kcblair

Agree, it's important. Never had a patch leak. KB

davidad

A course sandpaper can cut small groves into the rubber that will allow air to leak out.
I repair most of my tubes at home after a ride. I sand and then clean them with acetone to remove the mold release. I let the cement dry for at least 5 minutes or more before installing the patch and then burnish the patch with an old socket.

cyccommute 

They should be available. If not, the shop can order them from QBP. Look for the green box.

Retro Grouch 

I can't remember ever having a bicycle tire patch fail but I don't get a whole lot of punctures so I have somewhat limited experience. Honestly, I don't do anything special.

I save up my punctured tubes for doing on a rainy Saturday. I like to do a batch at one time because the vulcanizing fluid seems to evaporate once the little tube is punctured. The directions on the patch kit say to let the vulcanizing fluid to dry for 5 minutes BY THE CLOCK. That's 1 reason why I don't like to patch on the road. 5 minutes seems like an eternity when you are waiting for the clock to go around. After I finish, I sprinkle a little baby powder around the patch so the tube won't stick to the inside of the tire.

We get lots of posts about using rubber cement or cutting up old tubes for patches etc. I don't do that. I'm about to the point of saving up my old tubes in a box for a couple of years, buying a brand new patch kit each time to repair them all, and throwing the remains of the patch kit away when I'm finished.

sbslider

I have had reasonably good experience with cheap chinease 25mm patches on road width tubes up until recently. Somewhere around a 90-95% success rate. I suspect the patches were bought 3 or more years ago. They sit in the garage in a ziplock. I generally gather up 10-15 tubes and patch them all at one setting. Kind of boring work but once you get in the groove its not so bad. Definitely don't patch on the road, although I did use glueless patches for a few years on the spot. I have found better patch reliability with my present method, but until recently.

My most recent batch of tubes I have patched, the patches are just not reliable. I have had multiple failures. I suspected that the patches are just old. They have always been too big for these tubes, but generally worked well. I did not realize patches have a shelf life until yesterday when I started looking into getting Rema patches to replace my old ones. The Rema website says 5 year shelf life. I suspect under the right conditions,that could be extended. But patches don't last forever.

https://www.rematiptop.com/technical/...be-Repairs.pdf

So, that is part of my rationale for this post. Long time member, but infrequent poster. I just bought 100 Rema F01 patches. I don't want to end up throwing away the last third of them. So I would like to offer smaller quantities to folks who are interested. I would like to keep 1/3 of these for the pile of tubes I have, and offer the remainder at what I think is a reasonable price. 33 patches shipped to you in an envelope (no tracking info) for $10. You can get them in 100 quantity for cheaper price per patch (as I did), but then you have 100 that may get old and be not effective toward the end. PM me if you are interested.

fietsbob

Self Vulcanizing Fluid is not the same cas Rubber Cement.. good luck with your substitution.

like so many other jobs surface preparation is the Key.

wphamilton

Is this for sure vulcanizing and not just cement? I can't tell from the product page or googling, although AutoZone does list it under "Vulcanizing Cement". 8 oz can of Rema Vulcanizing costs more than twice, which makes me hesitant to trust that it's not just cement.

johnny99

I have patched dozens of inner tubes with the Slime cement and genuine Rema patches. No problems. There is a nice brush inside the can that makes it very easy to apply in a thin smooth layer.

1989Pre 

I was skeptical of those, but the reviews were good, so I tried them.., and they work! I ride with 110psi in both tires and have never had a problem with a correctly-installed patch, whether from a kit, or one of the Parks glueless.

Arthur Peabody

I use the cheapest patches 'Slime 4060-A Classic rubber patch kit 27-piece', not even made for bicycle tubes (cheapest at Autozone - even cheaper than Walmart). I cut the smallest patches in half, so I get some 60-70 patches in a kit (some of the patches are larger). I hate patching on a ride, so I replace the tube and repair it when I get home. I scuff the rubber rough, clean it with isopropanol, apply a lot of rubber cement, set a timer for 10 minutes, put the patch on then, clamp it with a couple of pieces of scavenged plastic (an old small patch kit, cut up) in a vise-grip, forget about it until the next day. They hold. I inflate to 105 psi.

cyccommute 

It's hard to tell but from what I can tease out of the SDS on the Slime rubber cement and the Rema vulcanizing fluid, I would say that the Slime is just rubber cement. It's SDS says that it contains a number of hydrocarbons as solvents and under heading "Possibility of hazardous reactions", it only lists flammability hazards.

