Bicycle Mechanics - Tube Patching Disappontments

Gentlemen, please explain what I'm doing wrong. I have been patching tubes for thirty years and am lucky to have maybe a 50% batting average with respect to a patched tube not slow leaking afterwards.

Checklist: I'm not stupid. I have a good patching kit (I typically use the Rema kit and patches.) I use fresh vulcanizing fluid. I follow directions, including roughing up the area, applying a thin layer of fluid, waiting five minutes, and then carefully pressing the patch down from the center out. But even when I do all these things, I often get slow leaks. And during the subsequent second attempt, I often note that the patch simply isn't sticking that well to the tube - it is pretty easy to pull it up from a corner. Shouldn't a properly-applied vulcanizing patch weld the patch to the rubber of the tube?

My theory is that there is often something on the tube which is preventing the fluid from working properly and from getting good adhesion. Would some alcohol wipes help? Would wiping down the tube with something a little more aggressive (e.g., lacquer thinner, MEK, acetone)?

I'm tired of messing with this to the point that I often just put in a new tube and throw the old away, even for the first puncture. But that seems like a waste.

- Mark

I've had a near 100% success rate. But when I was learning I found that any time I didn't get a total bond it was because I didn't abrade the tube enough. It isn't enough to just scuff it so it's got some scratches on it. I mean like dark and dull like you could fall into the hole you just created. No sign at all of the original tube surface finish should be left The rubber has to take on a chewed up dull look overall for a size that extends out to pretty close to the edges of the patches or just a hair beyond. There seems to be almost a skin on the tube that you have to cut away and expose the inner rubber before the patch will take well.

I've never used a solvent to clean the area. Just abraded it. I also tend to go with some 80 grit garnet sandpaper that I have aplenty thanks to my woodworking hobby. Using a fresh abrasion medium often may help. But I normally do a good half dozen at a time with the same scrap of sandpaper so contamination of whatever is on the rubber isn't an issue. But cutting off the surface "skin" surely is.

And when you press the patch into place after waiting until the glue has lost all its shine you want to pinch it down with a few seconds of all out white knuckle effort to achieve the best bond. But this second aspect won't mean diddly if the tube itself wasn't abraded well enough.

Hope that helps you to enjoy the near 100% success that I do.

Thanks for comments, yes, this makes sense.

I wonder if having a dremel handy in the shop might make the "abrading" step easier and more reliable. I try and do a good job with the little piece of sandpaper in the kit, but it is difficult to really get a nice uniform abrade across the entire surface of the patch. (In the field, I typically just use a new tube so as long as I don't get two flats in a ride, I don't worry much about field patching.)

Old-timers wil remember a kit called "Match Patch" in which you clamped a patch assembly onto the tube and then lit it on fire to fuse a patch onto the tube. You never worried about a patch leaking with these things!

- Mark

I had this problem earlier and got sort of made fun of for not just throwing out the tube and starting afresh

However the super helpful guy working at the bike co-op made explicit what BCRider first stated: you've got to rub those down like crazy with the abrasive.

Speaking of which, I need to go re-patch the tube on my bike that's sitting. On the trainer. Its sort of an excuse not to ride the trainer.

The most common problem I have encountered is people not letting the glue dry all the way before applying the patch. The second one is not using enough glue to cover the patch. Third is debris left on the tube. And yes - scuff the surface up well! Yes - you can use an alcohol-wipe to clean the area - but make sure it's completely evaporated before proceeding. I wouldn't recommend using anything stronger. You run the risk of damaging the latex/rubber itself.

Good luck! You'll get it right.

Acetone will do it. The patch will weld on to the tube, never to come off again. I have to use acetone prior to patching Road Tubeless tires; it's the only good way to clean them for patching if one uses sealant inside.

I also have same problem after 30yrs of no trouble mine doesn't stick at all or sticks and then tire deflates a day later. I have tried all new glues different patches etc. I am leaving for a cross country trip Feb 1 and am worried about this. I can completely build a bike but not patch a tube. It is totally demoralizing.

As much as many people hate the things, I use Park GP2 self-adhesive patches and rarely have any problems. Only after 3 months did one of them develop a leak, because it was a patch placed over a seam on the tube. Aside from that one issue, they've done me well.

I've never had one come off, using only the normal stuff in a patch kit.

What they all said, and I "roll" the patch on with a round screwdriver head, or, even a round stone, pushing down very firmly. Same goes for patching tubeless tires.

