Are you too posh to patch?

deptfordmarmoset

So anyhow, I set off from Deptford for a short journey to Kennington at the same time as the lad next door was setting off for Oxford Street, so we set off together and pretty soon we found ourselves taking completely unnecessary diversions and somewhere into the ride we ended up doing a tour of Richmond Park.

I can safely say we were the slowest, scruffiest cyclists in the park - well, Deptford has a reputation to maintain and I think we acquitted ourselves exceptionally well. And rather skilfully we managed to go round the park clockwise while just about everybody went round the other way and studiously ignored us. But I have never ever seen so much bling and expensive equipment on a public road!

Halfway round we stopped at what was evidently the café for a tea while the lad refuelled on carbs. As there were so many cyclists in the café we had to sit outside. It was there I noticed that more than one person had left their punctured tubes on the tables outside. As there was no sign of people intending to pick their tubes up on the way out after their cake stop, I thought, let's have a look at this tube on the table alongside me. Perfect fit and just a small eminently patchable puncture. Dry and clean, I could have patched it in, what, 20 seconds - 10 seconds of which would have been taken up by me scrabbling around in the bottom of my bag looking for the kit. So to save 20 seconds, I picked it up and stuffed it in my bag. Dirty Deptford has a reputation to maintain, after all.

But I was left wondering, say the tube cost £5 and it takes 20 seconds to patch it, what kind of hourly rate are these guys on for it not to be worthwhile mending on their day off? It's not even remotely like hard work.

Bobbinogs

Definitely patch, in the comfort of a well lit and warm room with a proper puncture kit (glueless patch kit in saddle bag for those emergencies when I don't have enough tubes, although this hasn't happened yet, touch wood).

geebee2

But I was left wondering, say the tube cost £5

I bought a 10-pack of tubes from CRC for £13.99

At that price, I prefer not to bother with repairing tubes. In the distant past I found quite often a repair didn't work, and the repair kits are not all that cheap anyway.

One tip : after passing a puncture hazard ( e.g. tractor cutting hedge ) stop and check your tyres to see if they have picked anything up. I should have done this a couple of weeks ago, didn't, and about 5 miles further on had to change a tube in sub-zero temperature, which isn't much fun.

Pep

my rear tube has got probably 10 patches on.
front just a couple.
half a dozen for my daughter pram.

and how about environment? old tubes end up polluting.

MrChuck

There should be a 'depends' option!
Basically if I'm sorting it out at my leisure and it's going straight back on the wheel then I'll patch it- before my bike got nicked one of the tubes had 6 patches on it.

If I'm out on a ride and I have a spare then I'll just swap it and take the old one home, where it rarely gets fixed because I have a good one in the tire by then and I don't really trust patched ones to carry as spares.

deptfordmarmoset

geebee2 wrote:

But I was left wondering, say the tube cost £5

I bought a 10-pack of tubes from CRC for £13.99

At that price, I prefer not to bother with repairing tubes. In the distant past I found quite often a repair didn't work, and the repair kits are not all that cheap anyway.

One tip : after passing a puncture hazard ( e.g. tractor cutting hedge ) stop and check your tyres to see if they have picked anything up. I should have done this a couple of weeks ago, didn't, and about 5 miles further on had to change a tube in sub-zero temperature, which isn't much fun.

The one I stuffed in my bag was a specialized 700x20/28c thin one. I can't seem to trace them on CRC but the cheapest price I've found was £3.99.

geebee2

my rear tube has got probably 10 patches on

Crikey, I wouldn't fancy using that. How many punctures do you get?
I cycle about 120 miles a week in the UK, and get maybe 2 or 3 a year, usually nasty long thorns. The bigger cost I find is tyres, I generally replace these about once a year.

and how about environment? old tubes end up polluting.

Rubber is biodegradable, so probably not a big concern.

Lagavulin

I buy in bulk and bin them.

deptfordmarmoset

MrChuck wrote:

There should be a 'depends' option!
Basically if I'm sorting it out at my leisure and it's going straight back on the wheel then I'll patch it- before my bike got nicked one of the tubes had 6 patches on it.

If I'm out on a ride and I have a spare then I'll just swap it and take the old one home, where it rarely gets fixed because I have a good one in the tire by then and I don't really trust patched ones to carry as spares.

I reckon, if you're out and about, you've definitely ready to divorce your old tube. You've immediately replaced her and you'll never completely trust the old one ever again.

But if you're at home, you'll patch things up...

StillGoing

Lol, I'm too blooming broke not to patch after the Basso build.

desweller

I don't think I've got a single tube without patches in it. Farmers and their hedges, see. And the memorable occasion when someone decided to smash in every single glass bus shelter from my house to the centre of Gloucester (~ 3 miles).

freehub

I've got about 10 tubes hanging in my room waiting to be patched.

tlw1

In theory I patch, in practice I just leave them in the garage

Blue Meanie

I get staff discount on tubes, and still patch.
Carry one spare tube, swop it if the PF comes visiting and fix it when home, then it goes back in the bag.
Tubes are only ditched if they're un-repairable.

