First flat of the year
#1
gone ride'n
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 4,050
Bikes: Simoncini, Gary Fisher, Specialized Tarmac
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
First flat of the year
Have not a huge amount fo riding this year, maybe about 60 miles a week but I had my first flat of the season today. However what I wanted to write about was not the flat, but rather what cam after. This was a slow leak so I was able to put air back in the tire and ride home without changing it. When I got home I looked in my toolbox and had one tube left. I don't think I have restocked in a few seasons. The tube I had in my tool box had been patched but that's OK. I fixed the flat and then pulled out my bucket where I toss the tubes that have punctures and a patch kit and went to work restocking my supply. I patched 6 tubes and tossed three away, two had a bent valve and one had a stick on patch that failed. I found that the stickon patches last about 1 year and I don't trust the glue residue to not interfere with a regular patch cement so I did not want to re-patch it, I stopped using them 3 years ago so that tube must have been in the bucket for awhile. I also noticed that some of the repaired tubes had been patched 3 times now. I will probably order some new tubes and a another patch kit. Regular tubes run about $5 and a kit with 6 patches runs about $1.50.
I don't know why I patch old tubes, but it feel like it's the right thing to do. I also don't mind riding on tubes repaired with regular patches, they hold up just fine. But I also don't carry a chain break tool - just say'in.
I don't know why I patch old tubes, but it feel like it's the right thing to do. I also don't mind riding on tubes repaired with regular patches, they hold up just fine. But I also don't carry a chain break tool - just say'in.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Have not a huge amount fo riding this year, maybe about 60 miles a week but I had my first flat of the season today. However what I wanted to write about was not the flat, but rather what cam after. This was a slow leak so I was able to put air back in the tire and ride home without changing it. When I got home I looked in my toolbox and had one tube left. I don't think I have restocked in a few seasons. The tube I had in my tool box had been patched but that's OK. I fixed the flat and then pulled out my bucket where I toss the tubes that have punctures and a patch kit and went to work restocking my supply. I patched 6 tubes and tossed three away, two had a bent valve and one had a stick on patch that failed. I found that the stickon patches last about 1 year and I don't trust the glue residue to not interfere with a regular patch cement so I did not want to re-patch it, I stopped using them 3 years ago so that tube must have been in the bucket for awhile. I also noticed that some of the repaired tubes had been patched 3 times now. I will probably order some new tubes and a another patch kit. Regular tubes run about $5 and a kit with 6 patches runs about $1.50.
I don't know why I patch old tubes, but it feel like it's the right thing to do. I also don't mind riding on tubes repaired with regular patches, they hold up just fine. But I also don't carry a chain break tool - just say'in.
I don't know why I patch old tubes, but it feel like it's the right thing to do. I also don't mind riding on tubes repaired with regular patches, they hold up just fine. But I also don't carry a chain break tool - just say'in.
I remember as a kid, we had a tin of rubber cement, you would cut pieces out of old tubes, put some cement on them, and on the tube you were patching, wait until it got tacky, put the two together and you had a patch. The tin of cement probably had 100 toxic chemicals in it, but for a dollar it probably contained enough cement to fix a couple of thousand flats.....
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Posts: 7,085
Bikes: Cervelo Prodigy
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 478 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 87 Times
in
67 Posts
How do you measure the risks? As a kid the bike I had and the tubes would probably go up to 40 psi. Now it can go up to 100 psi. Does that make a difference? As a kid the kind of material used in tubes, and where it comes from, does that make a difference?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,046
Bikes: 1989 Schwinn World Sport. 1994 Diamond Back Response Elite MTB. 1964 Schwinn Typhoon. 1974 Bridgestone Sprinter, 2015 Scott Sub 10 Citybike.
Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1688 Post(s)
Liked 84 Times
in
37 Posts
I guess I'm lazy, but for the $5.99, I just keep a new tube in the seatbag.
#7
gone ride'n
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 4,050
Bikes: Simoncini, Gary Fisher, Specialized Tarmac
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
How do you measure the risks? As a kid the bike I had and the tubes would probably go up to 40 psi. Now it can go up to 100 psi. Does that make a difference? As a kid the kind of material used in tubes, and where it comes from, does that make a difference?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
#9
gone ride'n
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 4,050
Bikes: Simoncini, Gary Fisher, Specialized Tarmac
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I have never had a patch go bad except the stick on tape type, I have glueons that have lasted years. As I said - I have tubes that have three or four patches. I usually destroy the valve first.
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
How do you measure the risks? As a kid the bike I had and the tubes would probably go up to 40 psi. Now it can go up to 100 psi. Does that make a difference? As a kid the kind of material used in tubes, and where it comes from, does that make a difference?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
The risk of a major failure is the loss of control of the bike and into a traffic lane. Or just no traffic but on a fast descent resulting in a fall. How much money would that cost?
#11
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,788
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Oddly coincidental, since my 10-y-o nephew just got HIS first flat of the year this evening. Popped a fresh tube in it to get us home, and proceeded to the patch pile -- 5 tubes needing attention. One was a schraeder valve tube with a missing core. . .set aside for now. Three more patched right up, no issues. But, the LAST one. . . . . . . .
4 -- count 'em, 4! -- snakebite holes, from a 'rim ding' on a sharp-edged pothole about a month ago. One patch, my last one, didn't take, so I wasted my last 4 patches -- GGRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! Oh well, $2 will re-supply me. . . . .
4 -- count 'em, 4! -- snakebite holes, from a 'rim ding' on a sharp-edged pothole about a month ago. One patch, my last one, didn't take, so I wasted my last 4 patches -- GGRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! Oh well, $2 will re-supply me. . . . .
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Posts: 7,085
Bikes: Cervelo Prodigy
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 478 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 87 Times
in
67 Posts
Ok, then chain break risk. Operator failure by cross chaining and by stomping on the pedals while shifting. Then there's the sudden broken spoke on a fast descent that gets tangled into the drive train.
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Far, Far Northern California
Posts: 2,873
Bikes: 1997 Specialized M2Pro
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
At a rummage sale, there was a box labelled FREE with hundreds of these packages:
I took a bunch, so I'm set for life. Quality of these, who knows?
Anyone know what those little rubber tubes are for???
I get good quality tubes when on sale for about $2.99 each, but I still patch, especially when I can find the puncture, and patch it without removing the wheel from the bike.
I took a bunch, so I'm set for life. Quality of these, who knows?
Anyone know what those little rubber tubes are for???
I get good quality tubes when on sale for about $2.99 each, but I still patch, especially when I can find the puncture, and patch it without removing the wheel from the bike.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
At a rummage sale, there was a box labelled FREE with hundreds of these packages:
I took a bunch, so I'm set for life. Quality of these, who knows?
Anyone know what those little rubber tubes are for???
I get good quality tubes when on sale for about $2.99 each, but I still patch, especially when I can find the puncture, and patch it without removing the wheel from the bike.
I took a bunch, so I'm set for life. Quality of these, who knows?
Anyone know what those little rubber tubes are for???
I get good quality tubes when on sale for about $2.99 each, but I still patch, especially when I can find the puncture, and patch it without removing the wheel from the bike.