Tube Patches Only Temporary?
06-05-15, 02:53 PM
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Tube Patches Only Temporary?
I was in my local REI the other day and bought a patch kit. The REI salesman told me that patches are only temporary solutions and I needed to buy a new tube. What is the opinion here? I always felt one or two patches on a tube are okay as long as they are patched well.
06-05-15, 03:01 PM
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I've no issues with running glue-on patches for however long the tube lasts.
Maybe the guy on the shop was thinking of the stick-on variety. Those are pretty temporary -- maybe 30 to 60 seconds.
06-05-15, 03:03 PM
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You will find all sorts of silly sayings at REI. Like, "Stay on the trail." and "Don't fall into the crevasse!" Haha I like the idea of the tire on my bike having a fresh inner tube but the rationale behind saying to toss them after you patch them is based on legal interpretations of liability that really have nothing to do with long term durability. I have always recycled my inner tubes and I don't get a sense I've been taking any big risks.
06-05-15, 03:05 PM
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I always have new unpatched tubes in my seat pack... but I don't care how many patches are on the tubes inside the tires. One exception is that if they overlap they can make the tire kind of lumpy.
06-05-15, 03:54 PM
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REI doesn't always hire the sharpest knives in the drawer. I've also gotten some very suspect advice from their sales people. Done right, patches are as good as the rest of the tube.
06-05-15, 04:30 PM
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You will find all sorts of silly sayings at REI. Like, "Stay on the trail." and "Don't fall into the crevasse!" Haha I like the idea of the tire on my bike having a fresh inner tube but the rationale behind saying to toss them after you patch them is based on legal interpretations of liability that really have nothing to do with long term durability. I have always recycled my inner tubes and I don't get a sense I've been taking any big risks.
06-05-15, 04:33 PM
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A properly glued patch is stronger than the tube itself.
06-05-15, 04:47 PM
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A properly applied patch will last as long as the tube. I don't let patches bother me, and let the age and overall condition of the tube determine when to scrap it.
BTW- IMO the shop rat had it sort of backwards. I carry a spare tube as a "temporary" solution for immediate on-the-road replacement. I consider patching the leaky tube and making it the new spare, the permanent solution.
BTW- IMO the shop rat had it sort of backwards. I carry a spare tube as a "temporary" solution for immediate on-the-road replacement. I consider patching the leaky tube and making it the new spare, the permanent solution.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
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“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
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Last edited by FBinNY; 06-05-15 at 04:58 PM.
06-05-15, 05:05 PM
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Like others have said, my patches tend to outlast the tube. Typically the lifetime of a tube is limited by me doing something dumb, the valve failing, or the stem failing on Presta tubes, all of which I've learned to avoid. Destroyed tubes turn into a source of innertube rubber for shimming attachments such as lights and bells, makeshift bungees, and other general household use.
With that said, making a patch permanent requires doing it right -- not rocket science, but you have to use good materials and follow the correct procedure.
With that said, making a patch permanent requires doing it right -- not rocket science, but you have to use good materials and follow the correct procedure.
Last edited by Gresp15C; 06-05-15 at 05:08 PM.
06-05-15, 05:08 PM
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i went into the nearby Sports Basement (they do a lot of recycling of stuff, like tennis balls, and running shoes, even skis, etc.) the other day to buy a tube. at the last minute, i remembered that at one time they had a bin of used tubes for the taking, so i asked the salesman where it had gone. he said, "we don't keep it out anymore, but", and then led me to a big cardboard box full of used tubes of all kinds, "you can take your pick of what's in here".
i picked up a couple with patches on them of the right size and with valves of the proper length. i assumed they had holes in them. but to my surprise, when i got home, i tested them for holes, and there were no holes.
what's the world coming to? 
i'm thinking of going back and asking them if they have a box of used wallets i can sift through...
i picked up a couple with patches on them of the right size and with valves of the proper length. i assumed they had holes in them. but to my surprise, when i got home, i tested them for holes, and there were no holes.
what's the world coming to? i'm thinking of going back and asking them if they have a box of used wallets i can sift through...
Last edited by hueyhoolihan; 06-05-15 at 05:13 PM.
06-05-15, 05:50 PM
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He knew what he thought was all, but had no idea what he didn't know.
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Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
06-05-15, 05:59 PM
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06-05-15, 07:37 PM
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I'm being facetious. REI is a Seattle icon, my town, and I think that they've done really well. They hold seminars for a variety of outdoor interests including cycling. And they also use the active, well-equipped, and safe adventurer image in their retail environment. It's about sales, after all, so in the end the shopper that comes in for a pair of running shoes or a new derailleur is confronted with boulder strewn "trial trails" complete with a water filtration demonstration and 65 foot climbing pinnacle. Just about the ONLY thing left out are the crevasses!
Last edited by cale; 06-05-15 at 07:43 PM.
06-05-15, 08:48 PM
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If you use a patch with vulcanizing fluid, e.g. the Park patch kits, it's pretty much a permanent repair.
06-05-15, 09:33 PM
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Temporary? Maybe in the sense that you and I are temporary I guess...
Some cheaper glueless patches are temporary, but the good glueless patches will last about as long as the glued ones which is usually way longer than the tire lasts...
Some cheaper glueless patches are temporary, but the good glueless patches will last about as long as the glued ones which is usually way longer than the tire lasts...
06-07-15, 07:44 AM
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I dont usually throw out a tube unless there is a hole that would have to have an over lap patch as someone else mentioned.
06-07-15, 08:21 AM
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its the peel and stick on , time saver patches I consider less permanent, where if you take the time for surface preparation
and use the fluid and time tested patches like Rema, they will be better.
and use the fluid and time tested patches like Rema, they will be better.
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