staehpj1

I have been riding trails on my mountain bikes that are tubeless so I haven't patched or changed a tube in a long time. That said when riding with tubes I typically change the tube and patch later. Depending on the situation I may carry 1 tube or 2.

Also sometimes if the location of the puncture is obvious without taking the tire off I may sometimes leave the wheel on, break the bead on one side part way and pull out just enough of the tube to patch it with the wheel still on the bike. That can work out when there is an obvious thorn or other offending object that can be located and removed without removing the tire.

rekmeyata

I patch my tubes, and I patch a tube on the side of the road because I can usually do it as fast if not faster than swapping a tube out since about 75% of the time, I can patch the tube without taking the wheel of the bike.

Tires have come a long way even from just 15 years ago, in the last 15 years I've averaged no more than a flat a year, and my roads are pretty trashy, with potholes, glass, and metal wire bits from steel belted tires, The other odd thing to is that during that same 15 year period my tires are not getting cut up near as much as they use, sometimes I can wear out a tire and not a single cut will be found, and if I find a cut it's very minor, but I'll seal it with super glue just to be safe.

Duragrouch

New tubes off amazon are cheap and I don't get a flat often, and carry a spare. That said, I still use patches; Why? I ride a folder with panniers, with a claw-mount rear derailleur secured under the drive-side axle nut, so pulling the rear wheel off is a PITA, and the bike is hard to invert because the clip-on aero bars stick up. What I usually do on the rear is:
- shift to the low cog and chainring, and lay the bike down gently on the driveside.
- dismount the tire on the non-drive (left) side, and snake the tube out most places except at the valve stem.
- pump up the tube, look and listen for leak; Placing the tube in front of my lips will detect a leak that cannot be seen or heard.
- Clean and apply a PARK STICKY PATCH. Love'em, way easier than screwing around with glue.
- Put tube back on tire and remount tire, pump up.

What's referred to above as a REMA patch, I didn't recognize the name but did in the picture, yeah I bought that kit with my first good bike in 1989, I didn't have much luck with them sticking, but I may not have sanded and cleaned the tube of mold release, I was a noob back then. But I now carry the Park patches exclusively. In my experience, they work fine for months, but may eventually leak as they get flexed enough. I'm running 44mm at 50 psi, not terribly high.

You know what drastically reduced my number of flats? Save the old tubes, carefully cut off the valve stem (small hole), flatten tube and place between the new good tube and the inside of tire (note, these are not skinny road tires). So 3 layers of rubber between air and tire, instead of 1 layer. Not as tough as polyurethane anti-flat strips, but thicker, and zero cost, versus $15-20 for the strips.

Also, for 1.75" tires, if they sell tubes for 1.5-1.75", and 1.75-2.0", I buy the latter, less stretch when inflated, so rubber is thicker, and also less strained over tube life.

Back when I rode my road-race bike, I hated flats, and when on dirt-cheap winter sale at Nashbar, I bought kevlar-belted Specialized tires, never got a flat with them.

zacster

I've used Rema patches exclusively for almost 50 years now, since I got my first sew-ups. I've never had one fail once it's been properly installed and working. Yes, sometimes I don't get a good seal but then it fails pretty quickly. But once on a tube and working they never fail. I tried Park once and had no luck at all.

And no, I don't ride sew-ups anymore. It's been at least 30 years since I've been on one.

noglider 

@Duragrouch, the most common mistake in patching is not letting the glue dry. Spread it wider than you need. When I patch at home, I sometimes forget to come back for a long time, and that works out fine. You can even wait hours, though you can't do that on the road.

I got a flat on Wednesday evening. It was dark, and I hit a pothole I didn't see. I hit it so hard that it made me shout, and the weight of my body pushed the handlebars and rotated them forward a bit. I changed the tube and will patch it later. It probably has a snakebite pattern of two holes. I hope to find that pothole and report it to the City.

New York State has had a mandatory deposit plus recycling law for a very long time, and it greatly reduces the amount of broken glass on streets and roads. States without such a law seem to have more glass. Nowadays most people don't get their bottle deposits back, but enough people are motivated to putting containers in recycling bins. And of course, some people make livings scavenging the containers. I'm not sure if they cash out the deposits or just get paid by recyclers.

rekmeyata

It only takes 2 to 3 minutes for Rema glue to dry, the patch goes on when the glue turns to a matte like appearance, apply the patch and press hard for 30 seconds, and that patch will stick for the life of the tube. So yes, you can patch just fine on the road, it's been done that way for more than 50 years!

