urbanknight

I'm thankful to not get flats that often, but that means the vulcanizing fluid often disappears from the tube by the time I get another flat, rendering the rest of the patches useless. So I've decided to buy extra tube and save them up until I have like 5+ to patch, then do them all in one sitting. What do the rest of you do?

Also, I just bought a generic patch kit and the glue that came with it is marked "rubber solution". Anyone know if it's the same stuff or if I got something different?

pdlamb

I collect half a dozen or so leaking tubes and make a rainy afternoon out of it.

IME preparation (good sanding around the patch-to-come) is more important than the brand of glue or vulcanizing fluid.

Crankycrank

That looks like the cheap stuff from China. Hard to know what it is exactly. To keep it from drying out you have to make sure the cap is on tight and squeeze the tube until the fluid just comes out before putting the cap on. Some cheaper types have containers that aren't as durable as say the Rema brand and will leak easier.

rhm

'Thumbs up' makes a whole line of tube patching products and my experience with them has been good. Rema is better, but I'm find with the generic Chinese stuff. The glue definitely gets thicker as time goes on, and there comes a point after which it doesn't work. Even unopened tubes of glue will eventually dry out (personal experience).

shelbyfv

Everyone has opinions about glue,vulc fluid or whatever. What works for me is the Slime glue, available at Walmart and auto stores. It doesn't seem to dry out. I buy the small 13mm(?) Rema patches, box of 100. I sort of enjoy patching tubes but that seems to be unusual. Most of the folks I ride with don't want to use a patched tube. I like to see how many patches I can put on before the valve fails.

Litespud

I bought a 8-10 oz can of Slime rubber cement, with a brush built into the screw top lid. ~$6 on Amazon. Been using it for ~3 years and no sign of drying out. I get maybe 1 flat/year, so I patch it when I get home and the repaired tube becomes the saddlebag spare

DiabloScott

Yup - I have a hook where punctured tubes go, I patch a half-dozen or so at a time. I have an extra wheel and tire to test the patches (full pressure holds for >1 day), and a hook for tubes that passed the patching test. When one doesn't pass, I inspect and decide if it's worth trying again.

easyupbug 

Should I be using a tire for the pressure test at full pressure, can't recall ever having an inflated tube that held over night not holding under higher pressure but I have slept since then so just may not recall? I rotate through the 7 bikes I have hanging in a row and when i need cement I grab the bike with the little clip on the tool bag and use the cheap Chinese tube glue (Amazon <1$) from it and replace it with a new one, then move the bag clip to the next bike down the line. Kinda goofy so interested in this thread. These are my Southern AZ bikes where everything has thorns so I always carry a tube and patch kit for my self and others. I spend a few years in the PRC and can tell you there is a guy at his tire and minor bike repair stand on every corner of the less wealthy areas of cities, they know glues.

DiabloScott

It's a good way to make sure your patch held, and that you didn't miss a second puncture, and that you don't have a slow leak. I have little tags I put on my tubes for "patched not tested" and "patch tested A+". Then when I grab an A+ tube off the hook to repair a new flat, I'm sure it'll be good for the next ride.

zandoval 

For the road I buy the small 5 gram tubes and consider them one time use. Even then you must be careful that the unopened tubes have not died out. I do this by weighing the unopened tubes to be sure they have cement left inside. I also carry an unopened tube of Super Glue as a back up. I would also consider that a one time use tube as it more than likely will be dried up or un-openable latter on. There is a new Flexible Super Glue that I hope to try out soon. For multiple flats fixes I use a larger tube of cement that I keep in the frig...

Edit: Checked out the prices on Loctite Flexible Super glue... Still too expensive for just throwing in my patch kit... Maybe latter...

Bigbus

On my MTBs I used to just use Elmers Contact Cement and pieces cut from old inner tubes. On the road bikes, pieces from old inner tubes are too thick so I'm forced to use regular bike tube patches, but I still use my Elmers on them and I've not had a problem with the can drying out in years. The tubes seem to last forever too, but then, I haven't been here forever yet.

pdlamb

That's a higher fuss factor AND probably a better screen than my norm. After patching a batch of tubes, I'll pump them up the next day (or week) until they're visibly inflated, and leave them overnight (or until I get a "round tuit") to make sure they're holding air. I can remember one that failed in the last 2-3 years -- failing meaning it survived a 4 hour ride just fine, but had to be pumped up the next day. Patching over one of those blasted mold ridges was the root cause. I expect your method might have caught it. But patching batches of 6-8 tubes a couple times a year, I don't (quite) have that many spare wheels and tires sitting around to check the whole batch at once!

