puncture repairs 100% reliable?

inaperfectworld

i've just put on 2 patches as a thorn went through the outer edge and then the inner edge of the tube. i've repaired plenty of punctures on hybrids but pumping up a road tyre to 115 i wondered if the tube was now as good as before. if not do you change the tube? how many patches can you put on a tube before chucking it?

oldwelshman

I usually keep the repaired tubs for spares and fit a new one in wheel.

on the road

I just keep on repairing mine. There shouldn't be a problem provided you do it right. I've even had to put a patch half over another patch in the past and it's never gone down.

passout

Should be OK if you can be bothered.

heavymental

There comes a time when the tube looks a bit like a lumpy mess when you think maybe I should ditch it but I guess theoretically they can go on for many years. Course, the area around the valve will probably go from all the pumping and pulling about and the decision is made for you.

topcattim

oldwelshman wrote:

I usually keep the repaired tubs for spares and fit a new one in wheel.

Curiously, I do the opposite! I repair the tube and replace it on the wheel, on the grounds that if it is going to fail, it is more likely to fail over the next few hours (either by immediate blow out, or by gradual leakage) than it is likely to take a few days to fail. I always carry a brand new tube with me when I am out on a ride, and will then replace a punctured tube with the new one. Only if I puncture twice on a ride will I then repair the tube by the roadside.

Lucky Luke

I do the same as topcattim . If I puncture when I'm out on the road I've got a brand new tube to put in . When I get home I'll mend the punctured one and put it back in the wheel and put the 'brand new' one back in the seat pack . I do carry a few patches in the seat pack if I'm unlucky enough to puncture more than once when out on the road .

blorg

I've gone years on patched tubes without trouble.

Andymcj1

If you're using old fashioned adhesive and rubber patches the tube should be as good as new. The only problems I've had is with "leeches"- self adhesive patches which have developed slow punctures.

thatlondon

Its not the environmental option but I recommend chucking a punctured tube in the bin and getting a new one. You can buy packs of 5 tubes on places like wiggle.co.uk quite cheap.

siberianstarsky

bin it , you can buy 3 tubes for £5 nowadays.

inaperfectworld

good advice to ditch the tube, but if you continue with the patched tube don't rerly on it as the spare: 1 repair has been fine, the other didn't stick so well in the centre and is bulging out eventually ,air finding it's way along the seam; so a slow puncture going down over 3 days

SteveR_100Milers

Would never race on a repaired tube, so always carry one or two for longer rides. if I can find the motivation to repair a couple I'll only use them in my winter bike.

fossyant

I go with about 3 punctures in a tube and it's in the bin - i.e. patch only twice.

New tyres get new tubes though !

on the road

I put in a new tube and repair the punctured tube at home, then put it back in and keep the new tube as a spare. I just keep on patching mine and never had a problem.

redddraggon

I think there is a quality issue with patching tubes. Both my halfrauds tubes that came with my bike got punctured, and I've been unable to patch them. However a Vredstein tube that was my spare also got punctured and that easily patched up. The Vredstein tubes look really good quality, no flash from the moulding visible, so that makes patching easily. The conti tubes I have as spares now have the flash, haven't had to patch one yet though but I doubt it's going to be as easy as the Vredsteins.

I wouldn't like to carry a patched tube as my spare however. If you are going to do a lot of patching I definitely recommend the Vredstein tubes