ricecrispies

Is it possible to repair a tyre that has been stabbed by a vandal? The inner tube has a slit of a bit less than 1cm, so I presume the tyre has something similar (or at least it did the previous time my bike was attacked by the same neighbour). It's probably in the side wall of the tyre because the outside surface is kevlar-reinforced. It's one of those foldable tyres for a mountain bike, but designed for urban use.

Retro Grouch 

My test is to install an inner tube and inflate the tire to operating pressure. If you can see the inner tube sticking out through the tire or you can see or feel a bulge or blister where the cut was, your tire is ruined.

ricecrispies

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately it was what I was expecting to hear, but I thought I'd ask anyway just in case something could be done.

The bike is now out of the shared hallway and in my apartment, which means I have had to move my shoes to the kitchen to make space, but at least I won't be likely to have the same problem again. Now to look for somewhere else to live...

Tamiya

Retro Grouch 

Have you thought about storing your bike in the shower? 23 hours and 45 minutes of each day it's out of the way.

ricecrispies

When you say "boot it", do you mean glue the reinforcement over the patch? I'm not clear what you mean.

I used not to have any problems with antisocial neighbours. This vandalism is very recent. But there are other problems in the building which I don't want to go into detail about here, but which are causing me unbelievable stress, so you're right. It's time to move on, although finding housing is very hard for people in my particular situation where I live. Last time I had to move I nearly ended up homeless.

ricecrispies

That's a good suggestion, but it won't work in my case because I'd have to get the bike round too many tight corners to get it to the bathroom.

3alarmer 

...the side walls on tyres like this usually flex more, so it makes a repair more precarious, but for something that size I'd try gluing a larger tube patch from REMA on the inside of the tyre with contact cement. Make sure you leave the clear plastic on the patch, so if your contact cement exceeds the area of the patch you don't end up unintentionally gluing the inner tube at that spot when you reinflate the tyre. Or slide some waxed paper in there at that spot. Or boot as suggested. A tyre "boot" is just about any material you stick inside, between the tube and the tyre, to keep the tube inside the tyre if there's a cut or tear. Try it without first, because a boot can end up giving you a little bump every rotation if you do it wrong.

wschruba

You can (and should) use a structural patch, such as you can get for auto tires at a parts store; they are both thicker, and fabric reinforced. Depending on the location of the damage, you'll likely feel a thump when it passes the ground. If the damage is close to a bead, you should abandon the tire, as that area is highly stressed.

While you CAN repair a tire that has been damaged as such, they are typically viewed as temporary repairs until the tire can be replaced altogether. For a bike that is used as transportation (I'm guessing?) such a repair is a liability...it will break when most inconvenient, so you might as well replace it with another tire.

BTW, a bike rolled on the rear wheel is quite a bit more maneuverable than one rolled as if it was being ridden--I've encountered very few spaces where I couldn't get a bike through. Just some food for thought.

dabac

pdlamb

3alarmer's suggestion of a large Rema patch is a good one. I've also had success with a Tyvek (aka FedEx envelope) patch glued on with rubber cement.

How big is the tire, and how high do you pump it? A 2" MTB tire pumped to 35-40 psi, one of these may hold for six months or more. If it's a skinny road bike tire pumped to 100 psi, now you're rolling the dice.

ricecrispies

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've discovered that I can replace the tyre with the same, quite acceptable retailer-economy-brand model at a very low price. I had thought, wrongly, that that model had been discontinued and that I would have to pay a lot more money to get something with kevlar reinforcement, hence my question. And seeing as I don't have any large puncture patches and don't know where to get them, that makes replacing the tyre seem like the better option. I only need the tyre for urban commuting, so I don't need anything fancy, beyond the kevlar to deal with the broken glass.

FWIW, it's a 26" x 1.75" mountain bike tyre, just in case anyone wants to leave a suggestion that might help someone else with a similar problem in future.

Retro Grouch 

My trick for that is to stand the bike up on it's back wheel in front of you and "wheelie" it through the maze. Don't know if that will help in your case or not.

CliffordK

MTB tires are generally run at fairly low pressures making booting easier. It is up to you. Make sure it is on the rear of the bike if possible (so it also wears quicker).

You use the tire longer, but run the risk of getting a second flat at an inopportune moment.

Some people have even sewn tires for field repairs.

dabac

That doesn't matter in this case.
Tubes are stretchy, so you want a stretchy patch.
Tires aren't stretchy, so you don't want a stretchy patch.
Only enough "creep" or settling to allow it to take on the shape of the tire.
For a small cut/low pressure, a tube patch might be sturdy enough, but for a bigger cut/higher pressure, you'll see the patch start to herniate from the inflation pressure pretty soon.
If you're lucky, you're fast enough at opening the valve to prevent a blow-out.
If you're careful, you do the first inflation wearing gloves and eye/ear protection.

fietsbob

The function of Booting is to get you home or to someplace you can replace the tire.

it Does not repair the tyre, the chemical reaction of vulcanizing rubber is not reversible..