Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Only some patches become part of the tube. It’s a chemical process that requires a sulfur containing compound in the patch and an activator/accelerator in the fluid. When they two are placed in contact, the activator starts reactions that cause the sulfur compound to bond with itself and the rubber in the tube. The two chemicals have to be kept separate for obvious reasons. The solvent is just there to make the application of the accelerator easier.
Only one bicycle patch kit…the Rema TipTop… that I know of has actually uses this kind of chemical bonding. I’ve checked many MSDS listings for various patch kits and the Rema is the only one that lists an “amine” in the ingredients. All the other one list solvent and rubber.
Velo-Orange used to sell Rustines patch kits in the US; The safety data for Rustine's "Dissolutin" fluid lists
tetramethylthiuram disulfide, which leads me to suspect that they're trying to accomplish something beyond plain rubber cement. I didn't have any trouble with those patches, although Velo-Orange has since switched to Rema.
Originally Posted by
rydabent
I use Park glueless patches. I have had some last 3 years or more. The trick is HOW to use them.
Yeah, Park GP-2 is good stuff. Takes up no space, weighs nothing, easy to use, and seems to work very well despite being a glueless patch.