Patched tube ok?

I flatted for the first time last weekend (new rider...). My tire was
punctured by what might have been a small piece of glass that penetrated the
tire and tube--almost a pinhole. I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away?

TIA, Chris

cgk wrote:
I flatted for the first time last weekend (new rider...). My tire was
punctured by what might have been a small piece of glass that penetrated the
tire and tube--almost a pinhole. I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away?

TIA, Chris



You don't need to replace the tire, unless it's really damaged, which
usually don't happen. I suggest to keep the patched tube as spare in
your saddle bag or jersey pocket.
I don't know if you're less lucky than me, but I flat in average 2 times
a year so the cost of putting a new tube every time isn't that big.

Francesco

cgk- I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away? BRBR

Reuse it. BUT as punctures are not that uncommon, you should invest in a
seatbag for a tube, tire levers and a patch kit so you don't have to rely on a
freindly passerby.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

A properly patched tube will last ages. I've ridden tubes with a
dozen or more patches on them for months at a time. I'd say keep
using the patched tube and keep the new one as a spare, for a quick
swap out if you find yourself on the road without patches and glue.


On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:38:43 -0400, "cgk" wrote:

I flatted for the first time last weekend (new rider...). My tire was
punctured by what might have been a small piece of glass that penetrated the
tire and tube--almost a pinhole. I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away?

TIA, Chris

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

cgk- I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away? BRBR

Reuse it. BUT as punctures are not that uncommon, you should invest in a
seatbag for a tube, tire levers and a patch kit so you don't have to rely on a
freindly passerby.

And a frame pump, of course . Make sure that the pump fits the type
of valve you have, or is convertible. You also want a floor pump, for
pumping up the tire at home.

Tire boot patches, which cover large holes in the tire itself, are
probably not a bad idea. Otherwise, you the tube will just blow out
through the hole in the tire. You may never need them, but if you do,
they can help you get home where you can buy a new tire. You can get a
set of 3 from Park; they're all but weightless and occupy hardly any
space in your seat bag.

Regarding keeping the patched tube as a spare, I've never done that. I
guess the main reason is that I'm afraid that the other stuff in my seat
bag, like my cable lock, my multitool, etc., might abrade or poke a
pinhole in the tuble. I carry my spares, new in their original boxes to
protect them. YMMV.

The punctured tubes, I hem and haw, but eventually wind up throwing them
out.

Dave

I'm a veteran cyclist from the '70s and have fixed more flats than I
could shake a frame pump at.
Now that I've got 30+ years added on since then, I've finally decided
that I had enough of fixing flats.

When I got my latest bike about 4 years ago, after the 2nd day of
riding, I discovered a totally flat rear tire in the morning. So I
fixed the flat - and the experience really took me back, and then on
the next day, the same experience again. At that point, I really
wasn't in much of a mood to be taken back *there* anymore. In both
cases, the culprit was an extremely tiny glass shard - the kind that's
practically impossible to see and avoid.

That was when I went to the local auto parts store and bought a bottle
of Monkey Grip Tire Sealant. It has markings on the bottle for various
quantities for different kinds of tires and has an amount specified
for bicycle tires. So I put the sealant in both tires...AND I HAVEN'T
HAD A SINGLE FLAT EVER SINCE!!!
The stuff WORKS! And while I have never (and never will) see how much
glass I can ride through to 'test' the sealant, I have several times
inadvertently gone through some glass near the side of the road
(either that or get splattered by motor vehicle traffic) - and still
NO FLATS.


So unless you actually enjoy the hassles, mess, and general
inconvenience of fixing flat tires, I highly recommend this sealant.

In article , says...
I flatted for the first time last weekend (new rider...). My tire was
punctured by what might have been a small piece of glass that penetrated the
tire and tube--almost a pinhole. I patched the tube with a thick patch and
rubber cement that a friendly passerby gave me and the tube holds full
pressure. I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away?

If the tube is holding air, you are set till the next flat. No need to replace
it. Keep the new tube handy so that next time you flat you won't have to do
a roadside patch. You can just swap in the new tube. Unless the hole in
your tire is quite large, I would not swap out the tire. Keep the new tire
as a spare. If you ride a lot, you will wear out your rear tire much faster
than the front.
--------------
Alex

The question is not in the patch or the glue but the preparation of th
tube prior to application of said items.

The tube must have all the whitish-shiny mold release agent removed i
the area to be patched. It should look like velvet, not shiny. Yo
also need to flatten any seam ridges or at least remove the releas
agent.

Once this is done, then application of the cement will cause the rubbe
to bond to the patch. Over time, diffusion of the non-vulcanized cemen
and patch base into the rubber of the tube will cause the patch t
completely bond to the tube. The bond gets stronger over time I
properly prepared.

If you fail to remove the release agent, repeated stretching fro
normal use will eventually cause the patch to fail

--
Weisse Luft

RE/
I have ordered new tires and tubes and will replace the tires, but
should I reuse the patched tube? Keep it as a spare? Keep it as a second
spare? Just throw it away?

I keep them. After a half-dozen or so patches they acquire character....but
that's for MTB use, I can't comment on road use.

If you're new to this, buy one of those little under-the-saddle pouches and load
it up with a set of platic tire irons, a patching kit, a Presta-Schraeder
adapter (if you've got Presta valves) and at least one good tube...maybe two
depending on where you ride.

The diff between just finding the cause of puncture, removing it, and swapping
in a new tube vs repairing the old one can be significant - especially in rain
and/or mud.
--
PeteCresswell

RE/
I keep them.

But with one obsessive/compulsive variation: I always have a couple extras and
when I patch one that I've brought home after being swapped out, I inflate it
and hang it with the spares - substituting a spare for in in my little
under-the-saddle bag.

That way, if I've missed one or more of multiple punctures it'll show up while
it's hanging and not in the field after I've tried to use it.
--
PeteCresswell