squirtdad

I carry a tube and a patch kit.... i have had to use both on the same ride, not often, but it has happened. I like the rema kits.....imho best quality. I write the date i bought the kit on it with a sharpie, and replace every couple of years. Small insurance cost for no surprises, but I have not had any issues with dried up glue....so far

dscheidt

The only test I do is put air in them, and verify that it holds for a minute or three. I've patched enough tubes that I know my patch is good, the only reason I test is it's not uncommon to discover a second puncture. If I've done something like repair a two inch tear, I will leave it inflated overnight.

sch

Out of curiosity how do you repair a 2" tear?
I used to put the tube in a rim and tire and inflate overnite but repair fails were so rare I stopped. It also requires
a tire very easily R&R with no wrestling with tire tools so as to avoid a pinch cut. Most of my repairs now are just put back*
in the same wheel/bike after repair and inflated then checked the next day. I do have about a dozen repaired tubes in
the garage waiting for use when a tube valve does fail. I have no upper limit on # of patches on a tube but generally
by the time 4-5-6 patches are reached you get a valve failure or a hole next to the mold line that won't hold air when
patched.

* ie most of my flats are discovered in the garage and not on a ride, been lucky for several years now that way.

dscheidt

Same way you repair a 5" long one?


You use overlapping patches, those are Rema F1, 25mm in diameter. The big oval ones are better for this, but I didn't have any.

Prepare the area by sanding it properly, then put down glue. Let it dry, then install patches, not overlapping. Stitch (press, it's a term of the art) them in place with a roller or the edge of tire lever. Then sand, more glue, more patches. Repeat as required.

This repair got done because a cow-orker had a sidewall blow out. He found a tire somewhere in the office, but we couldn't find a suitable tube. I fixed it so he wouldn't have to take the bus, this is a bit much even for my standards of repair. But he sent me a text a two or three years later of the tube, with a new patch on it, so it worked.

pdlamb

Color me impressed! I'd have given up on that tube.

sch

dscheidt: that rates a genuine LOL!!! Must have been a low pressure tire also with the tube about same diameter as
the inflated tire. Wow!!

Pop N Wood

I get very few flats. The last time I did the unopened, sealed tube of cement was completely dead. Quite the unpleasant surprise.

Not a bad suggestion to date patch kits and replace them now and again.

dscheidt

I think the tire that blew out was a 700x28, the replacement tire he found was smaller, my spare tube was either for 32 or 50mm, depending on which bike I had. I don't know what pressure he ran, but I'm sure it was at least 60 or 80 psi.

zandoval 

I personally would not use a tube like this if I had the choice, but I am impressed with the fact that it can be done and the method he used. It appears to be proven and I'll keep this method in mind hopping that I never have to use it... NICE WORK!

DiabloScott

If you inflate more than just a little shape without a tire, you kind of stretch the patch more than it will see inside a tire, so you might ruin a patch that would've held normally. Also, a slow leak will show up faster at high pressure inside a tire. I only have one spare wheel to do the testing with. So after I patch 5 tubes, I mount one on the spare and press it up to max, and then I check on it a few days later and if it's still hard, the patch is good, and I remove, tag it A+, and repeat with another patched tube.

cyccommute 

I don’t know what you guys are doing to your tubes of vulcanizing fluid but you are obviously doing something wrong. I just got back from a month of touring using a tube of vulcanizing fluid that had been opened many months ago. I used it several times and the only thing I was worried about was running out due to use. I don’t squeeze the air out of the tube of vulcanizing fluid and I just seal the cap tightly. I’m going to replace the old tube of fluid with a new tube of fluid that I bought more that 5+ years ago that has been sitting in my unconditioned garage for the entire 5 years. One thing I do make sure I do is to keep the tube away from the sandpaper when I pack the kit.

Don’t roll the tube of cement. Don’t allow it to rub against something. Don’t crease the sides of the tube as you use it (squeeze in the middle rather than the sides) Keep the cap on tight. All those go a long way toward keeping the solvent in the fluid from evaporating.


It’s rubber cement. I guarantee that any analysis would show only solvent (probably xylene) and rubber. There is no accelerator in the fluid to make the chemical bonds that make cold vulcanizing happen.

You should avoid mixing systems that really do use cold vulcanizing chemicals. They are probably not cross compatible because there are several ways to make the chemistry work. Only two patch kits use true, chemical cold vulcanizing that I know of…Rema and Park (and I’m not sure about the Park). Using Rema patches with Park vulcanizing fluid, or vice versa, may not work properly as they use different chemicals.

urbanknight

Thanks. I'll try to get the cap on tight next time and see if that solves it.