IronMac

Hi all, I have a Schwalbe Marathon Plus that took a 2-inch nail through the tread and sidewall. There is now a rip in the sidewall (the part with the reflective strip) at least half an inch long.

Is it wise to put a piece of duct tape on the inside and continue riding on the tire or should I chuck it?

Thanks!

10 Wheels

You could try it.
I would use something stronger than duct tape.
Like a section from an old tire.

This guy booted his tire and rode another 9,000 miles on it.

madpogue 

The stickum on the duct tape will wreak havoc, and the tape won't last anyway. A dollar bill or piece of Tyvek paper is pretty tough and thin.

IronMac

That's exactly what happened (the pic)! Mine is a straight nail though and it just kept on going.

Thanks, madpogue, I'll look for Tyvek then.

davidad

A piece of 1/32" gasket material meant for pipe flanges glued to the inside will last the life of the tire. The boot should have fiber reinforcement to be flange gasket material. It should be covered with duct tape to keep the edges from fretting through the tube.

reptilezs

i carry and piece of old tire to use a boot. i find that large holes in the tread allow debris into the tire and leading to more flats.

rydabent

There is boots for sale for bike tires. I got a package from Hostel Shop. Fortunately so far I have not had to use any.

Retro Grouch 

How lucky are you usually?

My test is to replace the inner tube and reinflate the tire to operating pressure. If you can't see or feel where the nail went through, you're good-to-go. If you can feel a bump or blister, you have cut some of the tire cords and compromised the tire.

Here's where the luck comes in. You can stick something inside of the tire and, if you happen to be lucky and you don't hit it again in the same place, it can last for quite a long time. On the other hand, it may decide to split completely open, usually after waiting until you're on some lonely road around 20 miles from your car with buzzards circling overhead.

If you really think that you're a pretty lucky person, why don't you just buy a lottery ticket and use part of the proceeds to buy yourself a new tire?

kamtsa

https://www.parktool.com/products/det...t=17&item=TB-2

fietsbob

Dead sew-up tires make good boots, as does a patch of Hypalon(sp?), the stuff they make inflatable boats like Zodiacs out of,
though, yes, Park Tool packages a tire boot which is to be found at retail bike shops.
a Booted tire will get you in from the boonies/outback, then you would consider replacing it,
a sharp object may have the rubber close up around it when extracted to be fine,if no casing carcass is torn.
close inspection is the key.. mend the puncture or replace the tube and go on, then

I have a Conti Travel Contact , similar 2 hole puncture, the sidewall was pierced but the casing was still mostly sound.

but this was a 26-1.75 tire at 50 psi, not a 622-23 at 100 psi.

IronMac

I'm glad that I checked back here. (Very funny, RG!)

Ok, I am going to check out a bit more this "booting" and look at the tire a bit more suspiciously. Any long tours at the moment means I will be in places where it's not easy to get replacement tires.

Thanks all!

FBinNY 

This falls into the category of "beats walking".

It's fine for an emergency on-the-road repair to get you home, but the tire should be replaced at the first opportunity. You want a tire that's uniformly round and structurally strong, and the duck tape repair probably won't pass either measure.

fietsbob

I tour with a 3rd tire aboard, thats where the kevlar bead tires are the best, to pack them,
steel wire bead tires are fine, on the wheels.