# patching tires



## paul2432 (Jul 11, 2006)

I've been riding for well over a decade, and in all that time have never patched a tire. I take a spare tube with me on rides, and if I get a flat, throw out the flatted tube when I get home.

Is it worth it to patch tubes? I figure at most, I might save $50 per year by patching. I suppose it's nice to have patches for those rare times I get two or more flats in one ride.

Is one brand of patch better than another? If so, what is a good brand?

Any tips or techniques I should know about patching?

Thanks,
Paul


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## John Nelson (Mar 10, 2006)

I carry one new tube, and one patch kit. The patch kit is for the second flat. I always keep the first tube with me, as it might be more patchable than the second tube.

I throw my flatted tubes into a sack at home. When I get about 8 of them, I patch them all at once using the patch kit in my saddle bag. I then replace the kit in my saddle bag with a fresh patch kit.

I never carry a patched tube with me on the bike, in case the patch didn't take. I prefer to carry a new tube. I use patched tubes only when replacing a tube at home. Turns out that this happens a lot because many slow leaks don't show up as flats until after the ride is over.

I can understand why you don't think patching is worth it. Many people feel that way. But still, patching is cheaper than a new tube, and patching tubes at home allows me to practice for the day when I'll need to do it on the road.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*I patch*



paul2432 said:


> I've been riding for well over a decade, and in all that time have never patched a tire. I take a spare tube with me on rides, and if I get a flat, throw out the flatted tube when I get home.
> Is it worth it to patch tubes? I figure at most, I might save $50 per year by patching. I suppose it's nice to have patches for those rare times I get two or more flats in one ride.
> Is one brand of patch better than another? If so, what is a good brand?
> Any tips or techniques I should know about patching?


It doesn't really consume any time, if you do it while watching something dumb on TV (admit it, you waste several hours a week that way, just like me 
As John noted, it's handy to be in practice for that day when you get the second flat on the road. 
Patched tubes are basically as good as new if you do it right. 

As for brands, any of the ones you get at the bike shop are fine, but these, from Germany, are the traditional standard; very thin, tapered edge; good reliable glue. They've always worked perfectly for me.










Here are some instructions poached from Sheldon Brown's excellent article on the subject (worth reading, though there's probably little new for someone with your experience).
https://sheldonbrown.com/flats.html


Inner tube patching is a very old, well established technology, and is quite reliable if done properly:

1. Select a patch appropriate to the size of the hole(s).
2. Use the sandpaper provided in the patch kit to buff the surface of the tube for an area a bit larger than the patch. You need to buff the tube so that it is no longer shiny. If there is a molding line running along the area where the patch is to be applied, you must sand it down completely, or it will provide an air channel.

Avoid touching the buffed area with your fingers.
3. Apply a dab of rubber cement, then spread it into a thin coat, using your cleanest finger.

Work quickly. You want a thin, smooth coat of cement; if you keep fiddling with it as it begins to dry, you'll risk making it lumpy. The thinner the cement, the faster it will dry.
4. Allow the cement to dry completely.
5. Make sure the cement has dried completely!
6. Peel the foil from the patch and press the patch onto the tube firmly.
7. Squeeze the patch tightly onto the tube. You're done! 

If you follow this procedure, and use good materials, your patched tube should be basically as good as new.

Patch failure generally results from one of two errors:

* Not buffing the tube sufficiently, or:
* Applying the patch before the cement has dried fully.


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## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

paul2432 said:


> Is it worth it to patch tubes?
> 
> Thanks,
> Paul



How much is your bike worth? What is the deductible on your medical insurance? The chance of a blowout at speed is increased with patched tubes. Throw them away after punctures.


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## tigerwah (May 27, 2007)

> How much is your bike worth? What is the deductible on your medical insurance? The chance of a blowout at speed is increased with patched tubes. Throw them away after punctures.


That's funny, I patch all of my tubes and never had this problem. Where did you hear this?


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*Patch is stronger than the tube, plus the waste factor*

I've been riding for 35 years as an adult, plus another 10 or so as a kid doing my own maintenance, certainly patched at least 250 times (had six flats on a century one time, and used to mountain bike in the Nevada desert with enormous thorns). In all that time, I've had _two _patch failures, both my fault. In one case I got dust on the cement as it was drying and didn't resand and regoop, and in the other some Slime oozed out of the tube and interfered with the stiction of the patch.
You're not going to change your habits because of anything I say, but I openly scorn anybody who'll throw away a tube because of a puncture. I don't care about the money; that's yours to spend as you like. But the sheer wastefulness, even of something as small and benign as a bike tube, just grates on my ass.
But that's just me...


