Bicycle Mechanics - Patching a sidewall

I got a screw through the tread, tube and sidewall on a rather expensive Vredenstien 700 x 23 tire yesterday. I did a field patch and it lasted through the rest of my ride. I will replace the tube but that still leaves a small hole in the sidewall which is visable (the tread hole appears better because the rubber seals it there.) When I fill the tube to 120 lbs there is no bulge in the sidewall but still I worry what might happen at speed. Should I use glue to patch the sidewall with some thin fabric or just let it be?

Garth

I got a screw through the tread, tube and sidewall on a rather expensive Vredenstien 700 x 23 tire yesterday. I did a field patch and it lasted through the rest of my ride. I will replace the tube but that still leaves a small hole in the sidewall which is visable (the tread hole appears better because the rubber seals it there.) When I fill the tube to 120 lbs there is no bulge in the sidewall but still I worry what might happen at speed. Should I use glue to patch the sidewall with some thin fabric or just let it be?

Garth

The old school way to fix a large sidewall tear or hole was to take a portion of an old tubular tire and glue it with rubber cement or patch glue to the inside of the tireover the tear. I've never used an old clincher for this, but it probably would work. I've never had a boot like this fail. Good luck.

Especially if it's a high pressure tire. You'll find bits of stone and glass will seek out the hole in the tread. You don't want the sidewall to fail.

Especially if it's a high pressure tire. You'll find bits of stone and glass will seek out the hole in the tread. You don't want the sidewall to fail.


The sidewall shouldn't contact the road too often, but small tread cuts can be filled with super glue to prevent debris from getting in. I forgot to mention to coat the inside of the tire and the patch separately with rubber cement and let each dry before attaching the patch.

I use cut-up Tyvek race-numbers on the inside. Cut out two pieces, about the size of quarter and nickel. Glue the smaller one one first with 3M Fastak Super Weatherstripping adhesive (follow the instructions on bxo). Then lay the larger one on top. This really thin boot maintains the suppleness of teh sidewall and won't give you a thump-thump-thump ride like thicker stuff. Can also repair sidewall cuts up to 5-6mm as well. :)