Gentlemen, please explain what I'm doing wrong. I have been patching tubes for thirty years and am lucky to have maybe a 50% batting average with respect to a patched tube not slow leaking afterwards.

Checklist: I'm not stupid. I have a good patching kit (I typically use the Rema kit and patches.) I use fresh vulcanizing fluid. I follow directions, including roughing up the area, applying a thin layer of fluid, waiting five minutes, and then carefully pressing the patch down from the center out. But even when I do all these things, I often get slow leaks. And during the subsequent second attempt, I often note that the patch simply isn't sticking that well to the tube - it is pretty easy to pull it up from a corner. Shouldn't a properly-applied vulcanizing patch weld the patch to the rubber of the tube?

My theory is that there is often something on the tube which is preventing the fluid from working properly and from getting good adhesion. Would some alcohol wipes help? Would wiping down the tube with something a little more aggressive (e.g., lacquer thinner, MEK, acetone)?

I'm tired of messing with this to the point that I often just put in a new tube and throw the old away, even for the first puncture. But that seems like a waste.

- Mark

To me the difference was when somebody finally told me the reasons behind the patching procedures like eg. roughing the area up. Yes you are right in your theory about something on the tube that prevents the glue to work: It is mold release from the production that covers the tube, and the reason why you should apply eg. sandpaper before patching to remove this layer. I thought (like many others) that the reason to rough up the area was because this made the glue and patch bond better.

Engineer Jobst Brandt have written this excellent section of the RBT Usenet group FAQ. It is worth a careful reading:
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8b.1.html

The section "Leaky patches" may explain some of your problems; basically, don't patch and ride the tube the same day if it can be avoided. It is therefore common to just exchange the tube when on the road, and then patch the tubes in batches.
A day or two after I have patched such a batch, I fill them with air as a kind of quality control for bad patches or overlooked micro-holes. If the tubes still hold the air a couple of days later, I roll them up and place them in in zip lock bags to avoid abrasion failures when in my repair kit.

--
Regards

Do you put glue on the tire and patch? I rarely have a patch fail. Rough up the tube, put glue on the roughed up area, put glue on the patch, let both dry. When the patch touches the tube, they will stick, there is no moving it once they are together, so make sure you cover the hole.

Here is a really good thread on tube patching from awhile back. I learned a lot from it... including that the patches don't "weld" to the tube.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?595657-Patching-narrow-tubes

After which I upgraded my tires, and haven't had a flat since. Oh well.

Do you put glue on the tire and patch? I rarely have a patch fail. Rough up the tube, put glue on the roughed up area, put glue on the patch, let both dry. When the patch touches the tube, they will stick, there is no moving it once they are together, so make sure you cover the hole.

You may want to mention which brand of patch you're using. With the kits I get locally the patches are pre-glued and come stuck between a backing and a front film. The kit specifically says to glue the tube only.



More generally sticking the patch on too early is definetly not good. The glue not only has to LOOK dry but you should not be able to smell much, if any solvent. I find that this takes around 10 minutes or so. Maybe 15 in the winter when it's cold in the shop. But don't rush it. The glue is a contact type cement and will remain active for at least an hour.

Wow, I see that this is a thread that is both popular and comes up frequently. I'm surprised that something done by bicyclists this commonly is so sensitive to technique and prone to error. You would think there is a hell of an opportunity for someone to come up with a better system. Thanks for the comments.

- Mark

I replace the tube with a good tube on the road and take the old tube home. This gives me more time to analyze the cause of the flat.
After installing a patch I put a heavy flat weight on the patch to help squeeze out any air while the glue dries. Works every time.

Al

I have been patching tubes for thirty years and am lucky to have maybe a 50% batting average with respect to a patched tube not slow leaking afterwards.

Wiping with alcohol or lighter fluid is good. Otherwise, are you putting the right side of the patch towards the tube? The soft little-vulcanized rubber should be directed towards the tube. Are you spreading out the glue far enough away from the hole, significantly farther than the patch extends? Do you lose track of where the hole is after spreading the glue? You can mark the hole position with a cross whose arms extend beyond where the glue will be. If the patch has sharp vertices, you should round them with scissors. Are you unnecessarily trying to remove protective paper off the patch? It is better to leave it on the tube - it does not hurt and will eventually fall off. After patching, it is good to talc the glue area to prevent sticking to the tire.

