Does Anyone Patch Tubes Anymore?
#101
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The link you gave in the previous thread is 404 but this may be it.
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#102
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I just buy small tubes of Rema Glue, I don't get that many flats in 5 years to use a huge o can of it, heck a can of that stuff would probably last me 20 years, but it would probably be no good by that time. Probably necessary though if you own a bike shop. I get the 4 tube package, the glue won't dry in the tube as long as the seal isn't punctured. I don't carry a spare tube of glue when I ride except on the touring bike, I carry one glueless patch instead, just in case I get a rude hello from a glue tube.
I do wonder about something, maybe one of you have tried it? Will Rema Glue work on a glueless patch?
I do wonder about something, maybe one of you have tried it? Will Rema Glue work on a glueless patch?
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#103
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We use the large cans in our volunteer shop, we typically go through 1-2 cans per year
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#104
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OTOH, my current Slime rubber cement can is doing fine, although it's only about 5 years old. Still sticky, patches glued with it the other month are still holding. Half the price of the Rema and available at my local auto parts store.
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If Rema vulcanizing fluid or rubber cement thickens, diluting them is not difficult. Naphtha, camping white gas, heptane/bestine, and Trichloroethylene all work. The last two have health warnings. Mineral spirits may work, so trying on a small quantity is best. I poured a solvent even into a tube that dried out. In my experience, Rema polymerizes for good after 6 years. It is good to put the date on the can upon purchase. Rubber cement has lasted for me with dilution over 10 years.
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If Rema vulcanizing fluid or rubber cement thickens, diluting them is not difficult. Naphtha, camping white gas, heptane/bestine, and Trichloroethylene all work. The last two have health warnings. Mineral spirits may work, so trying on a small quantity is best. I poured a solvent even into a tube that dried out. In my experience, Rema polymerizes for good after 6 years. It is good to put the date on the can upon purchase. Rubber cement has lasted for me with dilution over 10 years.
https://www.artmaterialsonline.com/b...ner-pt-14.html
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Hmm... wet glue might harm the glueless sticky, but doing standard op by letting the REMA glue dry... I don't know. When a glueless patch fails on me after months, there is a bubble "line" from the hole to one edge, like pressure just slowly worked its way to the edge, so failure of the sticky. The patch material seems to hold up.
But I have a junk tube, so I'm going to try using Rema glue on a Park glueless and see what happens.
#108
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I use to use Park Glueless patches for about 30 years, but then they stopped working about 4 years ago. I contacted Park thinking I got a bad batch, even though I bought another box, but they failed too. Park told me that the tube industry changed the composition of the tubes and now they're patches will not hold for more than few hours. Park used to last the life of the tube, now they don't so I switched back to Rema after all those years.
But I have a junk tube, so I'm going to try using Rema glue on a Park glueless and see what happens.
But I have a junk tube, so I'm going to try using Rema glue on a Park glueless and see what happens.
#109
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If Rema vulcanizing fluid or rubber cement thickens, diluting them is not difficult. Naphtha, camping white gas, heptane/bestine, and Trichloroethylene all work. The last two have health warnings. Mineral spirits may work, so trying on a small quantity is best. I poured a solvent even into a tube that dried out. In my experience, Rema polymerizes for good after 6 years. It is good to put the date on the can upon purchase. Rubber cement has lasted for me with dilution over 10 years.
#110
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#111
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I'll look online and then ask. My tubes are 4-5 years old, both on bike and spares.
EDIT: From Park website:
I looked for latex tubes on amazon, mostly TPU came up, Thermoplastic PolyUrethane, but did see one tube labeled at latex. Would be good to know about glueless patches on TPU, and advantages of the material. Says 100% recyclable, that may be one. EDIT: TPU is lIghter, a bit more puncture resistant. Latex is lightest with best ride, but less puncture resistant.
EDIT: From Park website:
- Compatible with standard butyl rubber inner tubes
- Not compatible with tubeless tire bodies or latex inner tubes
Last edited by Duragrouch; 03-13-24 at 10:16 PM.
#112
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I looked for latex tubes on amazon, mostly TPU came up, Thermoplastic PolyUrethane, but did see one tube labeled at latex. Would be good to know about glueless patches on TPU, and advantages of the material. Says 100% recyclable, that may be one. EDIT: TPU is lIghter, a bit more puncture resistant. Latex is lightest with best ride, but less puncture resistant.
