Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. If I read the replies correctly, there is a unanimus view that it is smart to carry repair kit during middle and long course tris. For short/sprint distance there are some differing views.
Thinking about the reasons offered for carrying a repair kit during a race, I am convinced. For me, the two most compelling reasons are: (1) the weight of the repair kit really isn't that much; and (2) finishing the race, even with an additional X minutes to repair a puncture, is better than a DNF and having to sit around waiting for the sag/sweep (or walk in cycling shoes) back to the start.
Given the above, here is what I carry in my
training repair kit; it comes in a 528 grams / 18.6 ounces (couple of pictures below):
- Custom Bike Xcessories aero storage box (79 grams)
- Lezyne multi-tool (62 grams)
- Tube with correct valve length (107 grams)
- Lezyne CO2 valve (24 grams)
- CO2 cartridges (2) (123 grams)
- Patch kit (25g)
- Tire levers (3) (40 grams)
- Spare SRAM and CR2032 batteries (32 grams)
- Small cleaning rag (36 grams)
For
racing, I would remove the aero storage box and carry the following under the seat (239 grams / 8.5 ounces):
- Tube with correct valve length (107 grams)
- Lenzye CO2 valve (24 grams)
- CO2 cartridge (1) (62 grams)
- Tire levers (2) (28 grams)
- Hex wrench to remove thru bolts (18 grams)
As a few people suggested, I would also put a spare tube and CO2 cartridge in my special needs bag if doing a long distance tri. Also, a couple of people recommended carrying a chain breaker and quick link.....not so sure about this.
Any thoughts on the above??