Other than in difficult cases of vent area or making stupid mistakes along the lines above, I have no failures - rather I find it quite predictable. If you tend to end up with leaks, inflate the tube after patching, just moderately, and put it under water. You should be able to see small bubbles forming in the patch contact area, even if the leak is very slow. Normally, the patch should settle with the tube inflated inside the tire, but, in your case, it might be worth to shorten the turnaround.

Acetone will do it. The patch will weld on to the tube, never to come off again. I have to use acetone prior to patching Road Tubeless tires; it's the only good way to clean them for patching if one uses sealant inside.
+1
And ..With acetone(or lacquer thinner) you never need to sandpaper it...never had a failure..

I have found that a drywall sanding sponge enables me to get an evenly abraded tube very quickly. Years ago, an old timer told me to vigorously rub the back of the applied patch with a rounded tool, he used a pen-size device with a small roller on the end, until the cellophane comes off.

Some one else mentioned that they used the Park peel and press on patches, and had good luck. I have used that brand, and others, and have had no trouble at all. The plus's of the peel and stick is no glue no waiting, and the kit is just a small box. But with them too, be sure to buff the area really good.

Acetone doesn't come in handy little foil packs like alcohol does, thus you can't carry acetone in your seat bag unless you get a small bottle and take the chance of it leaking.

I too use Park Glueless patches and have doing so since they first came onto the market and NEVER had a failure and use them as permanent patches. I'll never go back to glue on patches again...not that their bad, in fact glue patches are quite good, but the ease of the glueless patch and never having to find a dry glue tube outweighs the old glue on patches.

You do need to buff the tube with a small piece of fine emery paper; but if you buff to hard or use too course of a emery or sand paper you can rub right through a tube especially a ultralight tube; thus buff lightly. Make sure you buff an area slightly larger then the patch will cover, then (if using glue) glue an area larger then the patch will cover, then press the patch hard on like others have said whether glue or glueless.

In the old days I too use a small tool with a small roller on it but I haven't used that in many years. You can do the same thing with your finger and thumb just roll the patch real hard with your finger on the bottom of the tube and your thumb on the patch and roll back and forth real hard and the cellophane backing will come off.

I always patch on the road mostly because I tour a lot and can't be carrying 4 dozen tubes with me so I can take home the leakers to fix when I get home!!! When I race I just replace the tube.

I haven't read any of the posts here except for BCRider's first one, and he has everything that I do except, if you're patching the tube at home, use a vice instead of your hands. Letting the glue get "milky" and then clamping the tube and patch at high pressure creates a chemical reaction that makes a really sturdy bond.

haven't had problems doing it with my hands

haven't had problems doing it with my hands

I'm not saying it's an issue, I'm saying that it creates a very strong bond that has never failed on my 1000mile-ridden patched road tube.

Acetone doesn't come in handy little foil packs like alcohol does, thus you can't carry acetone in your seat bag unless you get a small bottle and take the chance of it leaking

Yes, well, if you want to patch Road Tubeless on the road. you find a way. I use an emptied-out Visine eyedrops bottle. It's small and the tip makes it easy to apply the acetone precisely. No leaks at all.

here's how it has been successful for me.

scuff up the area and brush off any remnants with your fingers.
apply the glue in a thin, quarter-sized circle.
get antsy and put the patch on in 3-4 minutes.
push it on hard for a few seconds.
put the tube back in the tire, mount it on the rim, and pump it up.

maybe the pressure between the patch and tire helps create a strong bond, i dont know.

I replace the tube with a good tube on the road and take the old tube home. This gives me more time to analyze the cause of the flat.
After installing a patch I put a heavy flat weight on the patch to help squeeze out any air while the glue dries. Works every time.

Al

This is exactly what I do too, and I am yet to have a patch fail.

http://bicycletutor.com/fix-flat-tire/ go here for detailed info on flat repair.

I think it's very amateur that a rider can't fix his tube on the road, and even more so having to take it home to analyze it then put the tube in vice or place a heavy weight on it. Like Freako, I too use glueless patches and never had a failure and I always try to fix the tube first BEFORE replacing it.

Let's get real boys and girls, if your replacing tube every time you have a flat on the road what are you going to do when that replacement tube gets a flat? WALK? Carry a dozen tubes? Are you going to carry a vice or a heavy weight in your saddle bag to make the patch work?