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*Oh God, now you did it*



Fignon's Barber said:


> How much is your bike worth? What is the deductible on your medical insurance? The chance of a blowout at speed is increased with patched tubes. Throw them away after punctures.


You opened up that can of stinky worms! Now all the enviromentalist nazis, all the penny pinchers, will chime in and clog the bandwidth.

Actually I'm with you on this one. I had a blowout with a patched tube that I was unaware that the shop had punctured and patched when I warranteed a set of wheels. It was a front tire, it blew out and put me on the deck so fast I had no idea what happened. After examining the tube, big ole blow out explosion gash right at the patch. Broke a little finger that now looks like a hockey stick in that crash.

I buy tubes in bulk, I carry 2 with me all the time plus CO2 and a small hand pump.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Sky's falling.*



> _How much is your bike worth? What is the deductible on your medical insurance? The chance of a blowout at speed is increased with patched tubes. Throw them away after punctures_


A tube contained by a sound and properly mounted tire cannot blow out, if by "blowout" you mean a loud pop with instantaneous deflation. For that to occur, the tube must escape from under a section of tire bead that it lifted off the rim (almost always because of improper mounting) or escape out of a cut or shredded tire sidewall.

If a patch fails, air just escapes from the hole the patch was supposed to close. Many alarmist tales notwithstanding, this means relatively slow deflation with plenty of time to come to a safe halt.


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## paul2432 (Jul 11, 2006)

Cory said:


> I've been riding for 35 years as an adult, plus another 10 or so as a kid doing my own maintenance, certainly patched at least 250 times (had six flats on a century one time, and used to mountain bike in the Nevada desert with enormous thorns). In all that time, I've had _two _patch failures, both my fault. In one case I got dust on the cement as it was drying and didn't resand and regoop, and in the other some Slime oozed out of the tube and interfered with the stiction of the patch.
> You're not going to change your habits because of anything I say, but I openly scorn anybody who'll throw away a tube because of a puncture. I don't care about the money; that's yours to spend as you like. But the sheer wastefulness, even of something as small and benign as a bike tube, just grates on my ass.
> But that's just me...


I don't like throwing away tubes either. I haven't patched until now because I didn't think patches really worked that well. I saw some mentioning of patching in other threads which stimulated my original post. I will stop at the LBS and pick up a patch kit.

Paul


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## Jeff in Texas (Mar 17, 2006)

*Speaking of patching...*

Has anyone used these? http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=17&item=GP-2


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

The Park Tool kit works really well. There is no glue tube to leak or dry out. You roughen the inner tube with the supplied sand paper square, peel the pre-adhesive patch from the wax paper backing, apply it like a postage stamp to the leak, and press for a 15 seconds or so. I had one tube for many years that had 4 of these patches and none of them failed. The kit is tiny, inexpensive, and the unused patches don't seem to ever go bad in storage. As far as reliability and long term sealing, I would say they are better than traditional glue patching. If you factor in that glue tubes can leak, dry out, and become useless, then "glueless patches" like the Park Tool kit are the best way to go.

I used to just carry tire levers, a micro pump, one spare inner tube, and no patches. Then I had two different episodes of double flats one one ride. Most of the time this was due to abrasion of the spare while in my seat bag. Eventhough the tube was well protected in its own box and carefully folded, the tube would be leaky from abrasion. I have since learned to rotate out my spare every 3-4 months. That's when I started patching the small punctures and saving the inner tube for unpatchable flats, like blowouts, large gashes, failed rim tape flats, valve stem flats, etc. 

I ride up to 5,000 miles per year, 60% of that commuting on glass strewn roads, using Kevlar belted tires. I have had every type of flat imaginable. When you commute you have to be prepared and be self reliant. I recently bought a CO2 inflator since it speeds up the process considerably, so even if I get a flat on the way in, I am not late for work. But I still use my Crank Bros micro pump which is good for finding small punctures and seating the tire before fully pressurizing. It is also a back up in case I use up my CO2 and get another flat. At work, I keep a small supply of inner tubes, CO2, patches, and a full size floor pump, so I am fully repaired and fully resupplied for the ride home. I have never had to call my wife to pick me up when I commute to work on my bike.

