# Is there a permanent tire boot?



## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Caught a piece glass and have a 1/2 slice in a Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tire with about 160 miles on it. A dollar bill seemed to hold up one for a few miles. What about a car tire patch for something more permanent?


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Mr645 said:


> Caught a piece glass and have a 1/2 slice in a Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tire with about 160 miles on it. A dollar bill seemed to hold up one for a few miles. What about a car tire patch for something more permanent?


Your dollar bill, some Tyvek envelope, or what I use - thin leather - will stay there forever if held in with duct tape.


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## ngl (Jan 22, 2002)

There are a lot of good items (as indicated by Mike T) that will make permanent solutions. Just make sure they can be held in place with glue or tape (so they don't move around), make sure they are sturdy enough so they don't allow the tube to herniate through the cut, and try to use something thin to minimize the bulge in the tire. I now use the Park Tool Tire Boot.

I also cut a front tire shortly after installation. I installed a tire boot and swapped the tire to the rear for piece of mind.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

These. You may be able to find them at your LBS too.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

I used some Park Tool boots and found the plastic cracked after a while, though they didn't cause a failure. These were the earlier transparent variety. The new ones are white and may be better in this regard.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Any slice or gash over .2" and the tire gets replaced. Not worth an ambulance ride.


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## bikepro (Jan 22, 2006)

Special Eyes said:


> Any slice or gash over .2" and the tire gets replaced. Not worth an ambulance ride.


+1 A tire boot is an emergency fix to get you home where the tire is replaced.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Right, No such thing as a permanent tire boot!


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

Special Eyes said:


> Right, No such thing as a permanent tire boot!


Well I've put double layer Tyvek boots in tires (a little rubber cement keeps them in place) and had them last until the tire wore out. Probably 1,000 miles or more. Maybe some people don't consider that permanent.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Ok, I tried an automotive tire patch that normally goes inside the car tire. 

No good for bikes. The car patch has a bit too much stretch to it. It's certainly air tight and I may have to cut it out of the tire, but it has enough stretch to it to allow for some bulge. 

Next I am thinking something like Tyvek with some cement and perhaps Gorilla tape over it. Still not sure if I will use it on my next 200k Brevet, but perhaps at least get a bunch of 30 mile group rides on it


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Did you use one of the ones for radials, that has fabric in it?

I've patched a few tires that way, and it seems to last the life of the tire.

I do notice a little bit of a bulge, but it doesn't seem to grow or anything. I figured it was just that there's some distance between where the casing in the tire is slashed and where the fabric in the car tire patch is.

I once stitched a slash shut. That seemed to last okay too, but I worry that having the thread exposed means I'll wear through it and reopen the slash. Not an issue for a sidewall cut, though.


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

1/2" is way too big to permanently boot or otherwise repair.

I have fixed an 1/8" cut in a tubeless by using a conventional patch glued to the inside of the tire, but I do not see that working for a 1/2" cut. With a cut that big you will get a bulge.


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## crit_boy (Aug 6, 2013)

Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tire = $40 ish dollars

For me $40 is not worth: time and cost of messing around to find a "permanent" boot and/or the risk of failure on a ride. 

Note a ride failure = new tube ($5 or more) plus the PITA of trying to repair a failed repair on the road, risk of injury, etc. 

Over the summer, I got a sidewall 1/2 to 3/4 inch cut in a pro4 SC. It had about 1000 miles on it. On the ride I fixed it with a dollar bill. Although bummed, I had no second thought about replacing the tire.


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## ngl (Jan 22, 2002)

Blue CheeseHead and Special Eyes raised a good point. 1/2" is a large cut to repair.

The largest (sidewall) cut I've repaired is about 3/16" or so. I'm currently using the Park Tool Boot and the repair is holding great after about one month and 1000 miles. There is no bulge or flat spot while riding and the cut is not getting any larger. If this was a well worn tire, or the cut was in the tread, I would have replaced the tire as soon as I got home.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

I don't think I've ever had a crash due to a flat, so that wouldn't be my biggest worry. I normally just feel the thumping, and pull over and fix it. But, it may depend on your riding. 

