Not turning bikes upside down

[Palinurus]

I've grown to like scuffed saddles and levers

[LittleWheelsandBig]

You can pop the wheel out, pull out the tube, check the tyre, refit everything and pump it up with a frame pump in five minutes. Why make a meal of it by the side of the road if you don't need to?

[mattc]

I find that turning the bike upside down, renders it helpless, Like a sick animal, awaiting my delicate , undivided attention, as opposed to rushing the job thro,

<snip>

Flipping the bike back over again I get a sense of satisfaction, of job done, a bit like finally closing the bonnet of your car after an oil change/service.

I rather like this attitude!

I no longer flip bikes over - usually - but I totally agree with the feeling of "satisfaction, job done"

[Redlight]

BUT you see, this brings us to another question, do you patch, or do you swap??

Swap. Always (or until I run out of tubes). Especially in the dark/wet etc.  Incisions in tubes are a bit like trains at a level crossing. You patch one, only to discover the bastard bit of glass or whatever had a couple of bites.  And it's quicker.

[Kim]

I'll patch if it's warm, dry, a convenient place to stop and I'm not in a hurry.  It saves the intact tube for the next visitation, where it might be none of those things.

If it's pish, or I'm holding up a group, swap every time.


I apply a similar logic to the use of CO2 rather than a pump.