Quote Originally Posted by Lisa S.H. View Post
A good reason to have them is if you are on a multi day tour in areas where there are no bike shops nearby. If your tire gets badly cut or chewed up somehow, you have a replacement tire with you. Carrying just one could cover a lot of possible tire disasters for 2 or 3 people if they use similar size tires.
Ditto that. I usually keep a set of new tires in my car in case I need a new one at the last minute as I start a ride. I'm also taking a set along for my week long bike trip to Tennessee in September. I stock up from www.probikekit.com, which stocks my tire of choice for a lot less than I've found elsewhere.

I really want to emphasize that it wasn't hard for me to mount the tire. Since I've never (knocked on wood) flatted on the road before, I don't get much practice with it either. For the record, the tires are Vittoria Rubino Pros. Some tires are reportedly harder to mount than others and the wheel itself can make a difference, too. I have Veloplugs instead of rim tape on my wheels, which allegedly makes mounting easier.