gauvins

On Tomsbiketrip.com, someone suggested to add Formcard to your tour toolkit.

Amazing concept.

I've ordered a few and will eventually report on it.

Gadgets4grls

Another item to consider in this category is "FiberFix"

While I probably wont put it my bicycle tool bag.
You can find it at most Ace hardware or Home Depots an it offers a stronger alternative to duct tape at least in specific use cases.

Gadgets

fietsbob

Gaffers tape .. a lot more expensive,but better than Duck Tape. I fixed my favorite Pleather covered saddle, a Fizik Vitesse CP3, with some.

Gadgets4grls

You're right and I'm not sure why I keep forgetting about Gaffers tape. Great stuff.

Another one that I do have a couple of in my kit. You can actually buy stainless steel cable ties ie "zip ties"
I found them at an Ace Hardware and used them when the plastic ones wouldn't hold.

Just a warning though these are a B!%^# to cut so make sure you don't need to remove otherwise you're in trouble unless someone's got some serious cutting tools on them.

Gadgets

BikeLite

Formcard similar to sugru.

reed523

a roll of velcro "tape". I've carried a 10' piece (it's actually cut into several pieces now) for several years. Very handy. Ties down tight. Lighter than a popcorn fart. Won't put your eye out or wreck your drive train like a wayward bungie cord.

rm -rf

It appears that Formcard is stiff, and re-softens when it gets hot.

But Sugru is flexible and adhesive silicone rubber, and sounds great for sticking items together, or making a customized pad or grip.

However, it has a shelf life of only 1 year.

https://sugru.com/about

hilltowner

Electrical tape. Never thought I'd use it to return to my starting point 20 miles out after blowing out my rim but once I discovered how useful it was I will always travel with a roll.

elcruxio

Gorilla tape. More expensive than duct tape but also a lot better. I use it as rim strip so additionally all of our rims have tubeless readiness and added tire stability in case of flats.

RedandBlack

I've been using Gorilla tape and it's pretty damn strong, sticky, and heat resistant. So far I've used it to make a pot cozy and an electronics cozy (padded mylar case).

LeeG

Same here. Use it to wrap racks to quiet vibration sounds and reduce wear. Duct tape deteriorates too fast leaving a glue mess.

lightspree

F4 Tape

Was used a lot on F4 phantoms.

gauvins

Might do a better job than zip-ties to fasten the cable running from the dynamo on the fork. You have an opinion?

Ty0604

I carry Gorilla Tape To-Go. It's a smaller roll. $4.99 at Home Depot.

acantor

Sugru lasts significantly longer if you keep it in the fridge or freezer. Before a bike trip, I take a couple of packages of Sugru from my freezer, and I'm good to go.

I repaired my bike mirror with Sugru after Crazy glue, epoxy, and epoxy putty failed to stick.

robow

+1, tough stuff and has saved the day several times

lightspree

Zip ties tend to look a bit kluged, ratty, or temporary. F4 tape could look cleaner and more professional. It is not as abrasion tolerant though.

I think quality adhesives are under-researched, underappreciated and underutilized. The right adhesive carefully applied can give a very strong, clean, effective installation.

niknak

I've never brought any type of tape on a tour and only needed packing tape at the end of a tour for boxing bikes. What have you guys repaired on tour with the tapes you've brought? I'm going on a long tour in a month and thinking about whether bringing some tape would be a good idea.

Ty0604

It can be used for a lot of stuff. Hole in a tent, to temporary patch a blown tire, broken tent pole, cover blisters, etc! The list is pretty much endless on where/why you can use it if need be.

niknak

I'm familiar with what you can do with these tapes, I'm more interested in specific examples of what people have actually used the tapes for while on tour. Have you actually had to patch a blown tire or mend a tent pole with tape? Did the tape save you in an emergency situation or was it merely a convenience, something that could have been taken care of in the next town? I'm trying to assess if tape is a need or one of those things people bring just because everyone else says it's a good idea to bring some.

Ty0604

Got it, sorry for the misunderstanding. I've never needed it myself. Someone I was riding with used some to repair a broken spoke until we got to the next town about 50 KM away. That's my only personal experience with it.

robow

I have repaired a sack which holds my tent, used copious amounts for a large torn sidewall on a tire since no one in 3 counties had a 700c tire. Used it as rim tape on a friends wheel when his old rotted tape was so worn he continued to blow tubes. I've silenced many buzzez and noises with the stuff, temporarily mended a cracked rear rack, repaired rear panniers, and the list goes on such as gorilla tape repaired my air mattress better than the repair kit it came with.
Sincerely,
Mr. Murphy

niknak

That's cool that the Gorilla tape was able to repair your air mattress. I've read that the Park glueless patches also work well for air mattress repair. Hmm, now the Gorilla tape is sounding enticing.

Rowan

Personally, I don't think it is needed. I have ridden around with tape either on a roll or wound around the seat tube for more miles than I care to guess, and I don't think I've used it more times than to mark seat height when removing the post for boxing up the bike.

Yes, I have used gaffer/race/gorilla tape to patch holes in tents and bags, and I have used it to keep corrosion at bay when paint on a steel frame has been scratched. It works well for all that, but that is more a maintenance thing for quiet time in a town.

One tip, however. To avoid the corners of a patch from lifting, cut out the patch so it either has rounded corners or is round itself.

lightspree

One or more small swatches of strong fabric (nylon fabrics made for outdoor gear, for example), plus a small tube of quality polyurethane adhesive (like those sold by McNett for just this sort of thing, and typically used for backpacking, kayaking, and other outdoor sports) would enable you to make much stronger repairs than Gorilla Tape. The strength of adhesion is much greater.

Gorilla Tape is more removable. Sometimes you want that, sometimes you don't.

Some of the outdoor fabrics will also stand up to abrasion and general wear and tear better than Gorilla Tape.

Gorilla Glue and Gorilla Tape can be out-gunned and out-gorilla'd.

I have a mild pet peeve about Gorilla Glue and other "gorilla" products. They ride on a word. There are better products out there.