Velonutter

I'm quite disciplined, I always like to have new inner tubes in my tyres, but I carry repaired tubes in my saddle pack that have been repaired and tested for some days before being added to my box of repaired tubes.

If I puncture then I use these to get home and then swap them out for a new inner tube before the next ride.

forcutty

Pep wrote:

my rear tube has got probably 10 patches on.
front just a couple.
half a dozen for my daughter pram.

and how about environment? old tubes end up polluting.

This My rear has loads on it too

Pep

geebee2 wrote:

my rear tube has got probably 10 patches on

Crikey, I wouldn't fancy using that. How many punctures do you get?

I get perhaps 5-6 punctures a year, equally spread, average maybe 100-150miles a week
why not? I don't think a pacthed tube is different than a brand new one.

Rubber is biodegradable, so probably not a big concern.

Sure, it is, just it probably takes many 100s of yr for it to go. Not a concern to you, but the next generations will not agree.

NWLondoner

As a Latex tubes convert I would never patch these and will bin them.

They are fragile enough and when they let go they LET GO big time!!!

Only the other month I swapped my tyres over and inflated the tubes with no issue or so I thought. About an hour later there was an ALMIGHTY bang which scared the s**t out of me. I had pinched he smallest amount of tube possible and it was just waiting to go off. thankfully i wasn't riding at the time,

Squillinossett

Bin, tubes are cheap at £6-6 a pop, I would much rather have fresh rubber on for that tiny outlay.

deptfordmarmoset

By coincidence after my comments about Deptford's fiercely guarded reputation, I discovered that the BBC had broadcast an austerity challenge yesterday morning to buy/make a wedding dress for £10. Guess where they went to find out? The journalist dresses down to go to Deptford High Street and the market.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12250226

Anyhow, I'm in favour of ''too posh to patch'' tube recycling centres like the one in Richmond Park. But I'd really appreciate having one a bit nearer than Richmond Park.

RichN95.

I imagine many of you have bikes costing £1000+, perhaps much more. So why would you use compromised tubes with it for the want of a fiver?

MrChuck

RichN95 wrote:

I imagine many of you have bikes costing £1000+, perhaps much more. So why would you use compromised tubes with it for the want of a fiver?

I don't think they're really compromised. IME if the repair is good the next morning then it's good end of, and I'd trust that tube just as much as a new one.

For me the issue is more about making sure they are good before they go back in- if I've replaced it to get home then usually I CBA, but it's not because I don't want the patched one in there.

desweller

Cost of a fiver + faff of ordering online/trip to bike shop, for the sake of a repair that I can do in 10 minutes at home? I have never had a patch fail, so they're not compromised tubes in my view.

balthazar

NWLondoner wrote:

As a Latex tubes convert I would never patch these and will bin them.

They are fragile enough and when they let go they LET GO big time!!!

Only the other month I swapped my tyres over and inflated the tubes with no issue or so I thought. About an hour later there was an ALMIGHTY bang which scared the s**t out of me. I had pinched he smallest amount of tube possible and it was just waiting to go off. thankfully i wasn't riding at the time

As you identified, latex tubes are slightly easier to catch in the tyre bead during fitting. However, a patched tube is no more likely to be trapped than a new one. If there's a BANG then the tube was outside the tyre, and it would have been the same, butyl or latex.

Blowouts like this are usually at home, becuase riding the bike doesn't cause them, and by sheer odds: most bikes spend most of their time not being ridden.

Lucky Douglas

I chuck mine -.a pack of 5 tubes lasts me 2 years - not worth worrying about.

I'd feel a bit foolish if I had a flat just because I was trying to save the price of a pint.

Not very green I know, but at least when I'm on my bike I'm not in the car.

freehub

5-6 quid is a rip off for one tube.

Pep

"MrChuck wrote:

I don't think they're really compromised. IME if the repair is good the next morning then it's good end of, and I'd trust that tube just as much as a new one.

same here.
new is good, patched is good

And yes, I have (more than) one very expensive bycicles.

ballspondroad

Too pervy to patch ?

http://www.instructables.com/id/inner-tube-gimp-mask/

red dragon

I use patched tubes, but stick to the rule two patches and out.

chunkytfg

I only patch at home and not at the road side so carry 2 tubes(+ kit just in case)

The tubes are then fixed at home and left in an old tyre and wheel at ~120psi for a couple of day to test they hold pressure.

Once passed that test they are reintroduced into use as spares

I also have the same 2 patch rules as Reddragon

shouldbeinbed

"Blue wrote:

Carry one spare tube, swop it if the PF comes visiting and fix it when home, then it goes back in the bag.
Tubes are only ditched if they're un-repairable.

This.

Only 1 time I've ever had 2 punctures in same ride and nreded to roadside patch. Easier to swap out and patch at leisure at home without the inevitable dark & rain issues. Its usually a patched tube I'm putting on tho.