Apologies for invoking the threat of the puncture fairy, but a few questions on puncture repair:

1. Do you bother, or just replace with new inner?
2. Does the glue have a shelf life?
3. How long do you leave the glue before applying the patch – leaflets say 4-5 mins but seems like a long time?
4. How long do you leave the patch on before removing the plastic backing?
5. Do you trust repaired inners completely?

I got my second flat in a row on exactly the same trail yesterday. Got fed up with putting new inners in and decided to simply mend old inner and the flats on kids bikes.

Repair kit is quite a few years old, but glue seemed to be not that sticky (Q2 above). Leaflet said leave glue alone for 4-5 mins after application before putting patch on (Q3) but glue seemed to dry out. The first patch really didn;t stick well, especially the orange outers. Tried again and left for at least 10mins before removing (Q4). Pumped and replaced tire and left bike for a couple of hours. Tire feels ok but slightly down after 2 hours (Q5). In a race or out on the trails, I merely replace inners but felt it was a bit of a waste not to repair some today. But not sure it was a great success.

Should inners really be considered disposable?

1. Do you bother, or just replace with new inner

Bother
2. Does the glue have a shelf life?

yes it seems to dry out but this is measured in years
3. How long do you leave the glue before applying the patch – leaflets say 4-5 mins but seems like a long time

as long as it says i figure they know how to use their stuff

4. How long do you leave the patch on before removing the plastic backing

Usually peel it off first tbh had a few issues getting it off in the past
5. Do you trust repaired inners completely?

As much as any other innertube but i would not tell it my pin number 😉

More prone to slows tbh so I tend to have them as my spares in the camelbak and new ones on the bike.
I dont change them after I have done a trail side repair though

Replace with new tube, then store old tube at home.

When I have 5 or six, I take them to work and spend my break fixing them.

Rub the shiny inner tube around the puncture with sandpaper until rough.
Apply glue and leave to dry.
Apply patch.
Leave plastic backing on; this helps to stop tube sticking to tyre.
Put repaired tube back in, and take new unpunctured tube out and save for the next time.

JY – thanks. Glue is getting old (6-7 years I guess) as I have been relatively lucky re punctures. Seemed to dry out very quickly today. Might try peeling of the plastic first as well (like you suggest) as this tended to pull the orange edges up (either that or I was in too much of a hurry).

dry, sandpaper and clean (jersey not hand) area, do the glue a bit bigger than patch so you can use a spare bit to check for really tacky (IMHO it varies with temperature and glues)apply patch (press firmly on at middle, once on, fingers on other side of tube, jersey over patch and press over with thumb against other hand) once on apply a thin film of glue over edge of patch and smear round, wait to set or cover in chalk to stop it sticking

alternatively buy park or leeches as they do appear to work

replace on the trail to keep riding, keep a box in the garage of the punctured tubes and now again (usually a sunny at-home day), sit in the garden and fix them all

anything that doesn’t stay up overnight after a repair is recycled, life’s too short

I use these Park Patches so don’t have the faff with glue and the like. Out on the trail i will put a fresh tube in, but i take the punctured one home and fix it and it’ll go back in my pack for another day. Once they begin to look pretty lumpy – 5 or so patches they go in the bin.

Thanks Crikey – two observations for me – leave the glue to dry and leave the plastic on. Didn’t do either. Might be a bit paranoid about my lack of practical skills and maybe repaired inner is ok. I will tell in the morning!

Funny how punctures seem to go in waves!! Must be karma!!

I always patch them. The glue does go off it but generally if it’s still liquid it’s fine. Best is to apply a thin smear of glue wait a few mins (this is a good time to go looking in the tyre for the cause of the puncture), then apply a second thinner smear, wait again, apply the patch. Don’t try and peel the backing off in one. Pinch the patch so it splits in the middle then peel each half from the middle. Should last as long as the rest of the tube.

My only other tip is to check check check and then check again for the cause.
I always put the repaired tube back in and inflate when the tyre is on, to help the sticking process.

If I don’t find the cause, I try to find it again; messing at home is far superior to messing at the side of the road in the rain.

I had 4 punctures in 2 days leading up to the 3 Peaks last year; it was a piece of wire that only caused a problem when the tyre was ridden and I couldn’t find the bloody thing.

I bought a new tyre in the end.

I usually replace the tube when out on a ride and when I get home put the old tube in a carrier bag in the garage, when the carrier bag is full I can’t face repairing all those punctures so I throw them in the bin 😳

Thanks all – crikey, checking the cause is one thing I am good at thankfully. Although almost missed it the other day. Tiny thorn was so embedded I needed to borrow the tweezers of a passing lady!