I agree, put the bad tire on the rear if possible. Even if not for safety, you want to maximize the wear on the tire and replace it as soon as possible.

1/2" is pretty big. Does the hole go all the way through?

I've got about a 1/4" cut in my Schwalbe Marathon on my bike now, but the penetration to the tube was minimal, and I rode it for 50+ miles without a boot. I decided to try a Park boot for a little extra protection. They are a heavy vinyl. The glue seems a bit funky, and not very strong. But, they aren't meant to be airtight. The full sized boot seemed to cause a feeling like a hop, so I cut it in half which resolved the hop problem. I don't know the longevity as it is a heavy, rigid piece of vinyl in the tire that may move independent of the tube, but for now it is working, and gives me a bit of peace of mind.

Experiment with your tire if you must, but it is certainly pushing the limits of being repairable.


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## ngl (Jan 22, 2002)

Yeh, the cut was in the sidewall and you can see day light and poke part of your finger through. The tube would herniate through (and blow) without the boot.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

crit_boy said:


> ...On the ride I fixed it with a dollar bill.... [/COLOR]


IMO, you shouldn't be so cheap and risk your safety. Personally, I use at least a $5 bill.


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## Easyup (Feb 26, 2012)

CliffordK said:


> I don't think I've ever had a crash due to a flat, so that wouldn't be my biggest worry.


I hope you knocked on wood.
They can be serious when cornering. I have escaped major injury/damage when going down from a piece of beer bottle glass (would like to see $5 deposit on all beer bottles). On a ride asked about a fellows wrist wrap, he was recovering form a wrist break when he flatted on a corner.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

Mr645 said:


> Caught a piece glass and have a 1/2 slice in a Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tire with about 160 miles on it. A dollar bill seemed to hold up one for a few miles. What about a car tire patch for something more permanent?


I'll repeat what others have noted - a 1/2" slice in a tire - any tire - is too large to repair. General auto tire limitations are 1/4", and then typically any speed rating is also lost. Additionally, sidewall punctures / cuts are considered non-repairable.


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## mfdemicco (Nov 8, 2002)

Mr645 said:


> Caught a piece glass and have a 1/2 slice in a Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tire with about 160 miles on it. A dollar bill seemed to hold up one for a few miles. What about a car tire patch for something more permanent?


Yeah. The dollar bill thing is a myth. Lasted a few miles for me too. I carry Park tire boots, but don't consider them a permanent fix.


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## QuattroCreep (Nov 30, 2009)

Trainer tire. Yes you can patch it and yes it should hold but for $40 why risk it. Patch it up and use it as a trainer tire. You still get your money worth and if it fails on the trainer, no big deal.

I just patched a tire with a 0.5" gash in it. A friend gave it to me since he was going to toss it out. I use a layer of 3m Extreme Strapping Tape (packing tape with super high bond and fiberglass reinforcement), then a layer of thin plastic (take out food container/soda bottle) held in place with a second layer of tape.

For your saddle bag you can pre-cut a plastic boot and wrap a couple of layers of the strapping tape around it(8"should be plenty). Make sure to round the corners on the plastic boot so there are no sharp points. Makes a nice small boot that will hold in place and not create big hop in the tire. I wedge it between my spare tube and multi tool to prevent the tube from chaffing.

Tape

I know the Staples office supply store by me carries it.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Get a new one from Pro Bike Kit for $30. I'm thinking about buy 3 while they are on sale and riding them all spring.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

I had a small cut that wasn't big enough to cause a bulge, but I worried that it might get bigger. So I cut a Park Tire Boot about in half. It doesn't stick to the tire very well, but good enough to stay in place until the tube is inflated.

But a few weeks later, the edge of the boot cut a small slice in my tube, causing a flat. I'll try some tyvek glued on with rubber cement instead.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

rm -rf said:


> But a few weeks later, the edge of the boot cut a small slice in my tube, causing a flat. I'll try some tyvek glued on with rubber cement instead.


That's what I'm worried about 

I think I'll keep running my experiment, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the comment.


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