I used to live in Boise, Idaho. That was goat-head city. The Slime product did an excellent job of resealing the tube after hitting a goat-head most of the time. The trick was not to pull out the goat-head. If the slimmed tire did ever go flat due to a goat-head that stubbornly did not reseal, the remedy was this:
a. spin the tire a bit to distribute the green fluid inside the tube
b. inflate tire to low pressure, 20-30 psi, and ride from 12/ mile to a mile
c. ensure the tire is holding low pressure while riding
d. inflate tire to normal pressure and the rider is good to go
The Slime does not likely work magic for large punctures as from screws, nails and staples. A new tube or patch job is then in order.
I just got a flat while riding home in Lawton, Oklahoma this morning. The bad guy was small staple in the grooved area of the slimed tire. I pulled the staple out and attempted the
a thru d method above but that failed miserably after two tries. The spare tube came out of my tool kit and the rest was history.
I have not been able to make patches stick with ordinary rubber cement with tubes filled with Slime. I've read that cold vulcanizing fluid is far superior but will it hold on a tube filled with Slime?
I don't seem to find those old-fashioned hot-patch kits that are lit with a match.
Is hot-vulcanization of a bike tube still possible in 2019?
Can patches be removed somehow that have been vulcanized?
Why would one want to removed a vulcanized patch, you ask?
Well, by some freak misfortune, the tire might get punctured by a screw in the future right in the same spot that it was formerly patched. It would seem prudent to remove the old patch before performing a new patch job.You don't want to put a new patch over an old one as that would make big lump in the tire.
Will a heat gun soften a hot or cold vulcanized patch where it will easily peel right off?
1. what tools/supplies are need to do a proper and strong vulcanized patch repair?
2. what equipment/methods are need to remove an old vulcanized patch should it too become punctured?
Since there doesn't seem to be any goat-heads in Lawton, OK, should I just forgo the slime altogether?
Depending on how often you hit nails, inner tubes get expensive fast by simply replacing them with new ones and throwing punctured ones out often. Bicycle tires, unlike tubeless steel-belted automobile tires, are very fragile against sharp pointed, even small, objects.
Slime also gets expensive to keep buying for new replaced tubes to boot.
