fixing punchures

andy610

does everyone fix the innertube when they have a punchure and use the tube again or do they replace with new tube everytime

ademort

If it,s a small hole, ie less than 2mm i would fix it. If it,s any more than 2mm i would not repair it. Not worth the risk. Just think of the speed you may be riding at and possible heavy traffic, i just feel that it,s not worth taking the risk of fixing larger holes as opposed to fitting a new tube. If you buy in bulk then an inner tube may cost 2 quid or less. My life is worth more than 2 quid, is yours? Ademort

DomPro

I often repair the first puncture, but for the second one I throw the tube away.

Btw, punchure !?!

airborne_warrior

I just replace mine. Tubes are cheap enough, especially in bulk. That said i rarely get punctures. Depends what tyres you use i suppose.

bilabonic

Where you guys getting tubes in bulk ? I recently had both tubes (F+R) punctured, so bought some from halfords at £5 each.

Also found that the the new tube did not allow the tyre 'sit' correctly by the valve area. The existing punctured tube was less 'bulky' around this area and marked on it was 'superthin ?

Any advise on this ??

ta

OOtzen-Booty

DomPro wrote:

I often repair the first puncture, but for the second one I throw the tube away.

Btw, punchure !?!

SAME AS THAT,

marcthehammer

Hi.I get my innertubes from here http://www.cycleworld.co.uk/. 3 for 1 at the moment,but the offer seems to last a while cos i got mine before Christmas.

antfly

There is no reason not to fix it several times,unless you like spending money on tubes.Tubes aren`t cheap if you get a lot of punctures.I don`t but I fix them anyway.Rema racing patches are barely noticeable.

marcthehammer

Ive had no probs with them and they are a known make.

Bhima

I take out 2 spare innertubes and replace them if I get punctures. Then I fix the holes on the old ones when I get home.

If I have more than 2 punctures, i'll fix them on the side of the road.

I currently have an innertube which has been patched up 9 times. It's still going though - and it's not been punctured since December.

topcattim

Bhima wrote:

I take out 2 spare innertubes and replace them if I get punctures. Then I fix the holes on the old ones when I get home.

If I have more than 2 punctures, i'll fix them on the side of the road.

I currently have an innertube which has been patched up 9 times. It's still going though - and it's not been punctured since December.

Me too. I'd rather save the money to spend on something I want, rather than an unnecessarily new tube.
After repairing the tube, I stick a bit of air in it (not masses, don't want to burst it) and leave it inflated for a couple of days just to check the patch is holding fine. I'll then take off the spare inner tube and replace it with the repaired one (but will always try and do this the day before I ride, again so I can pump it up to 110 psi and check that it hasn't gone down overnight)

Bhima

Yes, I do that too. I thought it was a bit excessive but it's good to see i'm not the only one taking puncture repair so seriously!

If you patch the tubes properly, you should be able to use them for a lifetime!

System_1

I repair mine too, not really because of the price but environmental issues too. If I can fix something I will.

I know people who are fairly environmentally aware and who complain about how products these days are now cheaper to replace than repair, yet they'll still bin a tube instead of fix it because it's easy and cheap. :?

Headhuunter

I repair mine. Feather edge patches from Condor near where I work are cheap and unnoticeable on the road.

I have to say, with regard to different brands of inner tube, I really don't feel any difference. I have never tried latex tubes which some say are completely different, however as far as butyl is concerned, if you ask me, they are all much of a muchness, whether you buy them for £1 each at Decathlon or get some Specialized or Conti branded tube. To me it really makes no difference either in terms of ride quality or puncture frequency.

fooshnicken

I always take a spare out with me and repair the flat one when I get home. However I noticed this morning that my rear tyre had gone flat so I replaced the inner tube with a previously repaired inner tube.

On my way to work I could feel a definate bump as I rode along, like bump, bump, bump as the wheel rotated. I suspect that the reapir on the inner tube has made it a bit out of shape and unusable sadly. I'll ride it home and replace it with a new one I think.

kozzo

I always replace. I never repair.

nickcuk

On short rides I don't bother with a spare tube and can fix a puncture in about 12 mins. I replace when the tube starts to affect the smoothness of the wheel - a good repair is at least as strong as the original

Bhima

Actually, a properly fixed puncture could possibly be stronger than a new innertube...!

grandad3

If it can be repaired, repair it with a decent patch. no need to chuck it out cos you,ve got to put a patch on. If you cant be arsed send it to me

doyler78

Never had a puncture but I guess I would justreplace. Lifes too short and I have a collection of tubes that I've never got to use

rolf_f

This thread could be retitled "Who couldn't be bothered to pick up a fiver they dropped"

Headhuunter

kozzo wrote:

I always replace. I never repair.

Can I have your discarded tubes?

kozzo

Check PM

tiny_pens

Depends on the bike. I have never had a particularly strong repair success rate on tubes for 23mm tyres. Its probably the cheap patches I use but I have found it tricky to get a good seal that doesn't leak at the patch. The patches have worked well enough for a 'get you home' job but I would find they would go flat after about an hour.

No problems with thicker wheels though (28mm and above).

Tiny