Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
Bike shops don't patch punctured tubes because the labor cost of doing so exceeds the cost (parts plus labor) of simply replacing the tube. But for a co-op with volunteer labor, patching is less costly.
When I worked in a long-established bike shop in the early '70's, we employees got used to patiently explaining to customers why we no longer patched tubes: not just because of the labor cost but also because we couldn't guarantee the patch wouldn't fail.
__________________
You are always the same age inside.---Gertrude Stein
My aluminum bikes: Light, strong, cheap, and comfy.