fmt_biker

I've been doing the lazy-man's method of replacing tubes for each flat, but at least I'm saving them in a paper shopping bag for later mending. The weather is looking crappy this weekend, and I'm going to spend a few hours patching all these tubes (I have somewhere near 20).

All the patch kits I see at my LBS are designed to fix two or three flats, and have a tiny tube of glue. Any recommendations for a 'Costco-sized' patch kit with lots quality patches and good glue?

Thanks

triplebutted

I got a box of 100 and a tin of glue from "loosescrews.com"
Its the good Rema stuff too.

fmt_biker

That's perfect, thanks!

SlimAgainSoon

Same here. I got tired of the little tubes and not enough patches when you need them, so I bought a box of Rema patches and a tub of Rema sticky stuff.

I'm set for life (I hope!).

interested

Rema TipTop are great and can be bought in boxes of 100. I prefer the small F0 patches (16 mm); they work really well even on small tubes. Be aware that the glue in tubes only last 3-5 years before drying out even if never opened, so don't go overboard and buy 100 of them too ;-)
https://www.loosescrews.com/ is a nice shop with lots of hard to get parts.

--
Regards

sknhgy 

Go to a farm supply store and get a box of patches and a tin of glue.

skilsaw

I've had experience with open tubes of glue drying up, so 5 years ago I purchased 3 sealed small tubes from a bulk bin. Now you've got me worried. I also carry a couple of tubes when I'm going far from home, so I guess I'm OK.

PeaceByJesus

I know this is an old thread, but as one who has used hundreds of patches over the last 3 years fixing flats in the inner city (which I thank God I can still do), I am always looking for the best price for quality. And recently I came across a site that sells 48 33mm x 23mm patches for 1.37 incld. shipping if you buy 3 or more packs, otherwise it is 1.60. I have bought from them (Banggood.com) and they were reliable, though it takes about 2.5 weeks to arrive. The next best price (at Ebay) for that (standard) size is 1.46 for 48 patches, and which i know are good patches, with the only drawback on such is that sometimes the foil that you take off is too thin, and sometimes it will break and you need to peel it off in more than one piece. Also, on one kind of these then the plastic covering on the top is too strongly bonded. I think the patches from the first link are like that, while the second look like ones I have used before, and which also stretch well with the tube. Sometimes, like for real blow outs, I need to patch over part of a patch and so these types are best.

If you need larger ones, the first site sells 24 of the 32 x 50mm size patches for 1.89 (3 for 1.65) which is far cheaper than anywhere else I have seen. The foil issue mentioned above is a particular problem with these though. And note I have no relationship at all with these sellers, as I am just a buyer.

All the above are without cement. Beginning about 0.50 more (1.95) you can get 48 patches with cement here (Ebay). There was a thread some time ago here that discussed the issue of the best cement, and the prices I list in this post should still be close, except that at Amazon Slime Cement - 8 oz. has decreased to $6.75 ( with free Shipping on orders over $35) [edit:" went up to 7.17 just after this, but is 5.99 at Pepboys but shipping is 5.00]. While I have never tried REMA, I have not seen any superiority btwn the ones I have tried (Monkey Grip, Slime, Bell, Western Weld) and the Chinese cement (in particular one labeled "Michel") that comes with some Ebay packs.

What I did this year was to buy about 20 of the Monkey Grip EZ Fix Bicycle Patch Kit from Blaines, at 0.69 a piece, which has 3/8oz tubes (larger than Ebay packs) of the cement along with the equivalent of about 9 patches. But about 20 is needed to bring the cost down due to shipping. They also have 1oz tubes of Victor Rubber Cement for .99, plus shipping. But the shipping basically doubles that (and yet shipping is almost the same when adding two rolls of 35yds Gorilla Tape at 6.99). So the lowest price for 48 patches is 1.37, which with $6.75 for a 8oz can of Slime would be the cheapest way to go, but which is messy to use.

Hope this helps some.

cthenn

Wow that's a lot of work and research for patches! I just bought a 100-pack of Rema patches and I will assume that will last me practically a lifetime. Think I paid like $12, so 12 cents a pop, which is pretty darn good. Scraping around for a bigger savings on top of that is not worth my time. But hey, if the others work well, and you are willing to put in the time to research all of this, more power to you.

