Saintly Loser

No, this isn't an announcement of a new tire technology that will forever prevent flats. . .

Last Saturday, my brother and I went for a ride from New York City to Nyack, New York. The route is pretty popular with city cyclists, to the point where there's practically a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge pedestrian/bike path early in the morning.

On the return trip, I noticed that there were at least a half-dozen discarded tubes on the ground and in a garbage can at the entrance to the bridge path.

Do that many people really throw out tubes when they get a flat? I could have picked up enough tubes there to last me for the next ten years, easily. I would have, except that my under-seat pack was pretty stuffed already, and there wasn't room for a tube.

When I get a flat, I replace the tube with the spare I carry, and patch the punctured tube when I get home. Of course, if I get more than one flat, I'll have to patch the next by the side of the road, but no big deal. Seems silly, wasteful, and environmentally destructive to simply discard a tube because it has a puncture.

C Law

I thought this was a thread about stans

awiner

Personally I throw away tubes when they get a puncture. I ride a lot of canyons where I live with high speed descents and I just don't trust patched tubes.

BikeManDan

Then you don't understand how a patch works and you're supporting a society of waste

Vulcanizing patches bond with the rubber in such a way that no amount of force from within the tire will ever dislodge the patch

I refurbish old bikes and routinely come across 30 year old tubes (from back in the day when people still patched their tubes) and they hold air just like brand new tubes

jemoryl

I've always been wary of picking up used rubber items off the ground for re-use.

well biked

+1.....

aetherguy881

LOL?

Saintly Loser

This really is a non-issue. I've patched motorcycle tubes in the past, and the stresses on a motorcycle tire/tube are immensely greater than anything you can run into on a bicycle, even on a high-speed descent. A correctly patched tube is just as strong as an unpunctured, unpatched tube.

Robert C

I havn't seen a vulcanized patch in years. I remember as a kid clamping the tube with a patch and setting the thing on fire to set the patch. Flame! Smoke! what more could a kid want. Nowadays all the patches seem to be the glue on patches of varying levels of quality.

Somewhere I still have my fathers old patch clamp that was used for vulcanizing. I think evwn rafts use the glue ons now...

Fredmertz51

I agree, if you patch it exactly right. But, I've given many tubes away to people on the MUT who have patched a tube, used up all their patience and co2 cartridges, and still had a flat tire. New tube first, then patches for backup.

v1k1ng1001

I throw tubes away. But I also ride Michelin Krylions so I end up throwing away one or two per 4,000 miles.

BikeManDan

Always patch at home, never on the road.

StanSeven

I buy tubes on sale in large quantities for maybe $2.50 each. It's not worth it for me to take the time to do patches. Doing a proper patch job, including carefully checking for more than one hole or other tube damage, takes time and I would rather spend doing more riding or stretching (which I constantly neglect)

howsteepisit

If you would learn to properly patch a tube there is no fear of using a patched tube. Why the heck are people so phobic of learng to do manual labor?

stapfam

Although I always carry a spare tube with me- I also carry a Repair kit.

I used to fit the new tube to repair the Punctured one at home- But I found I has 6 or so tubes awaiting repair and No new tubes. Now if I puncture on a ride- I repair it. Takes about 1 minute and the tube works fine. Have to admit that last Time I punctured- I did replace the tube- It already had 7 patches on it and Felt that I ought to replace it.

Tapeworm21

I toss 'em out. But I cut them in half first. It keeps the homeless out of the dumpsters. It's a tube, they're $3, and I've only had 3 flats this year.

edzo

patches work great, except when you get to high end thin road tires...then a patch
will cause a thumpthump

I save all tubes when they pop and toss them in the pile,
then after a season will go through all of the flatted tubes and patch the easy ones.

I usually have 5 good tubes and 6 dead ones in the rotation. if I run out of
tubes before I get around to patching the old ones I will just start patching
them as they pop, or buy freshies

timmhaan

youse guys are crazy! each patch costs about 10-15 cents. and as for time, you're telling me you don't have time to open the glue, spread it on the tube, and then press down the patch for 5 seconds with your thumb? heck, they even sell pre-glued patches...even easier. patching tubes is the easiest thing possible.

the only reason i would toss a tube is if there was a massive blow out and the tube actually split on a seam.

illdoittomorrow

-Pre-glued patches suck, but I've had good luck with the handyman's secret weapon... duct tape

-I've patched tubes in 23mm tires and then run them at silly-high pressure without any thumping or loss of pressure on a ride

-Those of you who can afford to toss a tube after a flat, can afford to box up your throwaways and send them to me, timmhaan, howsteepisit, etc

-Patched tubes are literally as good as new. Just don't be cheap with the glue! The only holes I can't patch are big cuts and valve separations.

-Patch kits cost less $3, and contain enough patches to fix 10 or more tubes, if you're tossing them after every puncture. That's close to $30 in savings! Money better spent on beer!

Swoop

Very thoughtful of you.

howsteepisit

Try thinking about the waste of sending a perfectly good tube to the local landfill. Its not only money, but waste of resources. Most of us can easily afford a $5.00 tube, but can we continually afford to waste resources?

roadfix

Well, I recently had to throw away a few multi-patched 10+ year old tubes because they just weren't holding air for long any longer. Seems like the rubber was starting to deteriorate and air was permeating through too quickly. I don't know......does that sound possible?

DannoXYZ 

Uh, there are TWO kinds of patches on the market.

1. Glueless patches don't require any vulcanzing fluid. Ironically enough, these patches have contact-cement type glue that sticks to the tube. Nowhere nearly as good as a vulcanized patch, but will work for quick repairs in a pinch.

2. The patches using vulcanizing fluid DOES vulcanize the patch to the tube. The only way you can remove the patch will be to tear the tube out with it. However, this assumes a perfectly applied patch with properly cleaned and prepped tube and correctly applied vulcanizing fluid.

openclassmx

I wish I could still find those. Those patches would stay on through ANYTHING. I still have my Dad's clamp, too. Also have a few patches left, but the metal "trays" that they are made on are rusty. I think I'm gonna do a test and see if they'll still light, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm guessing the enviro-police took them all.

Gordiep

Unless you intended to be ironic, you're an idiot.