March 31, 201412 yr Yesterday, my front tyre was flat. Turned out it was the patch on an old puncture had let go. Now if I want to glue my boat, I can get state of the art Epoxy resin glue. For the campervan, Sikkaflex polyurethane glue, but for my bike, I have to rely on an anonymous little tube hopefully labelled 'Rubber Solution' Seems to me that it is now only a get you home device and a new tube is a more reliable answer.
March 31, 201412 yr I use Skabs for my very rare punctures without issue. No glue just peel and stick:) Slime Skabs Peel & Stick Patches http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/251444586653?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=t&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108
March 31, 201412 yr One of my workmates does not think patches are what they used to be however I do not have firm evidence to prove this. Always best to replace tube if possible and keep other as a spare. Inner tubes are not expensive in fact we are selling them at 50% off for our forthcoming event (Norfolk Cycle Show). There are however various slimes which people use although there effectiveness is questioned. I recommend people invest in a good quality pair of tyres if preventing tyres is important (e.g. Schwalbe Marathon Plus).
March 31, 201412 yr I always carry a spare tube. So much easier IMHO but of course you do have to remove the wheel. I then reuse (back as a spare) once fixed in the comfort of my workshop though I tend to only repair them once maybe twice before they go in the bin. Of course important to find the source of the puncture i.e. glass chard or something in the tyre or another puncture will result Jerry
March 31, 201412 yr IMO it is not a case of patches are not what they used to be. It is more a question of tubes. When I was a kid, tubes were made of real rubber, and patching was easy and effective. Modern tubes are made of a synthetic rubber. It holds air for longer until it is punctured. It is however harder to reliably repair.
March 31, 201412 yr The secret of effective and permanent patch repair is to apply a thin film of the solution to both patch and tube area and then allow adequate drying of the solution. Most failures are due to inadequate drying of the solution, both surfaces must have dried to a completely dull matt finish. Then very firm pressure by squeezing the patch onto the tube effectively bonds them with strength akin to vulcanising. Repaired that way, the tube can be immediately stretched and you'll find the patch stretches with it, demonstrating how strong the bond is. Always use feather edge patches and not the thick type with square edges, the latter can suffer unduly from tyre shift on the rim.
March 31, 201412 yr Author A further problem that I had was that when I fitted a new tube to the twin wall wheel, the valve was too short and barely poked out of the hole. I went to the bike shop, showed them the old tube, and was told that they had never seen such a long valve. Luckily, another member of staff noticed and disabused them of their ignorance, producing a 40mm long valved tube from stock. When I went to fit this new tube, the hole was too small by a fraction, so I had to drill it out. As a precaution, I shall drill the back wheel as well.
March 31, 201412 yr Not sure if I dare say this, but I didn't get one all last year..... I must have had your share then. I reckon that since last July, I have had approx 20 plus. I can't imagine that any tube is going to resist thorns such as this. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/716/n4ar.jpg I'm a bit more selective though now about where I ride and have only had two so this year. With reluctance to add further weight to the bike, I have now also fitted slime tubes. Along with this, I also now carry a Fly-Cobra tube. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fly-cobra-26-tube/rp-prod90559 . Edited March 31, 201412 yr by EddiePJ
March 31, 201412 yr A further problem that I had was that when I fitted a new tube to the twin wall wheel, the valve was too short and barely poked out of the hole. I went to the bike shop, showed them the old tube, and was told that they had never seen such a long valve. Luckily, another member of staff noticed and disabused them of their ignorance, producing a 40mm long valved tube from stock. When I went to fit this new tube, the hole was too small by a fraction, so I had to drill it out. As a precaution, I shall drill the back wheel as well. Schwalbe AV13 are good quality and with long stems, Just bought some from here, good price at the moment at £3.74 each though you have to buy three to get free delivery.
March 31, 201412 yr I had a series of punctures on my rear tyre but it turned out to be the tyre was worn down so offering barely any protection, new tyres now and no issues again. They had been 700x25c slicks before someone asks how that situation sneaks up on you. I have a whole bunch of different patches in my kit so lezyne, weldtite reds, park, wiggle/lifeline, slightly different shapes and thicknesses so always something to use. I find with the glueless ones holding/kneading the patch slightly before you peel off the back and stick it on and then pressing it down and again kneading it when it's on makes for a good stick. Can't see any reason for the little tubes of glue and stuff now that we live in the future.
March 31, 201412 yr I too had the problem of changing the tube to find it had a much shorter valve stem. I went to my favourite bike shop to ask about longer valved tubes and he handed me a small adaptor which screws onto the valve and makes it a longer stem. The adaptor travels with me everywhere.