PeaceByJesus

But does that include the cement? I figure it cost me about 0.5 a patch total, and it seems a hundred lasts about a month in the summertime. Many tubes have 2 holes due to failed curb hops and thus 2 pinch flats. But i had one mtn bike tuve that has 17 separate holes in it. From one ride. Note that this is a free sidewalk service, and I am sure if the kids and teens in this poor city had to pay then almost all of the tires I have seen would stay flat. BTW, I have found NiagaraCycle.com to be the cheapest for things like tubes and tires (I do charge cost for them), if you order enough to bring down the shipping.

tjkoko

I Just searched the Loosescrews website and couldn't find any.

sch

Agree, no longer on Loosescrews or Aebike either. Amazon search for Rema patches 16mm or 25 mm brings up boxes of 100 of each for under $20. Not cheap but
as noted they last a long time, for most of us. Back when tubes were $2.50 I just let them pile up unfixed, now at $4.50 and way up they get
patched til the hole is too big or the valve area fails. For glue an 8oz can of glue from the automotive area at walmart lasts about 5 yrs. FWIW
auto tire patches are not taper edged like Rema and are not recommended.

PeaceByJesus

I have bought Sunlite Standard Bicycle Tube, 20 x 2.00-2.25 (406 Iso), Schrader Valve tubes at Niagra cycle for 2.97, but again, that is before shipping, which i reduced per unit by combining with tires (same size under 10.00) and other items. They have even cheaper tubes (always choose Price: low to high) in this range from 2.53 but they are out of stock. They are not very communicative but I suppose that works to keep prices down.

sch

Looks like Niagra also has the 100 patch box of Rema patches: 16mm and 25mm, for competitive prices. If I were younger I might consider a bulk box of tubes
but a bit of info on their provenance would be handy: 23-25mm tire tubes $150 or so for 50 tubes. But I still have a dozen or so new tubes from the $2.50-3.50 era.
Might be a possible group buy....

fietsbob

you can also get a box of dozens of little fluid tubes .. they're good till punctured ..

the cap on a big jar of the stuff cannot stay off long or it becomes a big wad in the can.

PeaceByJesus

I do see Avenir Regular SCHRADER Valve Tube, 700c x 20-25c (27 x 1-1/8) at $2.51 which would be close to what you would pay in bulk. I found that the shipping will stay the same for large amounts.

melloveloyellow

Just add some Bestine to the wad to restore the glue. Bestine has other uses, too, such as goo remover from labels, etc.

fietsbob

ah, AkA Heptane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptane, Ive thinned stuff with more of the volatile solvents used by the maker,

Acetone and MEK.

habilis

I don't know how long an unopened tube takes to dry up, but an opened tube will last longer if you squeeze the air out before capping it. Also, patches seem to last indefinitely, so save them when the glue tube runs out or dries out. I've used left-over patches that are at least 20 years old and are still fine.

RubeRad

Do you need to take the plastic off? Mostly I just take the foil backing off, and even though I can get the clear plastic off the other side if I try hard, I don't see the point.

melloveloyellow

I always partially inflate the tube then dunk it in water to test the integrity of the patch (don't you?). The plastic comes off then, because it's inelastic.

sch

I always leave the plastic on patches, it helps cover the areas of tube which have dried glue on them that are larger than the patch reducing the risk of tube stick to tire.
The 8 oz containers as noted last at least 5 yrs with periodic use before the remaining glue gets too thick to use. It could be thinned
with hexane/heptane/octane (ie gasoline) but it is easier just to chunk and buy another.

RubeRad

No, I patch on the road, and in SoCal there is never any water just laying around outside.

PeaceByJesus

No, I see no need to do so, unless you need to patch over the patch. And for some patches the plastic is very hard to remove, and some have paper covers, which come off easily with some saliva or water. Among inexpensive Chinese patches, this kind (with glue) is the former, and not recommended unless cost is the larger factor, while these are the latter, and I have founded the cement (a decent amount of thicker cement) to be better. These are good as well as regards being able to peel off the plastic top (need finger nail), and seem to stretch more.

Hope it helps.

PeaceByJesus

The only time I dunk em is to find the leak(s), which usually is not necessary. If the leak is not readily found (in which case I usually cannot inflate it much), then I over inflate the tube quite a bit, and rotate the tube by my cheek. Once I find the leak then I buff the puncture area and spread the cement widely while inflated (it will be quite smaller when deflated). And in so doing I spread some cement over the puncture hole so that it makes a small "geyser," which leaves a white spot so I can see the puncture. The cement also dries quicker due to the over inflation, and when dry then I deflate it and press the patch on well, with the white spot I made being in the middle.

Some people let it sit for about 30 min, but I usually inflate it somewhat immediately (due to people waiting) to make sure the patch holds and check for other leaks. And sometimes there are more leaks, and in the case of curb hits there are almost always 2 on near opposite sides. If the patch holds then then it will almost always hold when inflated in the tire, and never leak.

Note however, that as described in this thread, I am coming across more tubes which have a distinctly different and slippery feel, as they seem to be coated with some sort of plastic, and the cement will roll off such (in pieces) after it has dried. I find have to do the procedure twice for a patch to stick. Perhaps some tube makers are trying to sell more tubes. Maybe REMA would work better.