# Spare Tube in Saddle Bag



## Jake25 (Sep 20, 2006)

How long do spare tubes last in seat bags (before they dry out)? 

Is there anyway to prevent them from drying out if they do, i live near the ocean so its pretty humid around here.

Should i store the tube in saddle bag in its original box i purchased it in, so it doesn't get punctured form my tools, or just keep it out of the box?

any help appreciated
thank you.


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## bigmo (Feb 3, 2007)

I saw this in somebody's bag a few years ago and it seemed a good idea: keep the spare tube in an old ankle sock to keep it safe (trim the sock if it's too big). 
If luck is good, I sometimes go a month or 2 without a flat, but I've never worried about them going bad - just cycle them from my closet to my bike bag to rim.
Good riding,
-Dirk


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## mace2 (Mar 17, 2007)

Seems to me it would take a lot of pressure to puncture a tube... at least, from just rattling around inside the saddle bag. I always just cram it in there and have not once had a problem.


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*I used to store mine*



Jake25 said:


> How long do spare tubes last in seat bags (before they dry out)?
> 
> Is there anyway to prevent them from drying out if they do, i live near the ocean so its pretty humid around here.
> 
> ...


just like it came out of the box with the stem in the center protected by the tube itself and then in a plastic zip lock bag with talcum powder in the bag.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

Drying out? How is this any different than your tube being inside your tire?



Jake25 said:


> How long do spare tubes last in seat bags (before they dry out)?
> 
> Is there anyway to prevent them from drying out if they do, i live near the ocean so its pretty humid around here.
> 
> ...


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _How long do spare tubes last in seat bags (before they dry out)? _


Why worry about that? Your next flat will occur long before your spare tube has a chance to dry out. Sorry about the bad news . . .


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## rkj__ (Mar 21, 2007)

I use an old sock to protect the tube from the tools. I would not worry about it "drying out." It will be a long time before that will happen, and as others have mentioned, chances are, you will need it long before it gets a chance to dry out.


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## Barabaika (Jan 15, 2007)

filtersweep said:


> Drying out? How is this any different than your tube being inside your tire?


It develops cracks in the creases when it is hot outside. When it is installed, it is inflated, not folded.
I think about putting the tube in a foil; though, don't know if it makes it worse.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

+1 on the zip-lock bag with the talc/baby powder. It makes the tube & tire easier to install, because it acts as a dry lube. I use a rag/old sock to roll my tools in. That keeps them from jingling, protects other items from their sharp edges, and also provides me with a rag with which to wipe my hands after a tire change. 

Not that anything like that would ever happen to me on the road.


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## jojoaist (Feb 1, 2005)

I put the tube in one of those Tyvek mailing envelopes (trimmed down). I always heard you could use the Tyvek to make a temporary "boot" for the tire if need be. I didn't believe it until...last week when I got a nice tear in the sidewall and that little trick worked well enough to get me the 20 miles home.


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## toast (Jan 6, 2005)

I did have a tool edge rub through a tube in my mountain bike seat pack long ago. Since then I stick the tubes in a cut off sock.
When I put on new tires, I use the tube out of the seat pack and replace the old one. So, it is never there for more than a year on the road bike. 
For those of you getting flats every two months, maybe you should try a different tire or something. I am a bit over 12,000 miles in the New York City area since my last flat.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I just leave mine in the box, why go to all the trouble of talc and bags etc? And a piece of the cardboard box makes a decent boot, too.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*The box can be too bulky*



Creakyknees said:


> I just leave mine in the box, why go to all the trouble of talc and bags etc? And a piece of the cardboard box makes a decent boot, too.


If your seatbag is small and full. The heavy ziploc bag with talcum powder has worked well for me. I agree with all those who say the tube needs _some_ kind of protection. I also have had the experience of a toolkit or other hard object rubbing or tearing a hole in a tube.

It's generally a good idea to take the tube out and inflate and inspect it once or twice a year (if you've been lucky and haven't used it in that interval).


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

I jerked one out of an old saddle bag that had been sitting around for years - I'm talking more than a decade. Worked fine, though I did replace it quickly rather than push my luck.

The box is a bit bulky, they can get damaged from the edges of the minitool, car keys, etc. The sock trick is handy, because it also gives you something to grab the chain with when reassembling everything, so you don't have to ride the rest of the day with greasy fingers. Makes the powerbars much more palatable.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

Bontrager tubes come in a nice plastic shrink wrap inside the cardboard box- for that reason I have one of those for my spare.


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