Do you patch tubes?
08-08-23, 09:09 AM
#176
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That’s a whole other kettle of fish. I’ve recently tried TPU tubes and I’m much less than impressed. The weight is great but they are extremely delicate and don’t repair. I had a tire that was old and had a couple of tiny pokey things in them. One was a small piece of glass that nicked the TPU tube. I found the glass, which had been in contact with the butyl tube and hadn’t punctured it, and replaced the tube with another TPU tube. I patched the TPU tube with the contact patches according to directions…cleaned tube with alcohol swabs, applied provided pressure adhesive patch and clamped it to make sure it stuck to the tube.
Meanwhile the newly installed tube flatted. I felt around on the inside of the tire and found a barely noticeable wire in the tire. I discarded the tire, got a new one, and installed the first patched tube. I patched the other tube.
Next morning, the tire was flat. I installed the other patched tube and took the first one with me to check it at the shop. It was leaking like a sieve around the patch. The patch was completely ineffective. Maybe I did something wrong, so I peeled off the patch, washed it throughly with alcohol, installed a new patch. Meanwhile, the other tube when flat in the 4 hours I was at the shop. I changed it…again…installed the other tube, patched it…again!… and headed home. Less than 3 miles on, the patch failed yet again. By my count that 2 flats from minor punctures that didn’t puncture the butyl tube and 5 flats from patch failures.
Perhaps there are better ways to fix the TPU tube but, at this point, I’m not impressed enough with their supposed puncture superiority to figure that out. They may be faster and they may roll easier but if they are flat all the time, they aren’t.
Again, not impressed.
Meanwhile the newly installed tube flatted. I felt around on the inside of the tire and found a barely noticeable wire in the tire. I discarded the tire, got a new one, and installed the first patched tube. I patched the other tube.
Next morning, the tire was flat. I installed the other patched tube and took the first one with me to check it at the shop. It was leaking like a sieve around the patch. The patch was completely ineffective. Maybe I did something wrong, so I peeled off the patch, washed it throughly with alcohol, installed a new patch. Meanwhile, the other tube when flat in the 4 hours I was at the shop. I changed it…again…installed the other tube, patched it…again!… and headed home. Less than 3 miles on, the patch failed yet again. By my count that 2 flats from minor punctures that didn’t puncture the butyl tube and 5 flats from patch failures.
Perhaps there are better ways to fix the TPU tube but, at this point, I’m not impressed enough with their supposed puncture superiority to figure that out. They may be faster and they may roll easier but if they are flat all the time, they aren’t.
Again, not impressed.
08-08-23, 09:31 AM
#177
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I’m on the road in a similar time frame since I try not to patch on the side of the road. If I have to patch, add 5 minutes or less to the task.
Well if time is an issue, I don’t have to remove the patched tube when I get home. I don’t have to remove it until I get another flat and, after patching at my leisure, I have another spare tube to use when I do get a flat.
Well if time is an issue, I don’t have to remove the patched tube when I get home. I don’t have to remove it until I get another flat and, after patching at my leisure, I have another spare tube to use when I do get a flat.
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08-08-23, 09:56 AM
#178
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Some times you waste your Sundays during Covid patching.
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Stuart Black
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!
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08-09-23, 08:02 PM
#180
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I always carry a spare tube and a patch kit. If I have a flat during a ride into the country with friends, I replace the tube. When we arrive to our destination, I patch the punctured tube while we chat and eat something. It's very rare to have problems with patches, maybe 1 in 100 in my case. I've used tubes with more than 15 patches, one nearer to 20.