I get most of my flats in the rain. I think the water lubes the glass fragment, making it easier to penetrate the tire, instead of just bounce off. There is also the Murphy's Law factor that you will get a flat at the very worst possible time.


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## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

Cory said:


> You're not going to change your habits because of anything I say, but I openly scorn anybody who'll throw away a tube because of a puncture. I don't care about the money; that's yours to spend as you like. But the sheer wastefulness, even of something as small and benign as a bike tube, just grates on my ass.
> But that's just me...



Sorry, I'm not impressed by the enviro-self rightiousness. Maybe try to get a few details before stepping to the pulpit. For the record, I race for a squad that provides nice wheelgoods and , thankfully, I go an extraordinary number of miles sans punctures. In fact, I have had 2 punctures in the last 3 seasons. One of the said tubes is in a box of old parts in the basement, awaiting trainer duty if needed. The other is cut into segments which are seeing work holding bundles together in the garage. Oh, and by the way, slime and 250 applications of tire glue don't grow on trees.:thumbsup:


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## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

Lone Gunman said:


> You opened up that can of stinky worms! Now all the enviromentalist nazis, all the penny pinchers, will chime in and clog the bandwidth.
> 
> Actually I'm with you on this one. I had a blowout with a patched tube that I was unaware that the shop had punctured and patched when I warranteed a set of wheels. It was a front tire, it blew out and put me on the deck so fast I had no idea what happened. After examining the tube, big ole blow out explosion gash right at the patch. Broke a little finger that now looks like a hockey stick in that crash.
> 
> I buy tubes in bulk, I carry 2 with me all the time plus CO2 and a small hand pump.



Thanks for the warning, LG. " Throw away" was a bad choice of words. Technically, I save 'em, but don't use them on the road. (Note to self: stay out of beginner's forum)


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## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

wim said:


> .... the tube must escape from under a section of tire bead that it lifted off the rim (almost always because of improper mounting) or escape out of a cut or shredded tire sidewall.
> 
> If a patch fails, air just escapes from the hole the patch was supposed to close. Many alarmist tales notwithstanding, this means relatively slow deflation with plenty of time to come to a safe halt.



eerrrhhh....thanks for the clarification. I'm new to this technical stuff. Can you explain why the bottoms of the tires are moving backward while I'm propelling the bike forward.:idea:


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

I patch all my tubes and some have several patches in it. But only pin holes. If it's a large hole like a tear, it goes out. I recently went into a pothole with both tires and they both blew out. I had 2 tears in each of the tires, ironically in the same area.

I just bought 1.6 mm thick tubes, rather than .9mm standard thickness, from Performance Bike for $2.99 each. I got them in the mail today and they are so thick they were boxed in a very large and long box rather than the smaller box and are they thick! I'm not sure I can roll them up and put them in my saddle bag.

I carry two patch kits, some regular with glue and a few glueless in case the glue dries out just when I need it..


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

I leave them on the side of the road for cyclists who actually bother to patch blown tubes. 

Just what I want to stuff in my jersey a used tube. Feel free to take them home and patch them. You'll have a choice of 48mm or 60mm presta valve ultralight tubes depending on my wheels at the time.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _Can you explain why the bottoms of the tires are moving backward while I'm propelling the bike forward._


With the wheel firmly attached to the bike and the tire firmly attached to the rim, that's not possible. You must have left your quick-release lever open or improperly mounted your tire—a common thing to do for beginners. Hope you're OK.


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

As a club ride leader, I carry patched tubes for use in other riders bikes because many riders don't carry tubes. So I had a LBS save a few tubes for me, I patched them, and those are the ones that I carry for other riders and I just give them away on the ride to those who have a flat. I've seen riders not carrying tubes in all ride levels. Some New/Beginner riders because they don't know, Some Mid level riders because they don't care and will ride using someone else's tube or patch kit, Some high end riders because they don't want to carry any excess weight. After finding this out about one of the high end riders I've ridden with, and telling him he'll get a tube or patch from me today but never again, he'll have to walk back if he gets a flat. Sure enough, it was the next time or the time after, he gets a flat. I left him, he walked back, it was about 1/2 mile from the starting point so it wasn't a bad walk. I thought he learned his lesson and when I asked if he was going to start carrying a tube AND pump, he said no, I'll walk again or call for a ride. And he said it was because of the weight. Hey your training, it's not a race, extra weight is good, it makes you stronger.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

paul2432 said:


> $50 per year by patching.


