Alcohol swipes (Like the ones used to clean Hypodermic needle injection sites at the hospital/doctor's office) can be obtained in foil "ready wipe" packages at drugstores. One or two of them usually fit neatly into the patchkit. They are useful for exactly this situation. I also cut a two sided emory board down to fit in my patchkit and use that sand down the innertube. The flimsy piece of sand paper supplied isn't as usable. Also a small amount of Talcum powder in a small zip lock bag (oddly enough, available in drugstores too- but be aware that they can "look" like illicit drugs for sale!)is useful to dust the tube with to prevent any stray tube cement from causing the tube and tire to stick together. These items are especially useful in poor lighting conditions that commuters may find themselves in!
Originally Posted by
wroomwroomoops
From another thread: you patched your tube, but the patch leaks? It wouldn't stick properly (or at all)?
I had a few patches that wouldn't stick. Then I learned to clean the tube around the puncture with alcohol, and since then, all patches lasted forever. If you don't have a little bottle with alcohol with you while riding, a solution might be a little packed wet tovel (like those you get in the plane). Make sure the area around the puncture is perfectly dry and, above all, without grease. Any amount of grease or dust will cause the patch not to stick.
Also, remember to wait for the glue (or "cement") to dry, before placing the patch over it, and then push on it like you're possessed.