As Rusty Mac. Park patches all the way. Carry one spare tube plus a pack of Park’s. Quick, easy, always work and make great cable rub frame protectors aswell!

i run a cloth round the inside of the tyre, shows up anything sharp without ripping skin off fingers.

Glue & patches in old repair kit almost finished, so a pack of Parks from wiggle seem in order.

I only use a new tube if I’m racing, otherwise I tend to patch it trailside. If using glue I leave it until it is touch-dry – put a blob on and spread it out with your fingertip so that it isn’t too thick. Usually 1-2 minutes, not 4-5. I don’t use the patches with plastic backing. Eventually I decide that the weight of all those patches is unacceptable, and put a new tube in – last one I chucked out had 24 patches.

Tubeless?

(Sorry, not meant to be antagonistic, but since this crowd walked me through the tubeless thing I haven’t had a single puncture – I used to get thorn flats every third ride).

1. Do you bother, or just replace with new inner? – Yes I fix it.
2. Does the glue have a shelf life? – Not as far as I know.
3. How long do you leave the glue before applying the patch – leaflets say 4-5 mins but seems like a long time? – I leave it untii it feels dry to touch.
4. How long do you leave the patch on before removing the plastic backing? – I pull it off straight away.
5. Do you trust repaired inners completely? – yes 100%

My son’s scooter has inflatable tyres and he puts a thorn through riding it to school at least once a month. Last night I had to put a patch on a patch. Was fine today.

Sometimes I give the glue a few seconds sometimes 5 mins, doesn’t seem to make a difference. Have also tried those cheap self adhesive patches, seem to be holding up OK (35psi).

Glue does have shelf life. I once tried took a tube of glue from my box of bits to replace the used up one I carry on the bike. When it became necessary to use it I squeezed the apparently unused tube and NOTHING came out. The whole tube had evaporated leaving a perfectly formed tube behind. Must have been years old.

Again thanks for all the tips.

My ‘issue’ yesterday turned out to be a lot simpler. Nothing wrong with my original repair. So why was the tire down this morning? Doh, there were two punctures!!!

Thanks to STW help, the repair this morning was very speedy and hopefully effective as just off for a quick blast in Surrey Hills to avoid the weekend crowds!

Cheers for the little tips – glad I wasnt doing anything stupid (but then again I was!!)

Doh, there were two punctures!!!

Did you check the tyre in case there was an sneaky Surrey thorn still in there wreaking havoc? I’ve done that a few times.

yes, three times and again today. both holes must have happened during ride.

Tubeless?

I rode SH all winter on tubeless – not a single flat, and I must be the only one of my riding crew to do that. I took the tyres off a few days ago and found a thorn that would defo have flatted a tube, perhaps there were more.

lol yeah I’ve been caught out by the ‘more than one hole in 1 flat’ trick too

dem Surrey trails are dead cheeky!

i picked up a bit of hawthorn within 200yds of leaving the house last night.

i pulled it out and carried on

Tubeless all the way… 1 spare tube and some super glue…. never needed a spare tube in around 10000 miles of riding…

ian – superglue in case of a slashed tyre? What kind of terrain do you ride?

No rocks where I ride, and I’d be a little nervous about going anywhere ‘backcountry’ on tubeless at the mo, but I don’t know of that fear is justified.

no one likes a show off ian,

Tubeless user here and less punctures but still get ’em

Nicknoxx – Member
Glue does have shelf life. I once tried took a tube of glue from my box of bits to replace the used up one I carry on the bike. When it became necessary to use it I squeezed the apparently unused tube and NOTHING came out. The whole tube had evaporated leaving a perfectly formed tube behind. Must have been years old.

Just think, that ghost glue is around somewhere, haunting the bicycle graveyard. Maybe.

I’d be a little nervous about going anywhere ‘backcountry’ on tubeless at the mo, but I don’t know of that fear is justified.

It’s not.

I’ve never repaired a tube in my life. I suspect that makes me a bad person, but I really just CBA (and have used tubeless for 10 years).

I am in snowdonia so there is a lot of slate about, wasn’t trying to show off, just making the point that unless you are really unlucky and slash your tyre really badly you can get away without having to put the tube in.

I have had occasion where i have sliced a tyre on slate and been able to glue the slice with superglue when the sealant hasn’t been able to cope and its held fine to get me home. Then patched the tyre while in the warmth of my er office…