Geez, some of you I'm shocked you even ride a bike!! Fixing a flat isn't rocket science, see the video I gave if your having trouble in this area.

http://bicycletutor.com/fix-flat-tire/ go here for detailed info on flat repair.

I think it's very amateur that a rider can't fix his tube on the road, and even more so having to take it home to analyze it then put the tube in vice or place a heavy weight on it. Like Freako, I too use glueless patches and never had a failure and I always try to fix the tube first BEFORE replacing it.

Let's get real boys and girls, if your replacing tube every time you have a flat on the road what are you going to do when that replacement tube gets a flat? WALK? Carry a dozen tubes? Are you going to carry a vice or a heavy weight in your saddle bag to make the patch work?

Geez, some of you I'm shocked you even ride a bike!! Fixing a flat isn't rocket science, see the video I gave if your having trouble in this area.

I do know how to patch a tube, and I am actually real good at it, as I have never had one fail. I carry a Park Tool glueless patch as back-up only. I definitely can patch my tube on the road if I have to, but time and convenience dictates my approach.

I carry only one spare tube and the glueless patch on my rides.

To each his/her own.

I do know how to patch a tube, and I am actually real good at it, as I have never had one fail. I carry a Park Tool glueless patch as back-up only. I definitely can patch my tube on the road if I have to, but time and convenience dictates my approach.

I carry only one spare tube and the glueless patch on my rides.

To each his/her own.

Time and convenience? You mean it's more time saving and convenient to go home fix a flat and press it in a vice or heavy weight? HAHAHAHA; TO EACH IS OWN!!!!!

By the way FROZE, I guess you and I are the odd ducks out on this one!!!

Freako, we obviously get the point that you're trying to convey. It's preference. Anyone can do whatever they want, and some people take their tubes home to patch; BIG WHOOP! I know how to patch tires on the road, and I know how to patch them in a shop. It doesn't mean that one is better than the other or that patching a tube at home makes us an incompetent cyclist; that just makes you a generalizing jerk.

Time and convenience? You mean it's more time saving and convenient to go home fix a flat and press it in a vice or heavy weight? HAHAHAHA; TO EACH IS OWN!!!!!

By the way FROZE, I guess you and I are the odd ducks out on this one!!!

Well, I don't press it in a vice. I just put a dumbbell end on the patch, and it is good to go. Sometimes, I'll patch about three or four saved tubes at a time, while having a beer. That is how I like to do patches. It does not make me wrong or right, just a preference. YMMV!

Well, I don't press it in a vice. I just put a dumbbell end on the patch, and it is good to go. Sometimes, I'll patch about three or four saved tubes at a time, while having a beer. That is how I like to do patches. It does not make me wrong or right, just a preference. YMMV!

Yep. I've never had to patch a tube on the road but there's no doubt that I can. I carry a good patch kit. I'd rather be riding and do the patching later.

Let's get real boys and girls, if your replacing tube every time you have a flat on the road what are you going to do when that replacement tube gets a flat? WALK? Carry a dozen tubes? Are you going to carry a vice or a heavy weight in your saddle bag to make the patch work?

Geez, some of you I'm shocked you even ride a bike!! Fixing a flat isn't rocket science, see the video I gave if your having trouble in this area.

It's "you're" not "your". As in, if you're going to insult someone.....

Yep. I've never had to patch a tube on the road but there's no doubt that I can. I carry a good patch kit. I'd rather be riding and do the patching later.

You see this is the kind of excuse I hear a lot.

Believe it or not, with glueless patches I can fix a flat just as fast as I can change the tube...but I guess that's how it is after 30+ years of fixing flats on the road. So because I can fix a flat just as fast as changing a tube, I would rather find the leak while it's in the tire, take the offending article out of the tire (you would have to do this anyway before you can install a new tube), fix the tube and have a spare tube in case of a major malfunction of the tube. You do this the other way around then destroy your spare tube you have to take your flatted tube out and locate the hole again which will take longer.

When fixing a flat on the road all you have to do is locate the hole before you start to remove the tire, then pull of about 1/2 of one side of the tire with the hole located in the center of the half, then pull about 1/4th of tube out again with the hole in the center of the fourth, patch the tube and restuff and reinstall the tire. I can do this in about 5 minutes not rushing either; heck it takes longer to open my seat bag and get the supplies out to do the job then it is to fix it!!

You see this is the kind of excuse I hear a lot.

What makes you think it's an excuse? You think you've got a better way, I think I've got a better way. I've never walked home or called for help.

