i have bike freak friends and ive heard countless stories of why they dont go fucking anywhere without tools and spares
sounds like you also now have one
i have bike freak friends and ive heard countless stories of why they dont go fucking anywhere without tools and spares
sounds like you also now have one
Also for additional context I'm pissed at Sportchek not because the tubes didn't last as long as expected but that they fucking blew when I was on pavement.
I wasn't even out on any rough terrain or any of the local trails. Goddamn it dude
And this is why you never go on a ride without a basic repair kit that includes at least: a pump, two(!) tire levers, a small bicycle multitool, a tube and a patch kit (you might fuck up the new tube while mounting it...etc).
Did you not take spares with you?
Seems like every other off road ride for me I got a flat, about every 40 miles.
I've got patches with me in my bag but I wasn't able to take the tire off without an allen key because I stupidly forgot to pack my tools today

Please do yourself a favor and get proper tire levers. An allen key is the absolute wrong tool here. It will ruin your rim and possibly kill the tubes.
What are you using the allen key for? Hopefully to screw off the wheel somehow and not to take the tire off the rim.
had this the other week killing a "puncture proof" maxxxis tire. the tire just gave up.

Man, that sucks. I feel you on the cheap inner tubes. I got fucked by that one too many times so now I only buy WTB tubes. Other ones would always pop on rock gardens or hard landings on jumps.
That blows. I recently had a pinch-flat on clean asphalt (!!!) that wouldn't take a patch in the field and was forced to walk the last 5 km.
Two things I'd check into besides the tube: the tire casing and the tube install. Sometimes a puncture through the tire's fabric breaks too many strands or cuts through both biases. In that case the tire is toast as any tube will push through the puncture the moment you start riding on it. It's this kind of tire failure for why I keep a tire boot in my repair bag.
I've also seen tubes get damaged when using tire levers. Those usually fail with tears and little bubbles of weakness. If at all possible, do not use a tire lever for anything but removing a tire. I've had very good tubes be fatally damaged in this way.
Fwiw, I've had no problems whatsoever with RideNow TPUs from AliExpress. Cheap and performant, and small and light enough to pack a few spares at all times in a saddle bag.
Why would you go on a long ride without bringing spares and tools? Maybe you should stick to doing laps on a 5 mile trail if you aren't going to bring stuff for repairs. Long ride without a long walk back if you have a flat.
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