What am I doing wrong (or maybe what am I doing _right_)? *$50 *a year in tubes? I ride 150-200 miles a week in the summer, and 80-90 in the dead of winter. I pump my tires up ever 2-3 days, and I can go 8-10 months easy without a flat. I run Michelin's Pro Race 23's, in DC with pot-holes, and all kinds of junk on the road. 

Maybe I am just really lucky, but my flats are few and far between. Because of that, I never patch- why run the risk of the patch not sticking when I'm out on the road. Cycling is a pretty expensive sport, and to save money on a $4 tube that you are going to place around your $300 rim (or more)... seems quite silly.

If you are thinking about responding that tubes kill the environment, then re-use them to make a belt for yourself or something.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

I repair tubes all the time. Did 5 last nite.

I buy a product called Aquaseal for fixing holes in my dive suits...it's $11/tube and becomes unusable quickly as the contents dries out in short order once it's opened.

So, I tried it on bike tubes. This stuff is killer...I even glued a valve stem that was 80% detached from the tube and it's still holding strong.

Practical for others? Probably not...but for me it beats throwing the adhesive and used tubes away.

Leaving a tube on the side of the road probably won't harm the environment much, but it's kind of slob thing to do...


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*Here is what i recall.....*



wim said:


> A tube contained by a sound and properly mounted tire cannot blow out, if by "blowout" you mean a loud pop with instantaneous deflation. For that to occur, the tube must escape from under a section of tire bead that it lifted off the rim (almost always because of improper mounting) or escape out of a cut or shredded tire sidewall.
> 
> If a patch fails, air just escapes from the hole the patch was supposed to close. Many alarmist tales notwithstanding, this means relatively slow deflation with plenty of time to come to a safe halt.


Crested a hill going about 15mph or so, was warm so i peeled a jacket off and was stuffing it into my jersey popcket. Lost balance a little and reached down for the bar, swerved fairly hard when I did not get immediate contact and control of the bike. From here out this is speculation; I suspect the tire gripped and rolled and by consequence. bad luck, or whatever reason the patch spot was the weak spot as the tire rolled and pow, blow out and me on the deck. Would it have happened had the tire not been patched? I have no idea and never will. I rarely have flats, I never patch and at $2.50 or so a tube my patch kits always dried up by the time I needed to use one again so it was useless in the bag unless I carried a fresh kit all the time.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _I suspect the tire gripped and rolled and by consequence. bad luck, or whatever reason the patch spot was the weak spot as the tire rolled and pow, blow out and me on the deck._


I've never rolled a clincher off the rim, even in some seriously jerky moves just before hitting the pavement. But it must have happened to you, because when you heard a POW with your blow out, the tire must have unseated, even if just for an instant.

More to the point of this thread: obviously it did, but I have no good explanation for your tube blowing right at the patch. I was inclined to say "coincidence," but then a possible explanation occured to me: the shop fixed the flat by just pulling a short section of tube out of the tire. When they stuffed that section of tube back into the tire, they got a small fold of tube caught under the tire bead. That fold, which would be very near or right at the patch, unseated the tire bead and blew itself out. Of course, this theory holds water only if the blowout occured a short time after you left the shop.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Fignon's Barber said:


> How much is your bike worth? What is the deductible on your medical insurance? The chance of a blowout at speed is increased with patched tubes. Throw them away after punctures.


I'm neither a penny pincher nor an environmentalist nazi, but I've yet to hear of a blow out that damaged bike or rider occurring where a patch was applied. In fact, I've never had a patch fail, but when they do fail it isn't via blow out... it is a leak.

Folks can debate the pros and cons of patching time/effort vs. new tube all day, but I think suggesting that there is a risk to rider or bike in using a patched tube is silly.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

I'm skeptical, but I wasn't there. Rolling a clincher off the rim because a patched tube gave way? Well, I can't claim to have ever seen anything where that would make sense. Glad you are okay, but it won't persuade me one way or the other about patching... I've never had a glued patch fail.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Sequence.*



> _Rolling a clincher off the rim because a patched tube gave way?_


Well, Lone Gunman in his last post appeared open to the thought that his tire unseated first, then his tube blew—which is my contention. But I wasn't there either. So as he said, it's all just speculation.