The Rema fluid, on the other hand, say the following about the hazardous reactions

The hydrogen chloride and phosgene are decomposition products of the trichloroethylene (TCE) used as a solvent...the Slime cement doesn't have any of that. But the note to avoid strong alkalies and oxidizers are due to the presence of an accelerator in the fluid. Oxidizers and alkalies shouldn't have any effect on TCE.

wphamilton

I understand - I just want to verify whether it is actually vulcanizing, because I prefer that to cement for long-term reliability.

Thanks.

Bike Gremlin

Vulcanizing (proper one) doesn't allow patches to be removed with heat.

Rema patches can be removed with heat. So it's not vulcanizing, but the patch will stick very well, if patched properly. Better than most other I've tried.

I now use only Rema glue and patches.

TheLastOfUs

i hear stability depends on puncture size

drlogik 

Over the years I've boiled good long standing patches to these main points:

1) If you're at home, wipe the hole area with alcohol and a rag before buffing with sandpaper. This gets the tube clean which is important.
2) Use good quality vulcanizing fluid not the cheap stuff.
3) Let glue dry until it is bone dry (as has been stated)
4) Really "stitch" the patch onto the tube. The round edge of a wooden spoon works well. I've also used the end of a small Crescent wrench. A tire lever will work also. Work it back and forth crisscrossing as you go. Press hard! This step may be the most important for patch longevity.

Side notes: I, too, use Rema patches and fluid. I use regular 100 to 120 grit sandpaper to buff the tube. Wrap the sandpaper around a round wooden dowel and sand tube on your knee. I also use the 92% rubbing alcohol so that it dries fast. Don't over-saturate to prevent it from going down into the hole being patched.

Funny thing...we recently moved and I found an old tube in a box. The tube was probably 20 years old or more as it was a 27 x 1 14" tube and I haven't had those in years. Patch was still stuck good but the tube was deteriorating. The patch outlasted the tube.


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u235

I have the same kit. I have been using it for years mainly on tubes less than 70psi. No tricks or rituals. I rough up a little, apply a light amount of glue to tube, apply patch, hold for a minute or so, reassemble. I'll round the corners of the square patches but I haven't done any repeatable tests or research to see if that really matters or not. I usually get new tubes with new tires if they have any patches or after about the 3rd patch on one tube, which ever comes first. I recently switched to just having Skabs with me for quick fixes, I've only had to use one so far and it worked.

cyccommute 

Rema is, indeed, cold vulcanization. It makes new rubber. If the patch can be removed with heat, there are factors that influence that. The adhesion of a Rema patch is immediate but the chemical reaction takes time to complete. How long that is, I can't say but I suspect that it takes quite a while as this is a room temperature process which can be very slow.

Incomplete buffing of the tube may result in the patch not completely adhering as well. The reaction can form new rubber with the tube if it is blocked by non-rubber substances. Overbuffing can also have a similar result as it pushes particles down into the tube which results in poor adhesion and incomplete reaction.

Another, very important factor, is the concentration of reactants. Rema's system is a two component system with a reactant and an promoter in the two different parts of the system. I'm not sure whether the patch contains the reactant or if the vulcanizing fluid contains the promoter or vise versa. But the amount of each is limited. We tend to make a very thin layer of fluid so that it dries more quickly but that may not be enough for the reaction to run to completion.

Finally, there is a shelf life to the patches. Rema says 5 years, which I assume is at room temperature. Many people may have patches that are many years older than that...I know I do...and they aren't usually stored at the optimal temperature.

They are very good patches but they do have to be installed and used properly. Frankly, I've never tried to remove one at all. I don't know why you would.