Forum menu
for those who haven't made the switch to tubeless yet, how many patches do you put on your tubes before you consider ditching them and use a new one?
I've picked up a few punctures on rides in the past couple of months and so now have a couple of patches on all 5 of my tubes. Should I chuck a few and buy new ones? I guess the more patches there are the more chance there is that a small air leak will develop.
43
Once I have to patch over patches, i throw them away. Or if a patched tube develops a "mystery" leak.
Otherwise, there's no reason not to keep going. One 20p patch beats one £5 inner tube, no matter how many times its done.
I've got tubes with 7 or 8 patches. I only replace them if I can't fix them.
Once I have to patch over patches, i throw them away
...and that's usually why.
When you can get decent tubes for £3 a piece, unless im out of tubes and I'm at home, I'll sling a new one in and avoid the chance of that mistery leak all together. If I'm in the field, and only have one spare tube in my bag, I'll use a patch and save the tube for a more pressing emergency.
usually aroun the 10 mark or when a hole is too big for the patch
I have tubes with more patches than tube hung up in the garage, still use them as spares without issue 😀
my most patched tube (20 at a guess) only got retired when the valve (non-removal presta) gummed up - keep going till it dies in my book.
How many patches can you have before you can feel the added weight? 🙂
According to our IT department the correct number of patches is = n+1 where n is the number of patches you currently have applied.
44 🙂
42
More than 5 and I tend to chuck 'em
when it feels like you're riding a toblerone you've probably got too many
no more then 2 or 3 patches for me hardly seems worth repairing them when you can buy perfectly good tubes in poundland.