I find that the patches don't hold well here, presumably because of the heat. I was really surprised since I never had any problems repairing them in the UK, so I asked a few roadies on a group ride here and they confirmed the same thing. Only my road bike has tubes now anyway.
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Fixer here.
Rules are one repair on road tubes and two on MTB tubes. The repaired ones go straight back on the bike so I know the spares I carry are all fine and dandy.
I can't believe people don't patch tubes,
Being a child of the seventies, who always seemed to get in to scrapes it was not uncommon to come home having torn the elbow or knees out of my clothing and was always getting an ear bashing for coming home from school and going straight out to play without changing out of my school clothes and then ripping them.
So I could often be found walking the streets covered in patches, never mind my tubes.
Kids would probably be taken into care now if put through such indignity.
And don't get me started on hand me downs. Because I had an older brother I was still wearing flairs in the early eighties.
Don't patch tubes, don't know you're born. 😀
Was going to say that I make a massive pile, but in reality I have a pile of 2 tubes (one for the HT, one for the CX bike), and haven't got round to actually patching them. 7000km, 2 repairable punctures, 1 other tube just split randomly (about 5cm long on the inside of the tube) wheeling the bike about 20 metres from the top of Super Morzine Gondola to the Zore chair.
Will patch them some time. Still have 2 spare tubes in every rucksack, so no rush.
I have a road tube here I am just about to patch. If I can find my pump that is.
Ah no I am not, my vulcanising solution has run out. Anyone want 8 patches for nowt? I have found some fresh inner tubes instead.
I used to just swap a punctured tube for new, and then repair later on, but recently have discovered the wonderful world of glueless patches, so not only is it quicker to apply one of those on a ride, they seem to hold as well as a regular repair as well.
Edit: Words.
At £5 a pop I'm surprised how many folk replace rather than spend 5 minutes to repair.
result of an evening of patching recently
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get [i]a lot[/i] of punctures on my cx commuter, trying tubeless again tomorrow, fingers crossed.
I have had great success in the past with glueless patches but found if you deflated them often to replace tyres they wrinkled and eventually came away and failed.
I had every intention of patching a massive pile (I'm not kidding)
But never got round to it so during my Garage clearout/demolition I binned the lot as I worked out some were probably 15 years old!
When my new workshop is built I will endevour to keep on top of it.
I threw out that much bike stuff that one of the workers at the tip asked if I was a cycle team mechanic 😳
I have had great success in the past with glueless patches but found if you deflated them often to replace tyres they wrinkled and eventually came away and failed.
Just started using them, so not sure how long term they will last. Problem is, until they do drop off, they look a bloody nightmare to peel back off and apply a old school repair.
I CBA. Don't use them on the MTB, and on the road I don't have faith in a patch staying put at high pressure/speed. Sure it's totally unfounded, but life's too short. Costs me a couple of quid a year on average!
I fastened two together the other day and used them to tow my lad on his Islabike for a mile or so after he'd expressed mild dissatisfaction half way around Derwent/Howden
I have had great success in the past with glueless patches but found if you deflated them often to replace tyres they wrinkled and eventually came away and failed.
Just started using them, so not sure how long term they will last. Problem is, until they do drop off, they look a bloody nightmare to peel back off and apply a old school repair.
I was using slime scabs I think they called.
I never had one fail while out but had a flat in the morning after changing tyres the night before.
So would apply them when necessary (second puncture when out after fitting spare tube) and forget.
Then to replace them with proper patches when changing tyres.
Found they peeled off surprisingly easy.
Now tubeless on both mtbs and self healing tubes with puncture resistant tyres on commuter hack so punctures are a thing of the past (fingers crossed).
the glueless patches are ok for about a year IME. trouble is ( as you've had the inkling Jamie ), when they go they are a pain to get a regular patch on in place because of the mess they leave behind. i patch tubes - cheap ones on the front get a couple of repairs then get binned, but i use those maxxis freeride tubes on the back and they're pricey ****ers, so the ones i have knocking around of those probably have upwards of 6 patches in some of 'em!
Those who throw them away, can I have them /northerner
Keep repairing mtb and commuter tubes until I get a patch on a patch (nice bike is tubeless). Road tubes normally get a couple then relegated to commuter duties or chainstay protectors.
Leave them inflated overnight after repair to make sure I'm not carrying a prepunctured tube.
Del I used DH tubes in the rear tyre for a while but still got pinches, swapped to a dualply tyre run tubeless, bulletproof, not had a flat with them yet (unlike other tubeless setups). Weight of a chunky tyre plus DH tubes is similar to a dual ply tyre. Thoroughly recommended.
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I do, but I have northern blood.
edit: noticed you don't get chalk in the kit anymore, whats that all about? had to tub flour in mine.
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I bought a kit the other day and noted that there was chalk not soapstone in there. Not that I needed it, but it was cheaper to buy the whole kit than the vulcanising solution and patches on their own.
Always repair tubes in a large batch, normally when I run out of air tight tubes.
A decent repair should be good for high pressure road tyres. Its not like its taking the pressure on its own, its sandwiched against the tyre and isn't going anywhere.
Tube swap if p******* when out, then repair the tube when I get home. Only repair at the trail/roadside if I get a second on the same ride. I usually retire a tube once there's half a dozen or so patches on.
I've had bad experiences with self-adhesive patches in the past but, touch wood, the Park ones have't let me down yet. They're for the second-one-when-out scenarios, it's old school glue (alright, not glue, but you know what I mean) and patches the rest of the time.
The thought of binning a perfectly serviceable tube for one pin hole makes me sad.
I'm currently using a tube I found hanging in a tree at the last Hit the North.
Thanks, lazy people!
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This is fun!
I ruined this thread and just made into a bad meme contest...
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I could do this all day....
Patch 3 to 4 times, then use them for large plant ties and I have 4 holding next doors' fence up......