This time I checked extremely closely and I found one very, very small burr inside the tire. The burr wasn’t long enough to puncture a thicker butyl tube but it went right though the TPU tube. The TPU tube came with a stick on patch which I used to “fix” both tubes and put one back in a brand new tire. Half way home from my volunteer job (5 miles), the tire was flat. I put in the other TPU tube and rode home. The first TPU was leaking right at the sticky patch. The second TPU tube made it home but was flat the next morning…at the stick on patch.
I did this dance twice more and had exactly the same result. I did eventually get a chemical patch which is uses REMA camplast cement and bits of TPU. It’s not a quick fix as it takes at least 30 minutes of clamping to make it hold but it did seem to hold better.
Also be forewarned that TPU tubes have to be properly sized. Do not try to use a 23-28mm tube in a 32mm tire. TPU doesn’t stretch much and will just blow holes in the over stretched material.
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#113
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I looked for latex tubes on amazon, mostly TPU came up, Thermoplastic PolyUrethane, but did see one tube labeled at latex. Would be good to know about glueless patches on TPU, and advantages of the material. Says 100% recyclable, that may be one. EDIT: TPU is lIghter, a bit more puncture resistant. Latex is lightest with best ride, but less puncture resistant.
#114
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Latex was considered more puncture resistant than butyl, it's a lot stretchier than the TPU tubes I saw when they first came out, I don't know if they're more elastic now - used to be you needed a tube the exact same size as the tyre, putting a 700x25 tube in a 700x28 tyre could cause early failure, and I've seen a larger tube that was in a smaller tyre and developed sharp creases and a slow puncture. Latex loses pressure quicker than butyl - I used coated latex tubes that held air better for a very small weight penalty.
If you want lower rolling resistance with a bit less weight, and you want a slightly cusher ride, as well as old school, then go with latex. If you want the latest thing, though not the greatest thing, then go with TPU. If want to save money with a wee bit less hassles patching, go with butyl.
If you want a tube that is a bit more flat resistant then go with thorn tubes, BUT, those thorn resistant tubes are extremely poorly made. I bought a SunLite and Bontrager thorn resistant tubes for my wife's E-Bike so she would hopefully have less chances of having a flat, (I also installed a pair of Clear Motion Rhinodillos liners), what a joke both tubes were, both tubes failed at the base of the valve! They simply came apart under pressure. I reinstalled the old tubes that came with the bike and they were fine. Those thorn resistant tubes are freaking heavy too at around 260 grams for the Bontrager and 480 for the Sunlite, the Sunlite is heavier because it's thicker than the Bontrager. So you have been warned.
#115
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Some youtubers like TPU tubes. I'm not impressed, for the reasons @cyccommute listed. The only advantages are that they are very light, and they are compact in a tool kit.
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#116
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By the way, my secret to fixing flats fast goes like this. In order for this to work you need to be able to find the penetration point in the tire, which I can do about 75 to 80% of the time.
So assuming I found the penetration point I don't take the wheel off the bike, front or rear it doesn't matter, the wheel stays on. I simply remove half of one side of the bead with the hole in the center of that half, then pull about a 4th of the tube out with the hole in the center of that 1/4th, stretch the tube, width and length wise if necessary to find the hole, patch like you would normally do, reinstall, easy peasy.
I was 10 or so years old when some older neighbor in his 60's saw me fixing a flat in the driveway at my house, he showed me this technique, which I've been doing for about 60 years. Evidently fixing a flat like that was necessary back then due to the wheels were nutted on instead of quick release, so that method came out of necessity back in the day but also works great in this day too.
So assuming I found the penetration point I don't take the wheel off the bike, front or rear it doesn't matter, the wheel stays on. I simply remove half of one side of the bead with the hole in the center of that half, then pull about a 4th of the tube out with the hole in the center of that 1/4th, stretch the tube, width and length wise if necessary to find the hole, patch like you would normally do, reinstall, easy peasy.
I was 10 or so years old when some older neighbor in his 60's saw me fixing a flat in the driveway at my house, he showed me this technique, which I've been doing for about 60 years. Evidently fixing a flat like that was necessary back then due to the wheels were nutted on instead of quick release, so that method came out of necessity back in the day but also works great in this day too.
#117
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I use the above technique, especially for the rear wheel. With a claw-mount rear derailleur, taking off the rear wheel is an oily mess. I can't invert the bike in the field due to the aero-bars making it unstable. I just lay the bike down on the non-drive-side.
#118
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By the way, my secret to fixing flats fast goes like this. In order for this to work you need to be able to find the penetration point in the tire, which I can do about 75 to 80% of the time.
