Road Cycling - Rats!

I went out to ride my road bike today after I had cleared my day's tasks. It was 3:30 and the temperature was a cool but acceptable 60 degrees. I hadn't ridden road all week so I was ready for it. I checked the tires and there it was--a flat rear tire. I was out of spare inner tubes, well almost out since I won't ride far without at least one spare with me. I pumped it up to see if it would hold air and went to change my clothes. I returned-flat again. By the time I went to the store and bought spare tubes, returned home, and replaced the tire; my wife had returned and her friends were close behind her. The sun was low and so was the thermometer. Rats! Maybe tomorrow?
Frank in Ocala

We've all been there, got to the bike and something is either missing or there is a flat. What I did last time, was I bought like 8 spares at once! :)

I have four spare inner tubes hanging at the bottom of my seat, you'll never no when lady luck will strike you....

Does anyone know how to use a patch kit?

I cary one spare tube and two patch kits, one glueless and one regular. With those clean it and stick it patch I can almost fix one fast as I can change a tube.

i find patches good for a temporary fix, but a patched tube won't hold long, IMO. may as well bring a spare tube, since you'll just be replacing the patched tube when you get home.

Humm!

Someone forget to tell me that a patched tube won't last long!

I have never had a tube fail at a patch.:eek:

Does anyone have the problem of most patches being too wide for a road tire? The edges won't stick down. I'm looking for a patch kit that has smaller patches for narrow tubes.

Originally posted by velocipedio
i find patches good for a temporary fix, but a patched tube won't hold long, IMO. may as well bring a spare tube, since you'll just be replacing the patched tube when you get home. Just more applesauce.....a properly done permanent(not glueless) patch will outlast the tube.

Okay, then, don't just bark! What IS the proper way to install a patch?

Originally posted by Poppaspoke
Okay, then, don't just bark! What IS the proper way to install a patch? If that was directed at me,Try reading instructions in patch kits and maybe throw in a little common sense. I have patched tubes till patches nearly overlapped.Biggest difficulty is trying to pacth over a raised seam,and that is where the sandpaper comes in to not only rough up the tube,but to also get rid of the seam.

For patching, use the patches that taper (in thickness) toward the side of the patch. After using the sandpaper to rough up the surface (and to clean it from any talc or other stuff), apply the rubber cement *thinly* to a larger area than the patch. Let the glue dry all the way and then apply the patch. If it is done correctly, the patch will not have any area where it is lifting off.

If the tube is patched correctly with a glued patch, it will outlast the rubber of the tube.

Use glued patches. I have heard that glueless patches will get you home, but are not permanent fixes. A glued patch is a permanent fix.

Originally posted by pokey
Just more applesauce.....a properly done permanent(not glueless) patch will outlast the tube.
fair enough... but i don't usually have the time to do a properly done permanent patch when i'm dropped on a group ride with a flat.

Patching a tube correctly is perfectly fine and will hold forever. However I can't be bothered waiting for the glue to dry while I am either freezing in winter or overheating in summer, so I carry a tube and patch the flat one when I get home. I thought everyone did this.

I don't really get the point of patching if a new tube can be intalled quicker, the tyre is already off, so just through in a $5 tube and forget about it until the end of the ride.

CHEERS.

Mark

Originally posted by Dutchy
Patching a tube correctly is perfectly fine and will hold forever. However I can't be bothered waiting for the glue to dry while I am either freezing in winter or overheating in summer, so I carry a tube and patch the flat one when I get home. I thought everyone did this.

I do the same. Having said that, I also carry patches on my rides as well as a spare tube in the unlikely event (i.e. Grampians in November) that I get more than one flat on a ride.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply I don't carry any patches. I carry tubes and patches, but I always reach for a tube first and patches only when necessary.

CHEERS.

Mark

Originally posted by Dutchy
... I carry tubes and patches, but I always reach for a tube first and patches only when necessary...