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

I don't patch much because after I open the cement it is dried out by the next time I need it.

Anyone have any suppestion on how to make it last longer or where to buy it seperatly and cheaply?


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

Cory said:


> I openly scorn anybody who'll throw away a tube because of a puncture...the sheer wastefulness, even of something as small and benign as a bike tube, just grates on my ass.


Get over yourself... this is too silly. 

If you are serious about not being wasteful and saving the environment (which I think is a very, very good thing), then I would suggest starting with discouraging excess oil consumption, or negligent power usage rather then scolding a bunch of environmentally friendly bikers who toss a tube once every 6-12 months.


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## John Nelson (Mar 10, 2006)

Lifelover said:


> I don't patch much because after I open the cement it is dried out by the next time I need it.
> 
> Anyone have any suppestion on how to make it last longer or where to buy it seperatly and cheaply?


I wait until I have a bunch of tubes that need patching, and then patch them all at the same time. So once I open the cement tube, I pretty much use all of it. If there's any left, I leave it in the garage rather than on my bike. In my saddle bag, I always carry an unopened cement tube. Even then, I rotate the patch kit in my saddle bag occasionally so that the kit in there is never more than a year old.


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

"I get most of my flats in the rain. I think the water lubes the glass fragment, making it easier to penetrate the tire, instead of just bounce off. There is also the Murphy's Law factor that you will get a flat at the very worst possible time"

Hmmm interesting theory, often wondered about that.

b21


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*glue*



Lifelover said:


> I don't patch much because after I open the cement it is dried out by the next time I need it.
> 
> Anyone have any suppestion on how to make it last longer or where to buy it seperatly and cheaply?


https://biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=426839510504&d=single&c=Tire-Tube&sc=Repair-Kits-and-Supplies&tc=Cement&item_id=RE-F0F

Not that much cheaper than a whole kit, unfortunately, but at least you could have some spares. 

Or if you save up and do a batch at home, buy the shop size:








https://biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=426839510504&d=single&c=Tire-Tube&sc=Repair-Kits-and-Supplies&tc=Cement&item_id=RE-203
By unit cost, less than a third the price of the small tubes. Probably keeps pretty well in that tight-sealing can.


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## wesmon (May 23, 2004)

This is a bike forum and the question was regarding tossing tubes or patching. Suggesting that they not be thrown for environmental reasons is perfectly acceptable.

Talking about excess oil or gasoline or wood use would not be acceptable here. 

Even bringing up something as silly as "don't throw it out because it's just another new tube an 8 year old Chinese kid has to make" would be valid. Not that I'm suggesting that as a reason.


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## ethebull (May 30, 2007)

A tube is simply a bladder. It does not “hold pressure”. Every blow-out is a tire failure, either from improper mounting, or from a cut. Patches can fail but not catastrophically. 

To patch or not to patch…

It’s mostly a matter of how much you value your time, or perhaps your environmental sensibilities.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Yep, and if you followed the threading, you'd see that I was responding to Lone Gunman, not you. 

My point is that not only is it speculation, I think it is unreasonably speculative and not reason to shy away from patched tubes.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

wesmon said:


> This is a bike forum and the question was regarding tossing tubes or patching. Suggesting that they not be thrown for environmental reasons is perfectly acceptable.
> 
> Talking about excess oil or gasoline or wood use would not be acceptable here.


Sure it would, it happens all the time. We often talk about cycling's environmental impact vs. other forms of transportation. Do a search, you will find plenty of examples.:thumbsup:


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## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

Kestreljr said:


> Get over yourself... this is too silly.
> 
> If you are serious about not being wasteful and saving the environment (which I think is a very, very good thing), then I would suggest starting with discouraging excess oil consumption, or negligent power usage rather then scolding a bunch of environmentally friendly bikers who toss a tube once every 6-12 months.



waste is waste. patching tubes <i>is</i> recycling, the opposite of waste. Im as guilty as some, I prefer an unpatched tube but I <i>will</i> patch a tube with a hole in it if its patch-able. aside from the righteousness of it, the $5 I saved can be spent on something else...like $170 helmets or $300 bibs. I wouldn't put the label environmentally friendly biker on your average racer either. but that's a separate issue.