What makes you think it's an excuse? You think you've got a better way, I think I've got a better way. I've never walked home or called for help.

I won't waste my time on this thread with the "master flat fixer":rolleyes:, if I were you.

That's MISTER Master Flat Fixer to you all; and don't anyone forget it!!! Mostly because I won't let you.

In my experience the success rate of patching is extremely sensitive to using the right size patch for your tube. Reason is a skinny road tube will easily make a large patch start to peel off due to the extreme curvature of the inflated tube. So it's best to trim your patches to be as small as possible while still covering the hole.

I suspect people like freako who ridicule others are simply getting lucky by coincidentally buying or making patches which are close matches for the tube sizes.

You see this is the kind of excuse I hear a lot.

Believe it or not, with glueless patches I can fix a flat just as fast as I can change the tube...but I guess that's how it is after 30+ years of fixing flats on the road. So because I can fix a flat just as fast as changing a tube, I would rather find the leak while it's in the tire, take the offending article out of the tire (you would have to do this anyway before you can install a new tube), fix the tube and have a spare tube in case of a major malfunction of the tube. You do this the other way around then destroy your spare tube you have to take your flatted tube out and locate the hole again which will take longer.

When fixing a flat on the road all you have to do is locate the hole before you start to remove the tire, then pull of about 1/2 of one side of the tire with the hole located in the center of the half, then pull about 1/4th of tube out again with the hole in the center of the fourth, patch the tube and restuff and reinstall the tire. I can do this in about 5 minutes not rushing either; heck it takes longer to open my seat bag and get the supplies out to do the job then it is to fix it!!

Finding the hole(s) isn't always trivial to do when they are small and the traffic is noisy. I have had many punctures that could only be discovered when the tube was submerged in water, or by careful listening when indoors (or by feeling the air egress with my libs). Only a small percentage of my punctures can even be detected from looking at the outside of my tires. So in my case your technique of trying to find the hole while the tube is still attached, would often be a slow and wasteful procedure.

Patching tubes, even with glueless patches, is troublesome to do when the rain is pouring down since the glue won't adhere when the tube invariably becomes wet. Freezing cold weather also affect the curing of many glues.
Normal patches works best when they are allowed to cure a day before being used; there are strong forces at play between the tube and tire when riding (eg. even Park Tools seemingly sturdy tire boots get shredded after a while). If not allowed to cure properly patches may develop leaks, often only micro leaks that you only notice because one of the tires always seems to have lost a little more air compared to the other.

Personally I don't use glueless patches, even though some manufacturers now claim they can be used with high pressure tires. My main problem is that they cost 2-3 times as much as normal Rema F0 patches, and since I have such good success with Rema patches there would be no improvement either. But of course, if one rarely have punctures they may make more economic sense.

For many riders it simply doesn't make sense to patch the tube on the road except in emergencies, it is faster, more reliable and cheaper, to just exchange the tube and then patch it later. Your technique may work for you, but don't expect it work well for others.

--
Regards

I haven't had any problems with the Park self-adhesive patches. As long as you scrape and scuff the tube well, cleaned off/dried the tube, and press down firmly - no problems with 110psi.

I know the feeling . While out on the road, my preference is just to put on a new tube. Take the flat one home and repair it there and hope for the best.. It seems I have better luck with glueless patches.. With using Kevlar tires in good condition, I hope to have few flats.?.. My attitude. If a tube last 3000 plus miles , sometime the heck with it.. I might very well just discard it..

Sounds like lots of good advice.
I usually use cheapo patch kits-Victor for all rubber repairs- and I even have a large can of rubber glue with one of those biggish brushes in it(but the kit has a tube of same.

The only tricks I can add are
1) to cut/round the edges of those square patches- I think it makes them less likely to lift.
2) After the patch has been applied-and is adhering-maybe 5 minutes- I'll brush some glue around the edges of the patch/tire in the hopes of melting/melding the edge to the patch.I think it makes it less likely to lift.

The cheapo thick patches are probably more likely to lift than thin ones, but I've had very good luck by"melting" the edges with the glue.

Luck
Charlie

The only tricks I can add are
1) to cut/round the edges of those square patches- I think it makes them less likely to lift.
2) After the patch has been applied-and is adhering-maybe 5 minutes- I'll brush some glue around the edges of the patch/tire in the hopes of melting/melding the edge to the patch.I think it makes it less likely to lift.

