Repairing rips in tyres

smoggysteve

I got a puncture today on my rear Schwalbe Ultremo ZX. I have a small tear in it about half a cm long. It is just about on the main line, not near a sidewall. Has anyone got good experience of patching them up and know what may be the best stuff to use. I did try to inflate tyre up to around 100psi with new tube in it and it looked like it may split more so I took the air out until I can figure out the best way to fix the whole.
Any advice welcome

PHILATHAM

not sure the size of hole will be safe to fix but use superglue in the split and a patch on the inside and you should be in with a shout

philvantwo

I wouldn't ever be really confident using it again, you could try a parktool 'tyre boot' but they're just an emergency get you home thing really.

cougie

New tyre time I think. Maybe use it for a turbo tyre but Id not use a ripped tyre on the road.

wishitwasallflat

New tyre time! You can get a very very good tyre for £35 not worth taking the risk.

sungod

if only the rubber is cut, then you can ride it, the strength of the tyre comes from the woven carcass not the rubber

if the carcass is cut so badly that the tyre starts to bulge as it inflates or the tube pushes out, bin the tyre

smoggysteve

There is no bulge. It just looks like it will tear more if I keep if pumped up as it was with no repair job. I am sure that if I could "glue " the rubber just to stop it ripping more it would be ok

desweller

As sungod says, the rubber contributes no strength to the tyre; it's there purely to grip the road. If the tube is not coming through then you don't need to worry about it.

Pigtail

I'd bin it. I've just very reluctantly done the same to a pro4 service course. Great tyre, worn very well, one gash in the rubber and the rest was pretty sound.

I've never found superglue very effective. I don't think it can cope with getting wet and has always opened up again. My wife suggested rubber solution from a puncture repair kit, which I thought might be possible but I didn't actually try it. One of my great pleasures on a bike is descending quickly. I reckoned I was taking enough risks at 40 + mph without worrying if my tyre would cope!

smoggysteve

Just changed tyre, Gave damaged one a good clean and on inspection, the gash is about 3 - 4mm and the inside is barely a pin prick.

sungod

3-4mm? 'tis but a scratch!

smoggysteve

Aye it is, and I would like to keep using it and repair it safe in the knowledge its not going to get worse. I was thinking of maybe putting a patch inside and filling the outside cut with puncture repair kit glue like Pigtail suggested.

toasted whippet

sorry if this is obvious, but fill it with glue when tyre is OFF the rim, and hold it together whilst drying.

islandman

If you repair it it's not likely to be any trouble doing 10 mph uphill, if you're willing to risk yourself going 35 down the other side then save the 35 quid. Are you really willing to risk it all for that ? Good luck mate.

sungod

don't worry about cuts that don't damage the carcass, tyres get them, it does no harm

my tyres get umpteen cuts and nicks, i check them to make sure the carcass is ok and that there's no glass/whatever lurking in there, and that's it

if you want to try closing cuts, vulcanising fluid probably won't be effective, something like superglue gel may hold for a while, but imho there's no benefit

oldwelshman

sungod wrote:

don't worry about cuts that don't damage the carcass, tyres get them, it does no harm

my tyres get umpteen cuts and nicks, i check them to make sure the carcass is ok and that there's no glass/whatever lurking in there, and that's it

if you want to try closing cuts, vulcanising fluid probably won't be effective, something like superglue gel may hold for a while, but imho there's no benefit

dont worry about cuts?
They puncture so much easier with cuts in them.

smoggysteve

Well, I managed to fix tyre (I hope). I found a latex based superglue. I placed a small patch inside the carcas and filled the tear with the glue. I left it overnight to dry. Placed it back on a rim and pumped it up to 130psi. If it were not for me making a bit of a mess I would not be able to see cut. It's been inflated for nearly 24 hrs and no sign of splitting. Once I get a dry day to ride out I will let you know how it is holding up. Cheers for all the advice.

sungod

oldwelshman wrote:

<...>
dont worry about cuts?
They puncture so much easier with cuts in them.

mine don't, and they've got loads of cuts

/touches wood to avoid satirical puncture effect

ADIHEAD

Perhaps I use the wrong type of Superglue but I've never managed to get it to last more than a couple of rides before it breaks up. Personally I wouldn't be riding a 180g tyre in the winter though;-) Try a set Schwalbe Durano's for the winter months as save the Ultremo's for the summer. I've yet to puncture a 25mm Durano in 2 winters and I ride on terrible roads!

