Patch tube, Yes/No?
So in the past few months i've had 3 slow leaks. Each time I put the old tube in a bucket of water to find the hole, check the tire and then install a new tube. So far all 3 are tiny holes most likely caused by a thorn.
Since I mostly ride solo and can get 30-40 miles from home at times, I've opted to always use a new tube. But at $10 per it's starting to get expensive. I once went 18 months without a flat and am concerned of a patch failing over time. |
Yes. Use permanent patches, not peel-off ones. Properly patched, it's as good as new.
I do suggest "batch patch" i.e. do a few at a time, for efficiency. |
I patch my tubes when I get home, reinstall it and pump it up. I buy a new tube after three patches. Not because I think they will fail (I've never had a patch fail) but because I'm a bit of a weight weenie when it comes to tires, tubes and wheels.
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For me, yes. Some of my tubes have 4 or 5 patches and they still work perfectly.
I live and ride in the land of thorns, so I flat all too regularly. I collect the tubes and patch them in a batch when I have about 10. After patching, I fill them up with air, and if they are still holding air in the morning, they get stashed for later use -- the ones that fail (maybe 5-10%) get binned. I've never had a good patch fail -- and it's pretty easy to tell if you got a good bond. Plus it's pretty satisfying work. :) |
I usually put a permanent patch on when I get home . Re-install in tire and if it holds over night, I leave it installed. Put good tube back into tool kit, for another use. KB.
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Thanks guys, it give me the confidence to try patching them.
I have Zipp 303s and use the Zipp tubes with their valve extenders, they're $10 each so not cheap. My spare tube is a Bontrager with a 60mm threaded stem. The tube is bullet proof as i've used it and reused in more times than i can remember. The stem rattles a bit where the Zipp tubes do not... and the Zipp tube just looks better. I'll have to stop by the LBS and get a permanent patch kit and give it a try. Thanks again. |
Originally Posted by GlennR
(Post 21008249)
The stem rattles a bit
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Originally Posted by GlennR
(Post 21008224)
So in the past few months i've had 3 slow leaks. Each time I put the old tube in a bucket of water to find the hole, check the tire and then install a new tube. So far all 3 are tiny holes most likely caused by a thorn.
Since I mostly ride solo and can get 30-40 miles from home at times, I've opted to always use a new tube. But at $10 per it's starting to get expensive. I once went 18 months without a flat and am concerned of a patch failing over time. |
Originally Posted by GuitarBob
(Post 21008280)
A wrap or two of electrical tape at the base of the value should fix that right up.
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
(Post 21008291)
Off the subject - are you younger now? Or just faster? :innocent:
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Originally Posted by GlennR
(Post 21008249)
Thanks guys, it give me the confidence to try patching them.
I have Zipp 303s and use the Zipp tubes with their valve extenders, they're $10 each so not cheap. My spare tube is a Bontrager with a 60mm threaded stem. The tube is bullet proof as i've used it and reused in more times than i can remember. The stem rattles a bit where the Zipp tubes do not... and the Zipp tube just looks better. I'll have to stop by the LBS and get a permanent patch kit and give it a try. Thanks again. |
Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
(Post 21008316)
Get the Rema patch kit,
thanks |
Yes, patch it. I can’t remember a patch problem and I have used Park peel back patches for years.
What I do is always carry a spare tube and if I have a flat on the road I install it. Once I get home I patch the leaky tube and reinstall it in the wheel and pump it up to my road pressure. This will really force the patch on the affected area. I then roll up the new tube I just removed, roll it up, and carry it as my spare again. |
You might also try putting sealant in your tubes of you keep getting slow leaks.
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Originally Posted by GlennR
(Post 21008224)
So in the past few months i've had 3 slow leaks. Each time I put the old tube in a bucket of water to find the hole, check the tire and then install a new tube. So far all 3 are tiny holes most likely caused by a thorn.
Since I mostly ride solo and can get 30-40 miles from home at times, I've opted to always use a new tube. But at $10 per it's starting to get expensive. I once went 18 months without a flat and am concerned of a patch failing over time. |
Originally Posted by Sy Reene
(Post 21008430)
Curious.. so you'd always in the past spend the time with a bucket of water to find a leak, but then throw away the unpatched punctured tube anyway?
I still have the tubes. |
Originally Posted by GlennR
(Post 21008448)
Not much time. I do it so I know where to look for what caused the puncture.
I still have the tubes. |
Originally Posted by Sy Reene
(Post 21008464)
Ahh ok.. though a bit late to check for something in the tire, because you have already installed a new tube and then finished your ride, no?
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I buy tubes in bulk at about $2.70 a tube. I generally don’t patch tubes
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^ Same. Never patch. I buy tubes on sale. Even my latex tubes are less than $7.00 a pop and my backup butyls were under $5 last time I got some. Certainly would never spend 10 bucks on a butyl tube.
The latex have the added benefit of having removable valve cores. I've been able to save quite a few of those with sealant. |
I always patch tubes.
I have a 100 pack of Rema patches, along with many tubes of cement in my tool box. I had a winter training wheel tube that had 18 patches, many overlapping. I figured I was running Gatorskin tires anyways. Also, I've patched every brand of latex tube that I've run, even the ultra-thin Vredesteins, using the same Rema patches and liquid cement. |
When I read posts like this, I always wonder what people did when they were kids and their bike had a flat. My Dad certainly wasn't always around to patch a flat, he showed me (and brothers and sister) how to do it and when we had a flat, we patched it. We certainly didn't have the money to go buy tubes. If an 8 year old can apply a patch that holds, then I'm sure an adult can do it.
It also seems bad for the environment to just throw away tubes with a small hole that can easily be fixed. Simply wasteful. |
We always patched them as kids. As I recall we lit the patch on fire briefly on the theory that it helped the seal. I have no idea if it helped.
Now I'm too lazy and I just replace the tube. |
When you do retire a tube, they make, without exception, the most secure lashing material in the universe. They are indispensable for securing objects to auto roof racks and I keep a couple on the boat in case of a rig failure. You can build a scrap lumber or bamboo hut with them when your place blows away in a hurricane.
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Do you guys leave the cellophane on the outside of the patch or remove it before installation?
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