

A pair of latex gloves also takes up no room at all in your rucksack/panniers and saves you from covering your hands in oil as well.

I don't see the point. My nails just rip them in no time, so then my hands are covered in oil plus cornflour from the gloves, which is an even worse mess. Easier to keep some wet-wipes in the bag and clean up afterwards.

fix any puncture at the roadside in 10 (front wheel, little cursing) to 20 minutes (rear wheel, Alfine hub, language that would make any passing sailor blush).

I recognise that problem of Shimano hub gears - after 20 minutes, I've probably just about got the rear wheel off. Sturmeys are far simpler, but even then I prefer to try patching without removing the wheel.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz33ozlTvdo

 

[MontyVeda]

Fair point about rural surroundings with no alternative transport. But apart from that, to me it seems unnecessary hassle to have to constantly carry the repair kit and spend time fiddling around trying to fix it outside. How often to punctures occur anyway? Surely it can't be more than once a year if you're unlucky.

Have you ever seen a puncture repair kit? They're a lot smaller than a car battery you know. Why would carrying something the size of a flapjack be 'unnecessary hassle'? If you're holding it in your hand for the duration of your ride i imagine it could be hassle, but most sensible people would put it in a pocket or saddle bag. I have a few self seal patches and a square inch of sandpaper tapped beneath my saddle. Can't remember the last time i used it... but it's handier to have it with me than at home.

 

[Dayvo]

People who live in the sticks do cycle to work...

People who live in the sticks drive tractors.

 

[screenman]

I don't see the point. My nails just rip them in no time, so then my hands are covered in oil plus cornflour from the gloves, which is an even worse mess. Easier to keep some wet-wipes in the bag and clean up afterwards.

I wear latex gloves for work and never put my nails through, maybe you have the wrong size gloves. Also what cornflour? unpowdered is the way to go.

 

[Tim Hall]

Must resist......... Ah nuts.

View attachment 126176

What do those pictures mean?

 

[ufkacbln]

Members of the opposite sex stop and ask if they can help you



Have I invented "P*nct*re dating?