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I need three lots of different tubes believe it or not!
Just had a puncture on my crosser therefore needing another lot of 700's and then used my 29er for the commute on friday and that has now a flat!
I need
29 x 2.1
700 x ?
26 x 2.1
on the widths is it important whether they are 1.9, 2.1 or 2.3s?
I find it all very confusing...should i just buy the tubes to the tyre width?
You bin tubes whenever you get a puncture? If you're one of that "type", buy a job lot off ebay.
I have about 20 awaiting repair!
i find that they are always not easy to repair and when you want a spare reliable tube maybe a repaired one that will give you a slow puncture is not good.
Also how do you test if they hold after repair?
You cannot inflate a tube outside of the tyre wall to full pressure?
do you repair them atlaz?
I wouldn't worry too much about width, but using a small tube in a big tyre will make it a bit more puncture-prone just because it's thinner.
I repair tubes, usually up to about 8 times. What writes them off for me is when I get a puncture near enough to a repair that the patch overlaps the earlier one, that seldom works well.
I'm interested if anyone knows a cheap source of decent tubes, I'm down to my last couple now.
Decathlon sometimes have deals on
only 26" and 700c here but 3 for the price of 1 - http://www.cycleworld.co.uk/page/95/Tubes
great if you can collect from a local branch
re. widths - a 2.1 tyre is usually covered by the tube widths being 1.9-2.3 or thereabouts.
[i]Also how do you test if they hold after repair?
You cannot inflate a tube outside of the tyre wall to full pressure?
[/i]
Fix em with proper patches (ie TipTop), inflate tube until its fat. Dip the tube in a bucket of water where the patch is (or spit on it!) - bubbles? not fixed, no bubbles...
I fix mine then pump 'em up and leave 'em in the shed. If it's ok overnight then it's generally good as new.
I repair all my tubes, only chuck 'em away when they've about seven patches on or the hole is too big for a patch won't cure it. I had one a while back with three patches all overlapping. Sometimes get a faulty valve which can't be fixed so it has to be chucked. I quite like fixing punctures at home, wait 'till I get about four or five tubes which need fixing and do them all at once.
Kev
I just buy a 5 pack of whatever's cheap on CRC, carry new tubes as spares then repair punctured ones at home and refit.
I just go to the usual suspects (crc, wiggle, merlin or a suggestion from here) and buy whatever looks cheap.
As for repairing them, just go to wilkinsons, get the basic repair kit for about 74p and follow the instructions (clean, abrade, glue, patch, chalk). Then leave them inflated overnight in the garage, shed, living room and if they are fine in the morning your ok.
Only once had a problem with this method, except for tomorrow where both my tubes will now be faulty.
Wiggle seemed to have deals on buying several off iirc.
I always repair and, to test them, do what Kev does and leave them overnight pumped up.
If they go at the valve then then get cut up and made into chainstay protectors. Or they could be used for suspension fork mudguards. All very Blue Peter 🙂
aw - yep, always repair mine. I think at least 50% of the 8 tubes I've got on bikes right now have patches on them. My problem is I'm too cheap but then again, the patches have held fine and one has been on for nearly 2 years.
I only just found out that some pumps have puncture kits in the handle. Screw your handle off and have a look, you could be surprised!!!
**** me, a couple of mine look like patchwork quilts.
Anyone know of a decent bulk(ish) supplier of those feather edge patches...they're really good.
I'd never bin a tube cos its punctured.
Thats just plain lazy & stupid.
Take a puncture kit on the trails, not a spare tube. Repair, re-fit and ride. Multiple punctures no problem. If you repair it properly it is as good as new always, provided you use fresh-ish vulcanising fluid and patches that stick!
I have repaired MTB fat tubes quite successfully in the past but I find the thinner 'darkside' road tubes much more tricky. The smaller circumference makes the patch 'peel' off as the higher pressure exerts more force on the tighter radius.
had a very productive morning this morning, while it was monsoon like outside, repairing tubes both 26 and 700's, actually found it very theraputic, however will probably need to get some more to be sure as all mine now have at least two patches on, and as johnners i tend to bin them if i get two holes close together with a chance of overlapping patches