Originally Posted by
Dreww10
I don't flat too often and have always had a stash of new tubes around, so when I would, I'd just put a new tube in and carry on, never giving patching a thought. Now that tubes are getting little pricier, I'm wondering if a patched tube will last, because I have several in a pile with a single small hole in each. A new tube is around $10, whereas a patch kit (like Park's) looks like it might cover 2-3 tubes for $10. But do patched tubes really last long? If they do, is there any specific kit you all would suggest for longevity?
When I rode a lot and before tough light casing was common I’d replace a punctured tube with a good one then repair the tube at home. When I got to three patches on a tube I’d replace the tube which was long before the tube itself was unuseable. Patched tubes lasted as long as new tubes which was upwards of ten years or more. I’ve only used peel and stick patches a few times 20 yrs ago and the patch was iffy. Only time a glued patch didn’t work was gluing in marginal conditions on the road or very old glue. Maybe 1% of the time. Peel and stick failed about 20%.
Store old tubes in a zip lock bag. In my racing days I used to store and install tubes with talcum powder but in the last 30 yrs stopped using talc as I stopped racing, rode less and tires became more puncture resistant