Flats, Patch it or Replace it

orangebox82

Hello,

I would like to know ,what is the majority of people doing when they have flats. Would you just replace the tubes or patch it?

I do not have a lot of experience when patching tubes, sure you patch the tube and that should fix it right. How is the patch work and usually how long do they last, is it like a permanent fix or temporary, do I need to check on it once in a while? And eventually replace it with a new tube.

What is a good patch kit available.

simon_masterson

Patch it, no excuses - unless the hole is too big, obviously. Done right you won't get it off again. Cheap kits (eg from Wilkinsons) work, but I like Rema Tip Top, which are good quality and worth the extra money in my view.

rank_amateur

I always carry a spare tube and a repair kit just in case. Swap the tube at the side of the road then repair the puncture when you get home. Test it and carry it as your spare next time. Doddle.

bbrap

And if you have very few punctures do not be tempted to buy loads of tubes just in case. 2 in the bike and 2 spares is plenty. Repair as necessary (tuck a repair kit in your jersey for the cycling over broken glass moment) and replace when there is more patch than tube. A large stock of spares will deteriorate over time (particularly if tightly rolled) and be rubbish when the time comes to use them. I may have been unlucky but the older the tube the more prone it seems to lose air and puncture.

sungod

repair

rema tiptop tt04, comes in a little plastic box to keep all the bits together...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rema-tip-top-puncture-repair-kit-tt04/rp-prod46341

...extra patches and vulcanising fluid are available separately

takes a few minutes and then the tube is good as new

there are self-adhesive patches, but they are nowhere near as reliable

carry a spare tube as well, if it's hammering with rain you're better off leaving the repair for later

make sure to inspect the tyre and remove any sharp bit(s) embedded in it, fitting the tyre with the label aligned with the valve hole is good practice, it helps keep track of where to look once you've found the hole in the tube

orangebox82

I have seen patch kits that do not need glue, its just eliminates it and it works like a sticker. Of course you have to sand the area so that it will adhere better.

Any experience with those kinds? Or am I better off with a patch that uses glue?

simon_masterson

As sungod says, self-adhesive/"glueless" patches aren't as reliable. They can work very well, but they aren't worth the slight time saving over doing it properly.

prhymeate

With regards to glueless patches, they might not be great for a more permanent repair but they can be a lifesaver when out on a ride. I got a puncture this weekend, miles from any houses and 20miles from home, the valve on my spare tube wasn't holding air in properly but the sticky patches that I'd bought on a whim managed to seal the puncture and get me home. First time I've had to use them, but I'd never be without them now.

Bobbinogs

Yepp, I always carry two spare tubes on the logic that if I go over glass with the front then I am likely to repeat it for the rear! Also seen folks double flat on potholes. I also carry the sticky patches in case of a double flat...it avoids any stress afterwards, like that wobbly feeling you get midway through a ride when you realise that you have left your pump at home.

I got into a strange dialogue with an experienced fellow rider a couple of months ago when I mentioned patching tubes properly when you get home (Rema TT are the bees knees) and he thought I was joking about fixing tubes...I then thought he was joking that he didn't know you could fix them...In the end we both gave up, probably each thinking the other was a wind up merchant :shock:

CiB

Patch it, at home. Patches are stronger than the original tube - try peeling one off if you don't believe it.

macleod113

I had a visit from the P Fairy last week and was forced to replace the tube at the side of the road in the rain. on inspecting the tyre i spotted a metal sliver sticking through the tyre so had to remove it. ended up having to use my teeth. will deffo be considering taking tweezers in future.
but i generally replace the tube and repair at home at a later time its a lot quicker.

orangebox82

Thank you for the replies.

Do those patches that uses glue, do they cure immediately or you have to wait for something like 24 hours for it to cure?

bbrap

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765625#p19765625]orangebox82[/url] wrote:

Thank you for the replies.

Do those patches that uses glue, do they cure immediately or you have to wait for something like 24 hours for it to cure?

Usually apply patch once glue is touch dry (2 or 3 minutes). Can be used immediately, no lengthy cure time.

CiB

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765625#p19765625]orangebox82[/url] wrote:

Thank you for the replies.

Do those patches that uses glue, do they cure immediately or you have to wait for something like 24 hours for it to cure?

The trick is to locate the hole, buff it, apply the glue, leave it for a couple of minutes for the glue to go off (usually time well spent looking for the cause of the flat in the tyre, if doing a roadside fix), then before applying the patch inflate the tube a bit so that it's round and roughly the same size as the tyre. Then put the patch on. Press it down firmly, dob a bit of talc or chalk if you want, then put it all back together. That way the patch isn't stretched when you blow it up inside the tyre, and will be properly stuck by time you do blow it up. Never had one fail when it's done properly, but the semi-inflation bit is the key, imho. If the puncture is too big to hold air while you patch it, the tube is probably destined for the bin anyway.

crankycrank

Nice to see every post so far has said to patch rather than replace. It always irks me when someone just tosses a tube every time they get a puncture, very wasteful. If you do insist on using a new tube each time save the punctured tube and give it to someone who will patch and re-use it.

Matthewfalle

Patch, patch and patch again - I've got tubes that a good few years old with multiple patches on.

