# Patched Tubes Reuse



## samiamhere (Apr 19, 2011)

This is my first post to the forum but I have been reading for a while. I have been cycling for about 3 months. The tires that came with my bike were getting flats a good amount as I commute to work ~35 miles roundtrip. I ended up getting some Armadillo tires which have been great - not a single flat. The issue that I have is that I have 8 punctured but patched/repaired tubes hanging in my closet. Is it bad to ride on repaired tubes? I was thinking I could throw them into the mix and save some cash on new tubes over the longer term. Any thoughts?

Thanks ahead of time.


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## shotokun16 (Apr 14, 2011)

samiamhere said:


> This is my first post to the forum but I have been reading for a while. I have been cycling for about 3 months. The tires that came with my bike were getting flats a good amount as I commute to work ~35 miles roundtrip. I ended up getting some Armadillo tires which have been great - not a single flat. The issue that I have is that I have 8 punctured but patched/repaired tubes hanging in my closet. Is it bad to ride on repaired tubes? I was thinking I could throw them into the mix and save some cash on new tubes over the longer term. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks ahead of time.


Recycle em. I would check if the rim tape is flushed and nothinh sharp is poking out.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Most people here re-use patched tubes. If you patch them properly, they're as reliable as new ones.


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## flaco1 (Apr 27, 2011)

I never had any problems with properly patched tubes. As long as you check the tire for any remaining sharp bits and your rim tape, you should be fine.


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## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

Use em until the patches get in the way of each other...or they dry rot. A 25 cent patch is much more economical than a 6 dollar tube and if done correctly will last indefinetly.


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## MSDos5 (Jun 3, 2010)

A dude on craigslist got Me patching he has been a roadie sence the sixties and does it up to three. I do the same it takes awhile to get right.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

MSDos5 said:


> A dude on craigslist got Me patching He has been a roadie sence the sixties and does it up to three. I do the same it takes awhile to get right.


As in, toss it out after the third patch? I've heard that before and while kind of random, it's probably reasonable. No problem to ride on them, IMO and IME. But a couple of things:

--I'll bet that most people here are assuming you mean patch, as in the kind that you glue on after prepping the tube surface by lightly sanding it (really lightly, btw, just enough to clean it). Self-stick patches are good to get you home, probably - but not much more.

--Not that you're hinting at it, but relying only on a patch kit is a bad idea since there are some situations that a patch kit won't fix (busted valve, blow out or hardened tube of cement because you didn't keep an eye on your repair kit). Plus, putting on a new tube is a lot faster than patching and waiting for glue to dry.


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## samiamhere (Apr 19, 2011)

*Thanks for the Advice*

Thanks for advice all. It is helpful. I am using the sanding and Vulcanizing(sp) glue to patch the tubes along with the small rubber section that you attach after the glue dries a bit. Using the patched tubes will help me cut down on the tube costs over the long term. I was a little worried riding on them without checking with some other riders first. Thanks again.


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

In all my years of riding I never toss a tube because of a patch. In fact I never even carried a spare till I took up cycling (again) a few years ago. In the 70's I rode sewups, and I patched them on the road, no problem.


samiamhere said:


> Thanks for advice all. It is helpful. I am using the sanding and Vulcanizing(sp) glue to patch the tubes along with the small rubber section that you attach after the glue dries a bit. Using the patched tubes will help me cut down on the tube costs over the long term. I was a little worried riding on them without checking with some other riders first. Thanks again.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

martinrjensen - Patching sew ups on the road??? OMG, I'm not worthy!

I patch all the tubes that are fixable. I also adhere to the guideline of 3 patches. If it need a 4th patch, I toss it & get a new tube.


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

I never knew it was a big deal till I read about it on here. That was the 70's and I think it must have been easier to get to the tube then. I carried a curved needle and glue and my patch kit. I remember not having any more flats than usual. 
I looked at a more recent tubular and it didn't look like I could get the glued on lining off as easy as I did before so maybe that's why it's not done anymore. The best I remember is feeling pretty proud of the fact that I patched a tire in 15 minutes so that must have been a good deal to remember it after all these years.


Mr. Versatile said:


> martinrjensen - Patching sew ups on the road??? OMG, I'm not worthy!
> 
> I patch all the tubes that are fixable. I also adhere to the guideline of 3 patches. If it need a 4th patch, I toss it & get a new tube.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Back in the day*



martinrjensen said:


> I never knew it was a big deal till I read about it on here. That was the 70's and I think it must have been easier to get to the tube then. I carried a curved needle and glue and my patch kit. I remember not having any more flats than usual.
> I looked at a more recent tubular and it didn't look like I could get the glued on lining off as easy as I did before so maybe that's why it's not done anymore. The best I remember is feeling pretty proud of the fact that I patched a tire in 15 minutes so that must have been a good deal to remember it after all these years.


I started riding sew-ups in 1969, and NOBODY considered patching at the side of the road. Everybody carried a pre-glued spare tire and repaired flats at home. Typically you would accumulate a season's worth of flats and fix them all during the winter. Until the Internet and forums like this one, I had never heard of anyone patching tubulars at the side of the road unless they were in desperate straights and had no other way to get home. Even that rarely happened because except for long-distrance tourists, nobody was carrying a patch/sewing kit.


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

I just flat out didn't know any better. That was my daily rider then. I was about 21 and didn't have 2 nickles to rub together. I didn't have a car and my favorite bar was about 20 miles away so I rode there to drink till closing all the time. Never did get a flat at night though, don't know why. I do remember it was a great riding bike though. A Gitane, middle of the road model.


Kerry Irons said:


> I started riding sew-ups in 1969, and NOBODY considered patching at the side of the road. Everybody carried a pre-glued spare tire and repaired flats at home. Typically you would accumulate a season's worth of flats and fix them all during the winter. Until the Internet and forums like this one, I had never heard of anyone patching tubulars at the side of the road unless they were in desperate straights and had no other way to get home. Even that rarely happened because except for long-distrance tourists, nobody was carrying a patch/sewing kit.


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## Chris Gonzalez (May 12, 2010)

I always keep a new tube in the seat bag for on the road fixes. If I notice a flat at home, or need to change a tube at home, I will use a patched tube. They work fine.


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