Similar to the above, I cut my most of my patches into square-centimenter size, and then cut the edges until they are roughly round/hexegon shaped (90%+ of the puncters I have are the size of a pin-hole and these patches work fine, of course I keep some bigger patches, just in case). I don't know if relatively-small patches contribute to flat-repair success but it doesn't seem to have a downside, and I don't run out of patches as fast.

For some reason when glueing a patch I often find that one small section of the patch (on one side) is showing a gap (there is not full adherence of patch to tube). When I first encountered this years ago my first thought was to pull off the patch and start all over, but first I tried taking some fresh glue and working it into the non-adhering gap (a toothpick works well for this), letting it dry for a minute or two (maybe blowing air on it also) and then reapplying pressure to the patch. I've done this dozens of times and it has almost always worked (I think the only time I really had an issue with getting a patch to work was when I was fixing a flat on the road in the summer when it was close to 100 degrees, it took me three attempts).

I have found that once a patch-repair passes visual inspection (that is, aherence on all sides of the patch remains intact, even when applying a bit of counter-force (like rolling the patch area with the fingers, simulating the curviture that it will have inside the tire)) then I can have complete confidence in it.

+1 on making sure the glue sets enough time before applying the patch (the glue I have begins to gloss-over with a whitish tint as it dries, I usually wait a couple of minutes and maybe blow on the glue, maybe I should wait longer though). I read somewhere (I think it was on the Sheldon Brown site) to put glue on both the tube and patch, so I do that.

Try superglue instead of patches. Small drop of glue, hold hole shut for 30 seconds, wipe off excess. I carry a small superglue tube in a patch kit in case I need to use a patch as a backup, but I haven't had to use a patch since I started using superglue.

Superglue......never thought of it but it sure works well in makeing "O" rings to any needed size. I will give that a try.

Finding the hole(s) isn't always trivial to do when they are small and the traffic is noisy. I have had many punctures that could only be discovered when the tube was submerged in water, or by careful listening when indoors (or by feeling the air egress with my libs). Only a small percentage of my punctures can even be detected from looking at the outside of my tires. So in my case your technique of trying to find the hole while the tube is still attached, would often be a slow and wasteful procedure.


I agree with you! On rare occasions I get a hole so small I can't find it either or wet conditions make patching impossible if you can get to a dry place, thus I go to the back up tube and worry about fixing it later. BUT, those are rare occasions, because you see, the beauty of high psi tires is that all you have to do is pump them up and you can hear the hissing even from very small punctures. Personally I can find about 98% to maybe even 99% of all flats on the road despite road noise. But that's why I carry a back up tube just in case.

Again let me say I can fix most flats just as quick as changing the tube because I only unbead one side of the tire about 1/2 way, then pull the about a 1/4th of the tube out and patch the hole and restuff and rebead (folding tires work best for this). Those of you that think changing the tube is faster are those of you that feel you need to remove the tire from the rim (or at least remove one side of the tire) then remove the tube then fix it, and but it all back together again...not necessary. Also with tools like the QuikStik tire removal and replacement is fast.

I taught someone to patch a few days ago. I was teaching him a lot, so we put it aside and forgot about it while the glue was drying. We probably let it dry for ten minutes.

It worked well. So longer is better than shorter.

By the way, I'm using Elmers rubber cement from the stationery section of my drug store. It shouldn't work, but it does. And it's cheap.

By the way, I'm using Elmers rubber cement from the stationery section of my drug store. It shouldn't work, but it does. And it's cheap.

Glad it worked for you, but I've head this is a big no-no - vulcanizing cement for tires is completely different than common "rubber cement" and necessary to get a good long-term bond.

- Mark

By the way, I see that Rema is now selling 16mm tube patches. I have a bunch of the 1" diameter patches and I wonder if I can cut those in two for tube patching without compromising the integrity of the "fixes".

My flats are usually pinholes, and a 1/2" diameter patch would fit a 23mm sized tube better. My only concern is that I'll lose the red feather edges on one side of each patch piece and might compromise the integrity of a patch job. Is my concern reasonable, or should I hack away?

The most common problem I have encountered is people not letting the glue dry all the way before applying the patch.

Last summer, during a trip to Vietnam/Cambodia/Lao, where most people use bike or motorbike, i noticed there were tube repair stands on every street corner, probably because they get a lot of flats. These guys probably patch tubes all day long, and to make it faster, they set the glue on fire so that it dries... Haven't tried yet...