There you have it, all the cliches for not fixing a flat: tubes are cheap why bother?; Yep your wasting time patching a tube on the road; I'm too lazy to mess with patching; all these statements by supposedly road bikers who have been riding for a while, but in reality what their saying is: "THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX A FLAT"!!!! Yikes here comes the war of words.
Fix a flat is not more difficult on the road then it is to change out the tube unless it's raining. Folding tires make fixing a flat easier then snapping your fingers, and glueless patches DO WORK, and they make the job even easier.
With a folding tire all you do is remove about 1/2 of one side with the hole in the center of the half; next you pull out about 1/4th to 1/3rd of the tube again with the hole in the center; next you take your little sand paper your patch kit comes with and you lightly buff the tube where the hole is slightly larger then the patch will cover; next, and this is optional which I rarely do unless my fingers are greasy, is take a alcohol pad and wipe the area you sanded clean; next take a glueless patch and peal the back off and press it very tightly to the tube making sure you get all of it pressed on. Then check the tire where the hole is for the offending object and remove if it's still there. Now all you need to do is restuff the tube, reseat the tire, pump the tube to about 20psi and then let the air out then pump again to whatever psi you use or your pump can handle.
There are plenty of doomsayers out there that are against glueless patches, but I've been using them successfully as permanent patches for at least 15 years! And I've never had a failure, even had one tube with as many as 13 glueless patches that all held for 5 years before I tossed the tube. The doomsayers are again a person who really doesn't know how to properly apply a patch. And you can test what I'm saying, apply a glueless patch to a tube and ride with it for about a week, then remove the tube and try to take the patch off with your hands...guess what will happen? Thats right, the tube will tear!
Sure I carry a spare tube, you would be fool not too, but I patch first before using the tube because I can patch it just as fast if not faster then replacing the tube. I also carry a spare folding tire in my seat bag because I've had tires get destroyed; and I carry mini tool, tire irons, QuikStik (removes and installs tires fast once the tire irons get it started), other variety of stuff. Most riders won't carry a spare tire, so I just laugh as they walk (except in once case in remote mountains of Bakersfield CA I gave a guy my spare tire and tube after his blew and was faced with looming darkness and a long walk).
If you practice with patching you will get good at, but don't get frustrated and give up after a couple of attempts. I've been riding for over 35 years and been patching all those years on the road, even patched tubulars on the road! (not something I recommend though, but I blew both of my spares thus had to patch it, and it took about 45 minutes to an hour to do). But with clinchers once you get good at it you can do a front flat in about 5 to 8 minutes, I've known a couple guys who can do it faster then that.
Now the war begins with the attacks.
