My preference is pristine. It's always nice to know that the odds of having any leaks is near, or equal to, 0. Having said that, depending on the condition of the tube in general, I usually toss a tube when I have to patch it a 4th time. And, if I catch a thorn or some such right near the edge of a previous patch and I can't be sure it'll be really sealed after the new patch, I won't take that chance and I'll toss right then.
BTW - riding a mtn bike with 26x1.95 tires.
Originally Posted by
davester
I just threw out a couple of tubes that had a rather embarrassing number of patches on them (about five each). I'm a bit of a hoarder and my mother taught me to never waste anything (she grew up during rationing in WWII England) so I tend not to throw out stuff that still has life remaining. I've always been of the opinion that a tube repaired with a vulcanizing patch is close to as punctureproof as the original tube. That has certainly worked for me over the years...I don't remember ever having a patch later fail as long as the original repair was good. On the other hand I know people who consider a patched tube to be fatally flawed and will immediately remove and trash such a tube upon getting home from a ride. What's your policy? Are you a pristine tube kind of person, or are your tubes more than 50% patches?