So assuming I found the penetration point I don't take the wheel off the bike, front or rear it doesn't matter, the wheel stays on. I simply remove half of one side of the bead with the hole in the center of that half, then pull about a 4th of the tube out with the hole in the center of that 1/4th, stretch the tube, width and length wise if necessary to find the hole, patch like you would normally do, reinstall, easy peasy.
So assuming I found the penetration point I don't take the wheel off the bike, front or rear it doesn't matter, the wheel stays on. I simply remove half of one side of the bead with the hole in the center of that half, then pull about a 4th of the tube out with the hole in the center of that 1/4th, stretch the tube, width and length wise if necessary to find the hole, patch like you would normally do, reinstall, easy peasy.
#119
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I simply remove half of one side of the bead with the hole in the center of that half, then pull about a 4th of the tube out with the hole in the center of that 1/4th, stretch the tube, width and length wise if necessary to find the hole, patch like you would normally do, reinstall, easy peasy.
#120
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That assumption, that you can find the penetration point, bites me in the a$$ about 90% of the time. Broken glass shards look an awful lot like harmless limestone chips outside the tire. Michelin wires are almost invisible. But for the other 5-10%, the logging staple, the sheet metal screw, the big nail, that tip can work great.
#121
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..... I installed some in a tire that had been on my bike for a while and they flatted immediately. I had checked the inside of the tire for anything prior to installing tubes…it’s a habit you pick up here in the heart to goathead country…and could find nothing. However when I went out to ride the next morning, the tube was empty. I replaced the tube and checked again before going for a ride. The tire was soon flat again.
This time I checked extremely closely and I found one very, very small burr inside the tire. The burr wasn’t long enough to puncture a thicker butyl tube but it went right though the TPU tube. The TPU tube came with a stick on patch which I used to “fix” both tubes and put one back in a brand new tire. Half way home from my volunteer job (5 miles), the tire was flat. I put in the other TPU tube and rode home. The first TPU was leaking right at the sticky patch. The second TPU tube made it home but was flat the next morning…at the stick on patch.
...
This time I checked extremely closely and I found one very, very small burr inside the tire. The burr wasn’t long enough to puncture a thicker butyl tube but it went right though the TPU tube. The TPU tube came with a stick on patch which I used to “fix” both tubes and put one back in a brand new tire. Half way home from my volunteer job (5 miles), the tire was flat. I put in the other TPU tube and rode home. The first TPU was leaking right at the sticky patch. The second TPU tube made it home but was flat the next morning…at the stick on patch.
...
And when removing the tube- don't just jam the lever in there. The tube tends to cling to the inside of the tire. If you just jam your lever in there and pry the tube will get trapped between the lever and the tire. You need to gingerly pry up on only the tire. Pry it up and down several times until the tube no longer clings to the tire. And then continue on removing the tire like normal.
Last edited by icemilkcoffee; 03-21-24 at 03:42 PM.
#122
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Two TPU tubes going flat one after the other- I am going to go with installation error. TPU tubes are very easy to get pinched between the tire and the rim during installation. You have to make sure the tube is well inside the tire when you work the bead over the rim. When you get to the last section where the tire starts to get tight, you need to slightly inflate the tube to about 2-3psi. Just enough to hold shape but no harder. Then, with your free hand, push the tire and tube hard towards the other side while you are prying the bead over the rim.
Also, I know how to identify punctures and where punctures occur. The punctures were related to very small pokey items in an older tire. Not long enough to puncture thicker butyl tubes but certainly long enough to puncture the TPU tube and difficult to find. I did eventually find the pokey stuff but it took very, very, very careful inspection.
And when removing the tube- don't just jam the lever in there. The tube tends to cling to the inside of the tire. If you just jam your lever in there and pry the tube will get trapped between the lever and the tire. You need to gingerly pry up on only the tire. Pry it up and down several times until the tube no longer clings to the tire. And then continue on removing the tire like normal.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#123
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Some youtubers like TPU tubes. I'm not impressed, for the reasons @cyccommute listed. The only advantages are that they are very light, and they are compact in a tool kit.
I saw an Aerothan tpu tube come out of a wheel where the rim strip had moved and exposed a number of the spoke holes in the rim bed … the tpu tube was still holding air / functioning properly (although it looked a little clunky where it had contacted the exposed spoke holes) … I’ve seen butyl tubes fail when they contacted exposed spoke holes
Last edited by t2p; 03-21-24 at 07:01 PM.
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I have a couple of Tubolito tubes...dang they are expensive. I patch them when I get a puncture. The patches work great and the glue does not dry out in the tube as the butyl glue does.
I patch butyl tubes too.
I patch butyl tubes too.