GlennR

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.

datlas 

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.

nomadmax 

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.

GuitarBob

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.

kcblair

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.

GlennR

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.

GuitarBob

A wrap or two of electrical tape at the base of the value should fix that right up.

WhyFi

Off the subject - are you younger now? Or just faster?

GlennR

Don't really care since I replace it once I get home.

GlennR

Yes.

ThermionicScott 

I use $16 tubes, so I'm definitely a fan of patching. Get the Rema patch kit, and when in doubt, wait a bit longer for the glue to dry before applying the patch. Good luck, Glenn!

GlennR

Checked the LBS website and they carry them. also watch a video on using them and it seems pretty simple.

thanks

mantis

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.

Seattle Forrest

You might also try putting sealant in your tubes of you keep getting slow leaks.

Sy Reene

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?

GlennR

Not much time. I do it so I know where to look for what caused the puncture.

I still have the tubes.

Sy Reene

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?

GlennR

Correct, I do check the tire before replacing the tube. But if I don't find the cause I like to know where to double check. I use a cotton ball since it will catch in the smallest imperfection.

colnago62

I buy tubes in bulk at about $2.70 a tube. I generally don’t patch tubes

rubiksoval

^ 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.

Jasper Storm

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.

noimagination

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.

jon c. 

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.

MoAlpha

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.

TakingMyTime

Do you guys leave the cellophane on the outside of the patch or remove it before installation?