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*And thus I refer posters to the last point of my post*



JayTee said:


> Yep, and if you followed the threading, you'd see that I was responding to Lone Gunman, not you.
> 
> My point is that not only is it speculation, I think it is unreasonably speculative and not reason to shy away from patched tubes.


My patch kits seemed to get one use when I patched, the next time (few and far between) I went to use said kit, the glue was dried up for some reason and the kit useless unless i had the glueless patch. Therefore, hence forth and hither to, I choose not to patch.


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*I didn't actually see what happened*



wim said:


> Well, Lone Gunman in his last post appeared open to the thought that his tire unseated first, then his tube blew—which is my contention. But I wasn't there either. So as he said, it's all just speculation.


I remember the swerve, I remember the panic of reaching down for a handlebar and missing the bar, and then the pop. I stopped sliding on the road and was dazed for about 15 seconds and dizzy. Got my wits and at that point riders were coming to my aid. About 15 mins later I was cleaned up and doing bike repairs and that is when I discovered the patch and tear.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _I didn't actually see what happened _


I think very few riders ever do see the actual sequence of events of a crash. There have been several threads on RBR in which someone posted a photo of a broken fork or broken frame and wondered how this could have happened. During the ensuing discussion it quickly became clear that it was impossible to establish cause and effect—did the component fail as a result of he crash, or did the component failure cause the crash?

I don't patch on the road anymore unless forced to by a second or third flat during a ride. But I do patch at home. There was a time when on-the-road patching was the only way to fix rear flats for me. Like most everyone else in Europe at that time, I rode a heavy one-speed bike with fenders, a rack and an enclosed chain. Removing a rear wheel was a 30-minute job, so people fixed rear flats by pulling the tube out of the tire and just leaving it inside the frame rear triangle during the repair. By the time you got home, the incident was conveniently forgotten— so after a few years of inside-the-frame tube repairs, your tube looked like the polka dot jersey.


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

JCavilia said:


> https://biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=426839510504&d=single&c=Tire-Tube&sc=Repair-Kits-and-Supplies&tc=Cement&item_id=RE-F0F
> 
> Not that much cheaper than a whole kit, unfortunately, but at least you could have some spares.
> 
> ...


Thanks

That is a great website. Had never been there before!


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## seany916 (Feb 8, 2006)

I carry a patch kit in case I or someone in my group has multiple flats after the 2 inner tubes I carry (thin ones).


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## dekindy (Jul 7, 2006)

Used to patch tubes but now throw them away and get a new one.

Like a previous responder, I now carry two spare tubes, frame pump, and co2.

Park glueless patches in saddle bag just in case. They were recommended by people that should know if they work.:thumbsup:


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## bcyclist (Jun 16, 2007)

I carry a couple spare tubes and a pump. 
I tried glueless patches years ago but found they didn't hold up well.

I have no idea how people can go months without flatting.
I usually cannot go a week without at least one. There is just too much junk in the road. Even running gatorskins and tireliners aren't enough, so patching makes economic sense for me. Tubes would cost significantly more.

The rubber cement lasts a long time for me. Only a little is needed when patching a tube. ... I don't know why it's drying out for some of you. Maybe you don't cap the container tight enough!


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## cjohnson12144 (Oct 11, 2004)

I carry a spare tube, a patch kit, and two CO2 cartridges. I wish I had the luck others do, but where I ride there is always glass in the roads and streets, and eventually I'm going to pick up a sliver that makes its way into the tire, even with regular inspections. Finding that pinhole on the road can be difficult (especially without a pump, and not wanting to risk wasting CO2), so I put the new tube on first, and save and later patch the tube in case.

I understand the folks who are nervous about a patched tube, but if you've patched it right the patch will have become the strongest part of the tube, and is not going to let go. Even if it did, the hole in the original tube is as small as it ever was, so it can't lead to a blowout. I'm inclined to go with the folks who see a pinch as the problem there.

I start with fresh tubes and usually fresh tires every season.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I patch all my tubes. The only problems I've had have been with glueless patches. IME, they just don't work well. The regular glued patches (I prefer Parks) work great.


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