oscarbudgie

Superglue works fine, maybe more as a filler than a fix. My tyres on winter bike have got umpteen nicks and cuts its no big deal. Ignore the drama queens on here, a few cuts won't won't kill you.

smoggysteve

I got Hutchinson tyres for winter use. I used the ultremo cos it was dry and reasonably warm. I personally think duranos are pretty tonk compared to others for their price. Top end I think ultremos are hard to beat for the price. 25 euros in Germany. But other than that I don't rate the rest. Contis have always been the best for wet . Only have the hutchinsons cos they came with the bike.

smoggysteve

Since my last post I have experimented with repairs. This is how I have got on.

Using a marker pen, I circled the cut on the inside of the tyre. I stripped out the tyre and washed it inside and out with a mild soap. checking for any debris inside the shoulders. After leaving the tyre to dry naturally, I used a rubber based glue on the inside of the tyre on the canvas. Using the small rubber tube you get in some puncture repair kits, i smooth down the glue and remove any excess. On the outside of the tyre, I applied the same glue into the cut and then nip it shut and tie an elastic band around it to keep the cut closed. Leave for around 24 hrs and remove the band and flatten out the tyre. Check to make sure no glue has seeped out onto the surface. If so remove it with some light sand paper. i.e puncture repair kit style. Replace tyre onto a rim and inflate to around 60 psi. Visually inspect the cut and squeeze the tyre on and around where the cut was, looking for any deformation. If all is good, inflate to desired riding pressure. I usually go to around 115 psi on mine. 700 x 23 were the tyres a repaired. So far after riding in damp but not soaking conditions, I have had no problems or reopening of the cut. In fact I found another small nick on the same tyre which I repaired by deflating and filling with glue, kept on the rim. Now I cant even see where the repair was made.

I have ridden up to speeds of 35 mph on this tyre and its sound.

This is purely just as advice and anyone following it does so at their own risk.

oldwelshman

oscarbudgie wrote:

Superglue works fine, maybe more as a filler than a fix. My tyres on winter bike have got umpteen nicks and cuts its no big deal. Ignore the drama queens on here, a few cuts won't won't kill you.

Drama queens? Well I for one prefer to have a tyre with no cuts in when I am descending over 40mph I prefer to have a bit of confidence in grip and no puncture hopefully nothing to do with being a so called drama queen. I keep tyres with splits for turbo, can't be arsed with risking crash and loosing few weeks training/racing.

smoggysteve

Tyre has had over 200km done on it, rain and dry. Did a 43kph descent on it. Not had a problem. The interior was fine, just a cut in the rubber. Not had any more problems. All cuts seem to be holding up well. Granted, If it was a massive hole I could see light through then that would be a different story, but these are minor things. Just trying to show that just cos a tyre has superficial damage it doesnt mean its ready for the bin.

Bunneh

Depending on the severity of the cut I tend to just take it off, put rubber cement in the hole and let it dry. If it's a big cut that's showing a bulge from the inner tube I usually bin them but sometimes if I can't afford a new tyre at the time, I'll use one I keep for such a thing. I cut a bit off the old, ruined tyre, and pop it, with some glue, into the area that's damaged. Let it dry over night and it will do the job for a short while.

If you replace your tyre every time you find a cut you'd be buying a new tyre after every ride. Oh and make sure you go over your tyres regularly, check all the cuts you see, remove any shards etc because they'll only work their way in in time and pop your tube.

Graham James Le Maitre

wishitwasallflat wrote:

New tyre time! You can get a very very good tyre for £35 not worth taking the risk.

Totally agree, it is not worth the tube escaping from the hole and puncturing whilst going around a sharp bend. A small cut in the main tread I often repair with a small amount of Super Glue as somebody has already mentioned.

smoggysteve

Nearly 3 weeks and plenty of miles on it and no problems so not too sure on that one. I think people throw tyres away to quickly. I am not suggesting you should try and fix a totally fragged tyre but the slightest bit of damage should not condemn a tyre to the bin. Otherwise its going to be a very expensive sport, not thats its cheap to begin with of course.