cyclinfool

Do you patch or replace?

I just purchased a new under the seat bag, came with a CO2 setup, tire levers and a patch kit. I have gotten in the habit of replacing the tube all the time but on my most recent flat which was caused by a pinch when replacing a tube with a broken off valve stem, I decided to patch instead - besides it was a brand new tube anyway. It is holding nicely, and it took no time at all to stick it on. Why replace - isn't greener to just patch or am I getting too depression era for this crowd?

starship

Well, well, I had thought to ask the same thing.

CO2 and a spare tube got me home yesterday, and I tossed the old tube. I always put a new one in.
At the cost per year for 2 or 3 tubes, I don't worry about the patch holding.

tsl

Oh, come on. If you were really depression era, you'd use a frame pump, not CO2. Actually, you wouldn't have bought that seat bag, or not even the new bike.

Louis

I always replace in the field (uh, I mean road), then patch when I get home to my workshop.

Mobiker50

You mean you can patch those things? Now where'll I get my slingshots?

zonatandem

And after you get half dozen patches on a tube . . . it still holds air. Fabulous!

soma5

I carry a spare tube and patches for when I have more than one flat. I've never had more than one, but people in my riding group have. I don't like to run patched tubes. When I have done sag duty for a charity ride, I've brought a boxful of patched tubes. When I fix flats on the road, I give them a patched tube out of my box and take their punctured one. I tell them that the tube they are getting has a patch so they can replace it later if they wish. When I drive to a ride (yes, it's a weird concept) I carry patched tubes with me. More than once, someone else has shown up with a flat tire and no spares, and I give them one. I don't think that patched tubes are bad, I think they hold up just fine (at least with the standard Rema patches). It's a psychological thing - I think I can feel the bump as I ride and it bothers me.

-soma5

maddmaxx 

I still laugh at the flat fairy.

Beverly

You're tempting fate. It isn't nice to mess with the flat fairy

maddmaxx 

I have put my bike on a low flat diet.

webist

I probably have 2 dozen tubes. One or two are still boxed. About half are hanging on a nail marked "bad" waiting to be patched. The others are on a nail maked "good." When I see the good side getting low, I spend a half-hour patching. on longer rides I carry 2 tubes, either patched or new. I also carry a patch kit and CO2 equipment.

I have been on one ride where goat heads got me 4 times.

Big Paulie

I got three flats on the same tire on one ride a couple of weeks ago. On the 2nd and 3rd flats, I thought it was a previous repair(s) leaking...but no, all three flats were "originals!"

There's no consistancy to my tube repairs. Some last months without leaking, others leak immediately. I try to keep unrepaired tubes in my wheels if I can. It just feels better.

Artkansas 

I normally don't retire a tube till it has 10-12 patches on it. Seems foolish to replace a tube when 99.999% of it is okay.

stapfam

In a way- I date mark my tubes as I buy them in batches and never get the same make twice. Have just retired the 6 or so Latex tubes on the MTB's. Thick latex and very expensive but theses were bought on an offer with wheels at half price. Reason for retiring? They had so many patches on them- There was more butyl than Latex and I started getting Punctures on the patches. They were bought in 2003 When I bought the first set of Downhill wheels for the Tandem.

cyclinfool

Well once I switched to Gatorskins my bike has much less flat u lance.

The Weak Link

Whew! I thought this was going to be a thread on colonoscopy again.

BSLeVan

Yep I patch or replace. Trying to ride home without doing either is not much fun. It depends, to a large degree, on what the weather is like. Rain, snow, excessive heat, I replace. Nice day and good for sitting around, I patch.

starship

Ok, I feel a conversion coming on, someone name a good patch kit, or, are they all the same?

BluesDawg

I thought it would be about crashing into a thorny bush.

BluesDawg

Rema is the best.

Louis

I agree Rema is best, but I've had good results with all of the imitators.

BluesDawg

True, but how often can you buy "the best" for $2 ?

Louis

Absolutely. Trouble is...can't always find Rema, so I just pick up whatever they have. So far, so good.

soma5

If you have a lot of flats, you can probably make use of the deal at Loose Screws. They have 100 Rema patches for something like $13.

RockyMtnMerlin

I opened this thread because I thought it was a continuation of the colonoscopy thread we had earlier. Glad it wasn't.

Flat = replaced and thrown out inner tube for me.