Does anyone have advise on repairing holes in tires that still have life in them? I ride a lot of rough roads and these tires have many miles left, were it not for the small punctures that let stuff in, leading to the inevitable flat. One person told me he puts duct tape on the offending area, but why couldn't I somehow patch it? The tires in question are Vittoria Rubino Intrepid's.

If the holes are big enough to let stuff in, it's probably not a good idea to keep using the tire. Typical thorn/small nail punctures don't need to be patched, though a small piece of duct tape (gaffers tape is actually better since is doesn't melt and get sticky) isn't a bad idea. If the hole is too big for that, then the tire should be replaced.

How about shoogoo to fill the holes?

Regards

Can you vulcanize a patch over the small hole? The old style glue on patches, not the preglued crap.

My friend I have to agree with Sivat (2nd post). If the holes in the tire are big enough to let in dirt then you should not be using this tire.

If it is letting in dirt, then I suspect that some of the tube MUST be buldging out a bit which will also cause flats.

Fixing a tire is normally called 'booting a tire' and is meant as a temporary repair to get you home. I strongly recommend a new tire.

I know it sucks, I've bought brand new $50 tires and immediately ripped a hole in them the next day, hence time for another tire. I feel your pain.

Thanks guys. Let me rephrase. The tires have some very tiny cuts in them(2 in the back tire, 1 in the front) that aren't apparent from the inside, but when a small piece of sharp chert rock happens upon that location, the remaining barrier is often not enough. When I looked at the front tire just now, I scraped a piece of chert out of a small slit(again, not all the way through) that had been riding there causing no ill effects for who knows how many miles.

What is shoogoo?

Ok I see, your original post sounded like the 'holes' were big enough to allow dirt to enter the tire. So what I understand is you have a small slit in the rubber but does not go all the way through the threads of the tire, correct?

You can try gluing a square piece of old inner tube on the inside of your tire, clean off the powdery talc that's on the piece of tube for better adhesion.

Rubber cement will not work, because the inside of your tire is not rubber....at least mine aren't and I doubt those Vittoria Rubino Intrepid's are rubber on the inside also. Shoogoo might be your best bet.

Shoogoo is just that, it's called Shoogoo and is a highly tacky glue used to repair shoe rubber, come sin a tube. I'd say any shoe repair place would have it as well Kmart, Walmart, Zellers, etc.

I'd caution doing too much of this though, in fact, I'd recommend buying a new tire for the front at least and using those tires with the slits for the rear. A blowout in the rear is much more easier to recover from than a front blowout.

You don't need to do any of this. Go to your local store and pickup superglue, the kind that hardens but is still flexible/stretchy. This works perfectly fine for small cuts up to some size that would need a boot.

This won't work if the cords on your tire are actually cut.

+1 on the superglue. I've even repaired tubeless tires successfully this way.

I think all you really need is just enough of any glue to temporarily hold the patch in place until the tube is inflated. I doubt if a patch could move around with 100 psi holding it in place.

Chert (pronounced /ˈtʃɝt/) is a fine-grained silica-rich cryptocrystalline sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. (My new word for the day)

i use a very small car tire patch if you don't mind a thick patch

I haven't had any luck with this kind of repair. The first (and last) two times I repaired a small cut (5mm) all I got was more flats -- the tube must get pinched as the cut flexes. A glued-on patch made from innertube didm't help. My advice - new tyre. YMMV.

For small holes I've just glued regular Rema patches over them inside the tire. I patch the tire just like I do a tube; rough up the area around the hole, apply a thin layer of glue, let it dry and apply the patch.

Superglue dries hard so you have a stiff spot in the tire.

+1 to Shoogoo, which is also sold as GOOP. This is a silicon-based sealant/adhesive that will do the job perfectly.

You can also use silicone caulk. My favorite glue for pliable repairs is Seam Grip, though.

Thanks guys. This forum is great! Been away for several days, but I much appreciate all the opinions and information. Those southwest Missouri backroads can be rough on tires.

Rob

Okay, I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse here, but wouldn't a thorn or nail puncture always be big enough to let in debris as you ride, assuming the thorn/nail went all the way through the tire and punctured the tube?

I guess I'm not seeing the distinction. I have exactly the same issue as the OP. I have a tiny hole in my tire from a sheet metal screw that was on the road a few months ago. The screw went all the way through and popped the tube - the thing was lodged in there like a thumbtack in a cork board. I put a folded dollar bill on the inside of the tire over the hole, installed a new tube, and went on my merry way; haven't had a single flat tire since. But lately the tire has been losing air. After three days, it's flat (less than 20psi - this is a 90-110psi road tire). I assume that the original nail hole finally rolled over exactly on top of a wee sharp rock or debris, and this has resulted finally in the tube getting punctured in a tiny way, and letting out air very gradually. Or not. I'm not sure. I'm not a tube physics expert. Would it pop, or would it leak slowly, if this were the case?

Sheldon Brown et al say you don't need to patch nail/thorn holes, but I don't see how this would be possible. Wouldn't any hole that goes all the way through the tire be vulnerable to a tiny rock making its way through the rubber and puncturing the tube eventually?

I'm trying to decide whether I should buy another tire, or be a good ecological citizen and use my existing tire for as long as possible.

By the way, if anybody knows where to buy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires in the Silicon Valley area, I'd be eternally grateful. Mail order is great, but takes so long.

A thorn hole is very small, and the tire tends to close back when it's pulled out. The next piece of debris would have to be in perfect alignment for it to really be any easier to penetrate than it would on any other place on the tire.

I was on a long ride a while back on gravel roads and ruined the sidewall on one of the tires from a stone. I made an emergency repair with the leather tongue of my shoe. Cut off a piece of leather and put it inside the sidewall, patched the tube and rode off.

I just bought a set of Marathon + (700 X 25c) from Bike Tires Direct for $34/ea. They are really difficult to mount. I have Xero XSR-3 rims and I had a difficult time of mounting the tire, really stiff. After I got it mounted and inflated the tire I had a blow out when I got up to 100 psi, the bead was push out by the tube in one area then the tube poped. I tried this a second time and took the tire to 90 psi. I thought I was done and about 8 minutes later the same thing happened. Third time was a charm. However this time I slowly inflated the tire to watch for any problems with the bead. Sure enough it worked it way out of the rim again at 80 psi but this time I was able to avoid a flat by deflating the tire. I had to reset the bead not once but three times before the bead would engage the rim. I have tire inflated to 70 psi and it has held for 24 hours. I just mounted the rear and experienced the same problem with the bead working out of the rim. I deflated and re-adjusted the tire and got it to hold at 70 psi.

Everyone raves about the ride and puncture resistance of these tires. Did I say they are extemely stiff? Before mounting the tire with the tube, mount the tire wiithout the tube so as to help shape the sidewalls before inserting the tube. Also make sure they are warm and flexible and have a good set of tire levers. I did the pre-mount on the second tire and it really saved me a lot of time.