Do you protect your spare inner tube(s)?

dabber · December 2010

I have a Specialized seat bag into which I stuff various items - tools, levers etc and also a spare inner tube. Do any of you bother to put the tube inside of anything for protection? I was thinking of perhaps an old sock?

pingpong · December 2010

Recycle;
I wrap an old innertube round my new tubes, it works for me

Bozman · December 2010

I leave them in the box and just flatten the corners a bit.

keef66 · December 2010

Nope, nothing sharp in there to hurt it.

Then again, when I tried to use it last week on son's restoration project I found out it was leaking from a previous patch!

Maybe I should get a new one as a spare. And keep it in a sock.

ShutUpLegs · December 2010

Wrap them in a latex glove

racingcondor · December 2010

I've got various zip loc bags lying around and tend to keep tubes in them. It's more for ease of handling than protection though.

I don't think tubes need any special care.

sungod · December 2010

as above, i squish the box a bit and use that to protect it

once i didn't do this, then on a rainy day far from shelter had a flat, fitted the spare tube, got the tyre back on, already congratulating myself on the speed of the swap, but it wouldn't inflate

checked pump, checked valve, sighed. took tyre off again, to find a large hole worn in the tube, looked like it had been rubbing on something in the saddle bag, maybe even the side of the bag itself

fixed old tube, swapped again, was quite cold and wet by the end of it

now i always protect the spare and have look every few weeks to make sure it still looks ok

rhext · December 2010

I wrap them in cling-film. I commute daily, so my spare spends a lot of time kicking about in the bottom of my pannier, keeping company with a pump and a multi-tool. Wrapping them up also keeps them tidy.

dabber · December 2010

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Up until now I've used the "squashed box" approach. This has meant that there hasn't been a lot of spare space left in the bag and I was considering maybe putting 2 spare tubes in but that (with their boxes) would have taken up too much space.

I've got some good new suggestions to consider now... thanks!

Velonutter · December 2010

I always carry a couple of latex gloves to save getting my kit dirty and slip the inner tubes inside them before zipping them into my seat pack.

dabber · December 2010

Thanks both ShutUpLegs and Velonutter for the latex gloves suggestion. Sounds like a great idea... "kills two birds with one stone". Protection of tubes and and hands!

cougie · December 2010

Sandwich bags for me - easier to get rubber tubes into a pack like that.

whyamihere · December 2010

As I use jersey pockets rather than saddlebags, I don't need to, I just have one pocket with only tubes in it. Sharp things, like a multitool and my keys, can go in another pocket.

AndyF16 · December 2010

I may rue the decision one day, but I prefer to (maybe) sacrifice some speed and run Armadillo tyres on all bikes, and carry Park Tool patches and tyre levers only - too much other crap to carry in the saddlepack and jersey :roll:

ShutUpLegs · December 2010

AndyF16 wrote:

I may rue the decision one day, but I prefer to (maybe) sacrifice some speed and run Armadillo tyres on all bikes, and carry Park Tool patches and tyre levers only - too much other crap to carry in the saddlepack and jersey :roll:

That day will come sooner rather than later

Lucky Douglas · December 2010

AndyF16 wrote:

I may rue the decision one day, but I prefer to (maybe) sacrifice some speed and run Armadillo tyres on all bikes, and carry Park Tool patches and tyre levers only - too much other crap to carry in the saddlepack and jersey :roll:

Your shout of course, but I can't imagine what the other stuff is that can trump a tube for saddlebag space.

AndyF16 · December 2010

I don't like to temp fate, but approx 7k varied miles since April 2010 p******e free.....

Anyway it's not like going without anything, we used the patches three times while touring in Belgium in the summer (my mate's non Armadillos every time) and it isn't many minutes slower than just swapping out tubes, or am I missing something? Genuine question, not being smart arsed

balthazar · December 2010

AndyF16 wrote:

I don't like to temp fate, but approx 7k varied miles since April 2010 p******e free.....

Anyway it's not like going without anything, we used the patches three times while touring in Belgium in the summer (my mate's non Armadillos every time) and it isn't many minutes slower than just swapping out tubes, or am I missing something? Genuine question, not being smart arsed

The sticky patches aren't a long-term solution, whereas a careful repair (done at home, and left overnight before inflation) can be considered permanent. For the little space a replacement (new or patched) tube consumes, most people judge it worth carrying for the ease of swapping at the roadside.

My spare tube has been covered with patches, and still reliable: if I'm ever really afflicted by punctures, and need to use an emergency sticky patch, I'll retire it when I'm back. Peeling those things off to replace with a proper patch is no fun.

AndyF16 · December 2010

Thanks for that Balthazar - food for thought. When I kick the ciggies maybe I'll use the space for a spare 'toob'

Lagavulin · December 2010

If they don't get a latex glove they at least get a healthy wrapping of cling film.

pilot_pete · December 2010

I use Conti Supersonic tubes....they are half the size of regular tubes when rolled up. How, well they are VERY thin and lightweight. This has it's advantages obviously, but also means they are not as tough when wrapped up in the saddle bag.

I wrap two of them in clingfilm and stow them in my quite small saddle bag, with tyre levers and a miniature multi-tool. I also have a 4" section of old tyre with the beads cut off to act as a tyre patch since being stranded after a cheap rear tyre exploded on me....

PP

Scrumple · December 2010

Cling film for me.

Bin old tubes.

bigjim · December 2010

I fixed a good sized hole in my tyre once using a folded cigarette packet I found in the gutter. Pumped it up and rode away. trouble is I forgot all about it and rode around for months like that. I only remembered it when I changed the tyre before selling the bike. Must have done a couple of hundred miles on it at least.

Old Pedaller · December 2010

I find it more efficient to protect everything by covering what is likely to do the harm eg the metal tyre levers.

cougie · December 2010

Dont you find metal levers knacker your rims ? All of mine are plastic ?

Old Pedaller · December 2010

Yes, but I've got them so I carry them on the commuter where I'm not worried about the (wide) rims. I also carry just the one to get the tight tyres on the audax bike started then use the plastic. It's also useful for the unknown tyres of others on a club run when the unprepared get a puncture.

The principle remains in that, for me, it is more efficient space-wise to cover the sharp bits, whatever they be, than to protect the tubes.

www.richtreen.co.uk · December 2010

I tend to buy Bontager Race X Lite tubes to carry as spares as they come shrink wrapped from the factory so are already packed down nice and compact as well as protected.

rhext · January 2011

AndyF16 wrote:

I don't like to temp fate, but approx 7k varied miles since April 2010 p******e free.....

Anyway it's not like going without anything, we used the patches three times while touring in Belgium in the summer (my mate's non Armadillos every time) and it isn't many minutes slower than just swapping out tubes, or am I missing something? Genuine question, not being smart arsed

Also, putting a patch on when it's hissing it down with rain can be a bit of a challenge....

Puncture-proof tyres are great, but they're not infallible.

Do you protect your spare inner tube(s)?

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