March 31, 201412 yr I did try the glueless patches from Wilko a while back. Only moderate success, as that got me home. I may be pushing my luck by saying this, but no punctures for a year after fitting Schwalbe Marathon tyres. A useful tip. If the puncture is a small one, always inflate the tube to the size of the inside of the tyre before applying the patch. If you patch the tube flat, it will stretch on inflation, and unless the patch is very secure, the tube will stretch more than the patch, causing it to unstick.
April 7, 201412 yr Schwalbe AV13 are good quality and with long stems, Just bought some from here, good price at the moment at £3.74 each though you have to buy three to get free delivery. Sorry missed the link out and for some reason couldn't edit. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000GQRU06/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
April 7, 201412 yr The secret of effective and permanent patch repair is to apply a thin film of the solution to both patch and tube area and then allow adequate drying of the solution. Most failures are due to inadequate drying of the solution, both surfaces must have dried to a completely dull matt finish. Then very firm pressure by squeezing the patch onto the tube effectively bonds them with strength akin to vulcanising. Repaired that way, the tube can be immediately stretched and you'll find the patch stretches with it, demonstrating how strong the bond is. Always use feather edge patches and not the thick type with square edges, the latter can suffer unduly from tyre shift on the rim. You are right as usual Flecc. I only ever use feather edge patches. The rubber solution is not a glue as such, but it performs a chemical vulcanizing process. The key factors I have found are: once the rubber solution is applied it must be allowed to dry, (usually this takes about 90 seconds). Next, and most importantly, when the patch is applied it must be very firmly pressed onto the tube. I carry a small handled roller in my kit, as used to roll down wallpaper joins which has a 1 inch diameter wheel at the end, I use this to 'stitch' the patch firmly onto the tube. The area to be repaired must be chemically clean for the bond to take effect. This is challenging out in the field, but you should carry some fine sandpaper to clean the repair area thoroughly. I have one tube with seven patches on it and the only failure I've had was after patching a tube in the rain.
April 7, 201412 yr I have one tube with seven patches on it and the only failure I've had was after patching a tube in the rain. After WW2 when the population were very poor and new supplies scarce, we used to get bikes in for puncture repair with tubes masked over large sections with multiple patches, often overlapping each other where a puncture resulted from something piercing a patch! They performed fine, the secret being each patch repair being done properly of course.
April 7, 201412 yr After WW2 when the population were very poor and new supplies scarce, we used to get bikes in for puncture repair with tubes masked over large sections with multiple patches, often overlapping each other where a puncture resulted from something piercing a patch! They performed fine, the secret being each patch repair being done properly of course. I can't go back that far but recall patching car inner tubes as a Saturday boy at a garage in the 1970s. We had a roller to flatten the patch, and I think what was called a vulcanising machine. That was a press which applied a tiny bit of heat to the patched area, presumably to make the solution cure thoroughly or a bit quicker.
April 7, 201412 yr Author After WW2 when the population were very poor and new supplies scarce, we used to get bikes in for puncture repair with tubes masked over large sections with multiple patches, often overlapping each other where a puncture resulted from something piercing a patch! They performed fine, the secret being each patch repair being done properly of course. Yes Flecc, I remember those days. But the tubes as someone else said were rubber. I can remember wellington boots similarly patched, and who these days would know what you were talking about if you mentioned a gaiter for a car tyre?
April 7, 201412 yr Maybe I've just been lucky but I've never had a proper vulcanised patch fail. I once used a self adhesive one and that did come off. Since using Schwalbe MP tyres on my Brompton and also my Giant Seek ezee I have had zero punctures over 2 years and 10000 miles.
April 7, 201412 yr The normal feather-edged patched work perfectly if done properly as described above. I've never had one fail. I normally go up to about three patches before I think about a new tube except when the tube has several punctures at once, like when you keep pumping up the tyre to try and get home without repair, when the thorn often punctures again in a different spot. I've heard mixed reviews of the Scab type, which are supposed to be OK to get you home, but a bit dodgy to leave long-term from what I've read. Traditional patches work fine, so why change?
April 8, 201412 yr The secret of effective and permanent patch repair is to apply a thin film of the solution to both patch and tube area and then allow adequate drying of the solution. I never knew that. I thought the stuff in the tube are a fancy kind of glue, so I always used it like I'd use glue. This could explain why I've always been so terrible at repairing punctures. I learned something new and very useful today! Thanks. I use thick-walled inner tubes "thorn resistant", a kevlar outer tire (Schwalbe Blackjack) and a gel insert between the tube and the tire. Before I did that, I was getting punctures. Since then, the only puncture I've had was a total blowout when I misadjusted my rear brake and the brake pad rubbed on the tire until it rubbed through and ... BANG!!!!
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