Duragrouch

Yeah, I think back in the day, I didn't let the glue dry, didn't realize it was like contact cement.

The other issue was the tube of glue going dry.

I may pick up a REMA kit.

rekmeyata

They are most popular to use. I leave the thin plastic sheet on the patch, it doesn't hurt anything, but sometimes trying to pull off the plastic could lift the edge of the patch which might make it leak air.

noglider 

The glue does tend to dry out after you open it. I periodically check to see if I have some left, and usually, the tube is unopened. I patch tubes in batches at home, so I have a big can of the glue to do that. Using that can means I rarely need to open the little tube that comes in the patch kit.

I've had as many as eight patches on a tube. Some other folks have had as many as 30. Patching makes more sense than replacing a tube most of the time.

Duragrouch

If I bought a jar of glue/cement, what is best? Can contact cement work? Rubber glue like used for paper (flexible), or must it be something that partly dissolves the rubber?

I've used a can of contact cement for auto tire plugs, dip it and push in wet, it acts as a lubricant, then drive slow and gentle for at least a few hours. Best if I can leave overnight and check if any leakage before cutting off excess plug, as I would use that to pull it out if it leaked.

noglider 

No, you really should get Rema vulcanizing fluid. I tried rubber cement, and my first impression was that it was just as good, but then half of the patches came off. Vulcanizing fluid makes an interlocking bond at the molecular level, if I understand it correctly, which I probably don't. But it does work best, however it does so.

LINK

Duragrouch

Thanks! That may also be great for auto tire plugs. I might buy some and keep in the car emergency plug kit, and use for bike tubes too. Probably keep a tiny jar of it on the bike. Would be good to know the solvent of it, so can add some if the glue in the jar thickens over time.

rekmeyata

One of my cars has run flat tires, but I carry a Slime inflator with a thing of slime that connects to the inflator, there was no spare from the factory because even a spare donut won't fit anywhere in the car. Years ago when I went off-roading a lot, I carried a spare of course, but also carried slime and plugs. So I would put a plug in, then dump slime into the tire, and then inflate, the combination held great. But, back in those days the Slime could damage the cords on the inside of the tire, today that stuff doesn't do that anymore. But even back then there was a tire shop I knew of that would remove the tire, wash it out with nothing but water, get all the slime out, fix the flat and reinflate and the Slime didn't damage anything.

Duragrouch

(above) I don't like Slime as it can imbalance a tire. A real mess on bike tires too. I prefer a permanent plug. In recent years, tire places won't plug from the outside, I guess worried the plug will come out. They require pulling off the tire and applying a patch inside. But when a friend I was riding with had a slow leak (and at the time, my snap-on plug kit had been stolen from my car and I had not yet replaced), a tire place did that, only $15 (2018).

zacster

Like I said somewhere above, I bought a can of Rema fluid and a box of 100 Rema patches. I kept the sandpaper from an old kit and a single edge blade and have been using this "kit" for years now. I keep a couple of tubes with me to match whatever tires are on whichever bike, and patch at home in batches. The fluid in the can doesn't dry out. I use the blade to slice the cellophane backing so I can pull from the center out and remove it. Give it a slice, bend it before removing the foil, and it'll come off easily.

mechanicmatt

Ok, I need to ask what is the Doneem hypothesis? I know it'll be something obvious, but I want to hear.

cyccommute 

Don’t redo something if someone else has already done ‘em. See also “wheel, reinventing”.

Crankycrank

For anyone worrying about buying a can of REMA fluid and having it dry out. Store the can upside down which will let the fluid fill in any tiny leaks in the cap preventing evaporation.

rekmeyata

It's for emergencies, tire out of balance for a short while will cause no harm, plus the out of balance is harmonic so it only vibrates in a 20 mph window, usually between 50 to 70 mph. I've use slime once many years ago, and never had an out of balance tire, why is that? Because what you stated is a myth as long as the person using the stuff uses the correct amount according to the directions provided and not over do it.

pdlamb

Great idea. Works for at least two or three years, IME. If you're using it in a coop or store, that may be long enough to get to the bottom of the can. OTOH if you're patching maybe a dozen tubes a year, plan to toss the goop after that and buy a new can.

zacster

I've had my can for at least 5 years and it is still fine. I store it upright. Just make sure you tighten the lid.

rekmeyata

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?

grumpus

Why bother to remove it? The only reason I can think of is to overlap patches.

rekmeyata

I leave the cellophane on, it doesn't hurt anything, taking it off could lift the edge of the patch off, so just leave it on.

grumpus

The link you gave in the previous thread is 404 but this may be it.