Yup, me too.
One other thing I do that makes life a little easier, is to carry a *clean* tube with my patch kit (Specialized sells a very compact kit of glueless patches-two thumbs up).
When I get home with the flat tube, I wash it with warm H2O and soap and set it out to dry, so that the patch will adhere to the tube more securely; abrading the surface of the tube with sandpaper is only one of the things you must do to get good patching results. The clean, tested and patched tube then becomes the spare that I carry on my next ride.
And finally, on those occasions when I happen to install a tire at home, I wash and dry the tire interior as well. It not only ensures there's no FOD in the tire, it (along with a clean tube) makes the act of changing a tube or tire a lot less greasy. I sure wish the tube and tire manufactures would degrease all the parting agents from their products before they get packaged.
Hope this dos pesos was helpful :)

I have patched many many a tube, and rarely do they leak. I usually am riding on patched tubes, and the loss of air is about 20 lbs of pressure per week, which I think is about par with an unpatched tube.

If you patch a tube correctly, it works perfectly.

Does anyone remember the old patches we had in the 1950’s ?
I don't remember the details, but some part of the process had to be set on fire. I think that it was the glue. Can someone jog my memory?

Originally posted by MikeR
I don't remember the details, but some part of the process had to be set on fire. I think that it was the glue.
Don't know about the '50s, but once in the '60s when they still put tubes in auto tires, I remember my grandmother getting a flat tire and taking it to the service station to be fixed. The mechanic applied an ample amount of glue to the tube and torched it. I thought it was just a trick to dry the glue fast. Seems like if it generated enough heat to really do anything chemically, it would damage the rubber. :confused:

I take the patching process one step further, or maybe I should say I insert one step. After scuffing, before applying the cement, I wipe the tube well with alcohol to make sure it is free of dust or oil, then let it dry thoroughly. In fact I have made it a practice to wipe with alcohol anything I plan to use adhesive on. Makes for very good bonds. I carry a spare tube and patch kit in my seat bag.

Originally posted by Dutchy
Patching a tube correctly is perfectly fine and will hold forever. However I can't be bothered waiting for the glue to dry while I am either freezing in winter or overheating in summer, so I carry a tube and patch the flat one when I get home. I thought everyone did this.
I always try to patch a tube before replacing it, unless the hole is obviously too big, or the tube has a large cut, or there are several small holes.
If it's freezing or raining (hard to patch a wet tube) or too dark I'll replace the tube and do any patching when I get home.

I have 2 or 3 patched tubes on my bikes. IMHO a properly patched tube will last as long as an unpatched tube.

I don't use the "glueless" type. Don't trust them.

I don't remember the details, but some part of the process had to be set on fire

When I learned to patch tractor and truck tires on the farm as a teen the patches where all "hot" patches. The patch was mounted on the back of a metal cup that was filled with a cardboard and sulfur, black powder mixture. The tube was scuffedn and cleaned with some sort of acetone, the patch side of the cup was placed over the cleaned area then a clamping device was secured around the whole thing, tube, patch, cup, clamp. Then the cardboard mixture was ignited with a match and burned in the cup. The patch had to go through some kind of vulcanazation process to set up. That's how I learned to patch as a teen. Then we got the patches just like we use on bike tubes, clean, scruff, glue, dry, patch on. Good as new.:p

I didn't trust those patches that don't have liquid glue on them at first. I was not sold untill I replaced a tube and tried to pull on off. It TORE the tube befor it came off. BTW it was the patch that Parks Tools sells.:eek:

Too each his own I do cary all the above and just recently abandoned the C02 rig for a frame pump, just in case. Dogs don't back off when I brandish the C02 pump either.;)

if the puncture is plain to see i find it quicker to patch than replace as i just pull the length of tube affected out of the tyre& repair, no need to even remove the wheel, (good on the rear wheel, especialy a fixed) find the offending nail or wat &put the tyre back (the beauty of fold ups;) ) i carry a couple of sealed first aid alcohol wipes in my pak for cleaning wounds (to me & the tubes) the`re good for cleaning the gunk off your hands when you`ve finished too ! if its raining tho. i just change the tube which i keep sealed in a plastic bag with talc. powder.:beer: