Super glue for tubeless internal patch
 

I had my first small cut (max 0.5 mm) on my tubeless road bike tire and it was not sealed by tubeless sealant. The sealant did part of its job: very small drops went out through the cut, preventing the air to flow. However, the sealant remained liquid: even at the third ride after the event (5 days later), the very small drops continued to appear, spraying forever during the rides, sticking hard on the frame, clogging the brakes and front shifter. So, my tubeless needs a repair even for a cut below 0.5 mm.

The question is: do you think the super glue below can be used to bond internal patch on road bike tubeless tires? That is because all the packs with tubeless patches I bought have dried glue…


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8c28ed71ff.jpg

Made for just that job
The patch is not like a regular tube type patch.
They are fabric reinforced.

Barry

I've actually had good luck with Gorilla Tape. It was meant to be a temporary fix, but it worked so well I just left it. This was an old tire I was trying to wring a few more miles out of, so maybe not recommended for a newish tire?

Some super glue sets rigid, and I would not use if for a tire. It appears that the one pictured remains flexible. I would use it.

I hadn’t seen this Rema kit. I recently patched a 5mm cut in a tire from the inside using a standard Rema patch & fluid, is holding well. This is in a tubeless tire used with a tube.

When you think about the glues available, in many cases you could cut pieces of old tube, and use for patches. They ones you cut from a tube, would not have tapered edges, but in many situations they would work. If I patch the inside or a tire, I may use a piece cut from a truck tube, because it is thicker.

Have you considered getting a set of bicycle tire plugs?

Yes, but I dropped the idea. It is a 0.5mm cut in a 23 mm tire. I'm afraid that enlarging that cut up to 4-5 mm (the thickness of the tire plugs tool) would damage the structure of the tire.

I can't find that in my region. i hardly found the one attached below. But the glue was mostly dried, so I can only use the patches. I noticed that the glue (although dried) smells a little like super glue - I think the name of the ingredient is "cyanoacrylate". So, I was thinking that a flexible formula of a ready made superglue from any shop might do the job...


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d69c7ce73b.jpg

I've used tube patches (like those) on small cuts like you describe that didn't seal. I've never tried it on larger cuts (>2mm).

When the tire is cut it goes through the reinforcement in the casing.
That rema tubeless patch has reinforcing in it.
I got mine from Amazon and Sports Basement.

BTW - Superglue is not a great choice. A vulcanizing glue is the magic stuff, as supplied with almost all patches.


Barry

yes, worth a try, I use that stuff all the time, including on small scab type tears on car tires. the little scabs stay closed & sealed. my wife's car tire has a repair that's been almost a year w/ no issues. just clean the inside of the tire well, maybe w/ alcohol? I have no idea, I've never tried to seal a tubeless tire. you have to maintain pressure until it dries & it takes 24 hrs to fully cure, I think. so if you use it, apply pressure for 24hrs. it doesn't work instantly

but have you considered Park Tool TB-2 Emergency Tire Boot (Pack of 3) I carry them in my bike trunk even tho I use tubes, just in case I tear a tire

Cant say I tried exactly what you describe, But SG does adhere well to rubber. I successfully glued shut a pinhole in a butyl tube and a cut in a clincher tyre. I say give it a go. Clean it up, glue the cut. If it doesnt hold, get the patch kit.

EDIT: Come to think of it, the sealant was supposed to close the cut in the first place and is touted to close cuts much larger than yours. In that light a patch should not be necessary. Glue should suffice.

Worth a shot and short test ride but I would be concerned about tire flex and the glue being rigid.

Fully agree with you: the sealant was supposed to work. But unfortunately, it does not. I use good quality and expensive sealant – Schwalbe. The tubeless is rated as 6-9 bar and I use it at 6.5.

So, I must accept that tubeless solution is poorly developed for road bikes. There are lots of nice stories related to the sealant that silently seals the small cuts, but the reality proves that the high pressure in a road bike tire does not allow the sealant to permanently seal a cut. It is a good emergency solution, since the liquid flows out of the tire at a much lower rate than air, but you cannot ride forever with a continuous spray from your tire, clogging your mechanisms and dirtying your frame.

MTB experience might be different, due to lower tire pressure.

Sure... I carry a tube of unopened Super Glue with my Vulcanizing Cement because the the VC can dry up in the tube even if its not opened. This flexible super glue should be even better. Be sure to post your experiences...

Lots of good solutions.

I would use a seam sealer instead of super glue. Super glue dissolves with certain solvent, acetone turns it back into a liquid. Maybe it is compatible with all brand of sealant but who knows.

I carry a tube of seam sealer when I bikepack. It is made for tents, air mattresses, rain gear etc. I've used it to patch pin holes in water bladders. Should work in a pinch.

Thanks for the answers!
Unfortunately, I see lot of uncertainty in the opinions, which probably means that there is no standard and reasonably safe solution developed, for permanently repair a pinched tubeless road tire. That is quite bad news and I think this is a serious reason for which the tubeless alternative does not have a future for road bikes...

Did you not see this post?

Half a millimeter? or like .025in. What the hell awful sealant doesn't take care of that?

I have no idea. During 3 rides after the moment when the cut appeared, the sealant continued to spread as a very thin jet of spray over the frame and rear brake - it never really seals, although it blocks the air to flow out. My intuition says that the issue is the tire pressure, which is higher for road bikes compared to MTB. If my intuition is wrong, then I have no idea about the real reason.

Yes, thanks!
But it is much harder available than the solutions for tubes. I hardly found something similar at only one shop, but the glue inside was almost solid and unusable. I might need to pay 15-20 EUR transport costs for buying a 2-3 EUR tire pack abroad... Quite bad experience for a user.
Also, since the sealant can't deal with such small cuts, I can't see the advantage of tubeless over tubes anymore...
But maybe that is only my particular bad experience with the tubeless.

P.S. Sure, I am also biased by the hard work I had to do to clean all the old sealant on the tire, only to fix a 0.5 mm cut...