In your experience, how often do patch kits actually work? I've tried them twice, and twice they have failed as I was reinflating the tube. Last time was two days ago. I had a pinhole puncture, which seems ideal for patching, but air started escape from the same hole (patched) at about 30 psi.

Am I just doing it wrong? Or maybe do I have a lousy patch kit?

Did you sand it off well and give it time to dry? I always put on a new tube then patch the old one to use later. I've never had a problem with them. I have tubes with three or four patches on them.

Damn. I'm probably just doing it wrong. Yeah, I sanded, and gave it about 20 minutes to set (this was in the comfort of my own home... mysterious overnight flat).

I don't remember how long I waited the first time I tried it.

2 is not a large sample space. I'll give it another shot.

Park Tools GP-2 Super Patch kit

Self adhesive patches, comes with sanding square, $3.00 (approx.) Works 100% of the time, in my experiences. I've only needed to patch 1 tube for myself, and the rest have been karma boosters. For $3.00 on 6 patches, it's not going to break the bank giving them away to other riders who need a patch.

I've had some failures with the pre-glued patches. The ones with real glue and a real rubber patch, I've never had a problem.

let the glue dry slightly before you patch it together.
As in.. put glue on the tyre and the patch.. leave them separately for about 5-10 minutes.. then stick them together.

haven't really had a patch fail.. except for this one time where i didn't use the right glue.

Mine are pre-glued. Maybe I'll try the other kind. (I'm guessing the tube with the faulty patch on it is now a lost cause though.)

Whatever. Tubes aren't that expensive either.

I use the glue type. I wait about 2 min after appling the glue. Have had no problems with them at all.

i've had some patches curl up after a while, but it was due to not putting enough glue over the whole surface area of the patch. i usually use more glue than is probably necessary now - keep that SOB down.

I carry the PARK TOOLS "Super Patch" kit, aprox 1.5" square & thin plastic box. Self adhesive patches have worked for me mountain biking. I was wondering if you have considered having a spare tube with you? There are small triangular seat bags that could hold it and after a while, you'd hardly notice it on the bike.

I commute with a trunk bag, so I've always got a spare tube & patches. My mountain and road bikes have the little triangle shaped seat bags.

Pre-glued patches just don't work that well. Whether they work seems entirely dependent on the patch, with little to no user error issues.


"traditional" glue patches always hold if installed correctly. Installed correctly being the key. They're not for impatient people.


The ideal scenario is to have an extra tube, put the new tube in and patch the old tube with a traditional kit in the comfort of your living room.

Three or 4 patches? Is the tube still new? Mine seem to have that many right out of the box 15 to 25...now you're talking.

Ciggie! where ya been, bro? long time no see! ...still riding that Denali?

...oh yeah, I use a regular glue & rubber el-cheapo patch kit, let the glue set for a minute or 2 before putting the patch on, never had a problem. I always carry 2 tubes and patch at home (unless I score 3+ punctures on any one commute - has happened twice in 20 years)

I always carry a spare tube in my saddle bag. But since this flat occurred over night while it was just sitting in my front hallway, I thought I'd give the patch kit a shot.

When done correctly the glue type don't fail (not the glueless type). They also set in a few seconds. You might not be letting the glue dry before putting on the patch, that's important. I have not had a failure in 20 years, unless I did not let the glue dry long enough. Maybe one failure, but it was my fault.
Once done they last as long as the tube. Are you sanding the area before patching too?

Never had a problem with these!

I"ve had a 50% fail rate with the slime scabs. 100% success rate with glue. I've got park pre-glued in my bag now and I'll probably give one of those a stab this weekend on the slow leak on my front tire.

I try to find (edit: and remove) the cause of the puncture while the glue dries. It usually times out just right to apply the patch. If possible I try to avoid dismounting the wheel from the bike and simply pull the tube out at the hole.

Never had one fail, the glue type that is. I always sand the area smooth, removing any mold marks near the hole, glue, dry, patch, insert in tire, inflate to 85-100PSI.

And, my tubes have a LOT OF PATCHES on them. I buy patches in bulk. 100 of them for like $9. Glue is available in most automotive supply stores.

This is a skill I need to learn. I imagine it's only doable if the cause of the puncture is evident from outside the tire. (Or am I wrong?)

Reinflate somewhat, enough to hear the telltale hisssss...

Your training is complete. May the force be with you.

I use an alcohol swab to clean the tube after roughing it up. This ensures a clean surface for the glue.

My failure rate is 0%, never had a patch fail. I buy my patches from the dollar store so they're pretty much the cheapest possible. You get real good at patching when you run Continental Ultra Sports.

I've tried the park glueless patches, failed every time. They would pump up fine, but within 48 hours, they'd be flat again. Never tried the Glue types. I've tried many techniques with the glueless ones, never had success.

I've only screwed up a few patches, but those were on snake bites with 700x18-25 tubes, so I guess I was asking for it.

on fatter tubes it's way easier to fix punctures.