Absolutely no reason to throw away unless they are completely jeffed.

supermurph09

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766180#p19766180]crankycrank[/url] wrote:

Nice to see every post so far has said to patch rather than replace. It always irks me when someone just tosses a tube every time they get a puncture, very wasteful. If you do insist on using a new tube each time save the punctured tube and give it to someone who will patch and re-use it.

To add some balance, puncture = tube in the bin.

CiB

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766180#p19766180]crankycrank[/url] wrote:

Nice to see every post so far has said to patch rather than replace. It always irks me when someone just tosses a tube every time they get a puncture, very wasteful. If you do insist on using a new tube each time save the punctured tube and give it to someone who will patch and re-use it.

Find a handy scout leader and give your past-it tube to him. Or her. Scouts live for fire; a section of inner tube cut into a small ring makes a brilliant fire-lighter.

Agree about not binning them - such a waste.

sheffsimon

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765230#p19765230]Rank_amateur[/url] wrote:

I always carry a spare tube and a repair kit just in case. Swap the tube at the side of the road then repair the puncture when you get home. Test it and carry it as your spare next time. Doddle.

Swap out the tube at the roadside, repair the tube at home, then swap it back into the tyre, so the spare you carry is always unpatched.....that's what I do anyway

navrig2

I keep a stock of tubes. Some new and some repaired. I generally save punctured tubes until I have a few, maybe 4 or 5, and then I repair them all in one session. Typically this could be a year's worth of punctures.

I buy the large repair patch and cut it to size using rubber glue.

With music on in the garage I find there is something therapeutic about fixing punctures - strange isn't it?

briantrumpet

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766665#p19766665]SheffSimon[/url] wrote:

Swap out the tube at the roadside, repair the tube at home, then swap it back into the tyre, so the spare you carry is always unpatched.....that's what I do anyway

That's what I should do. I prefer to inflate repaired tubes in the tyre so that the patch has prolonged pressure applied as soon as it's done. But all too often it just ends up being an intention, so I have quite a few unrepaired tubes waiting for repair.

Incidentally, if you've never used vulcanising rubber patches, the key is to be patient and wait until the 'glue' has completely dried. Don't be tempted to rush it.

Moonbiker

5000012 rema tip top packs of 100 patches. & vulcanizing fluid

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rema-Tip-Top-Round-Tyre-Inner-Tube-Puncture-Repair-Patches-Red-Edge-bike-car-/271354267622

Should last you a fews yrs


Never had a patch fail yet.

JackPozzi

replace at roadside take home for repair. Incidentally I currently have approx 100 tubes awaiting repair in the bike house....

rolf_f

Double post......

rolf_f

Rolf F wrote:

[url=<span class= wrote:

Prhymeate[/url]"]With regards to glueless patches, they might not be great for a more permanent repair but they can be a lifesaver when out on a ride.

In what way wouldn't traditional patches have similarly been a life saver?!

Honestly, don't bother with the glueless ones. The worst thing is that having used one, how many people peel it off as soon as they get a chance and patch properly? Not so many I suspect. And if you don't, one day it will fail. Probably when the tube deflates due to another puncture. And now you have two punctures to fix but you don't know it (for me, the problem with the glueless ones is that they don't expand and shrink with the tube - so after some time, maybe a long time, when the tube deflates the glueless patch partly detaches from the tube).

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19767366#p19767366]Moonbiker[/url] wrote:

5000012 rema tip top packs of 100 patches. & vulcanizing fluid

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rema-Tip-Top-Round-Tyre-Inner-Tube-Puncture-Repair-Patches-Red-Edge-bike-car-/271354267622

Should last you a fews yrs

Never had a patch fail yet.

How long do they actually last?! Good price though. Decisions decisions; a delicate balance between optimism and tight fistedness decides!

bbrap

I bought these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23-Piece-Bicycle-Tyre-Puncture-Repair-Kit-Bike-Cycle-Patches-Glue-Metal-Levers-/351379277354

Don't use the levers as they are metal. But the rest comes in 4 separate boxes with a 5g tube of glue in each. Nice and compact and you get 4 lots of glue so it does not dry up.

northcliff66

I never repair them out on the road. I always just put a new tube.

I then bring the punctured one home and repair it with whatever kit I have.

I then put the repaired ones in a drawer and never use them as I have loads of new ones as well, so why risk carrying a repaired one. So sad.

I am mad.

Moonbiker

I think the rema "feather edge" ones are better quality, than a few other ones iv'e seen or maybe its just brand snobbery because they are german.

How long do they actually last?! Good price though. Decisions decisions; a delicate balance between optimism and tight fistedness decides!

Nearly got though original first the 100 lot i bought, only about 20 left but have given some away. I think they may last as long as the tubes but I suppose they like all rubber will perish eventaully? Haven't being keen on cycling longer than around 5yrs so maybe in 10yrs etc they will start to fail?

Lots of my tubes now have 4 or 5 patches.

surrey_commuter

Some of you must be averaging 10 punctures a year!!! I switched to GP4S and look for foreign bodies in them and now puncture approximately every 2,000 miles. I would be long dead before I used 100 patches.

Dantimp

A related question. What do people carry to reinflate.
Just a pump, just a cannister or a pump with cannister?
Obviously space is limited so wonder what everyone carries.

redvee

Replace on the road but repair when I have 6 or so to repair.