Was in a pinch and bought some slime patches for a repair. The reviews have shown me mixed results. I'm going to leave it on, if it starts leaking...well, everything comes to the surface. For some odd reason, I kinda like these instant patches..but time will tell...

If you want a bandaid to get you home, they're OK. I've had a few last for weeks, and others last for hours. Trouble is, once it leaks, you may or may not be able to peel it off to allow a proper patch without trashing the tube.

Really, though, will all the other steps involved in roadside patching, is it really worth anything to save the extra minute of gluing on a regular patch?

Temporary patches are cleaner and easier and a lot more convenient.

I count on having to sand off the patch residue once it fails.

I think ti breaks down like this: If I am going to put a permanent patch on a tire, i want to do a really good job. That means I want to really scuff the rubber, I want the patch to be the right size, I want to trim the patch if need be .... and depending on conditions, i might rather just slap a fast patch on the thing and ride home instead of messing with all that.

This is particularly a pain because I bought a bunch of precut patches which are a few millimeters wider than the uninflated tube, which means the edges, no matter how well scraped or glued, want to peel up while the glue is drying. it is not a big deal at home but on the side of a road, it is more than I want to mess with.

With a Slime scab or a Park Tools bandaid all i care about is getting through the one ride. I will fix the tube properly later.

As a rule I carry two tubes anyway, so I haven't used the temp patches much anyway.

The biggest benefit of the temp patches is that they can get stuffed in the saddle bag and forgotten. No tube of glue to leak or harden, no extra bits or pieces ... . basically a couple 1/2" circles a little thicker than paper.

Nothing like a backup lifesaver.

It is easier to carry an extra tube, and use it rather than patch the one with the puncture along side the road. I just patch them when I get home or in camp that evening.

When patching a tube, a good quality patch is good insurance.


A good patch will hold even when the tube is inflated outside of the tire.

I too carry two spare tubes for each size wheel on my recumbent trike. Much faster than trying to find the source of the leak. They don't weigh much and fit nicely in underseat pouches.

You can try cleaning the tube with a hydrocarbon solvent to remove the residue from the temporary patch. Carb or brake cleaner, paint thinner, or Coleman fuel all work well if applied with a Q tip. Whenever I patch a tube with a regular patch, I clean the tube with solvent before applying the glue. Makes the surface squeaky clean.

Realize the slime patch you used is NOT designed to be permanent. It's designed to get you home. It may last but really you should put in a new tube or replace slime patch with a permanent one.

Doesn't the penny unbalance the wheel?

I've had two park tools instant patches on my rear tube for months. It holds pressure as well as the tube did when it was fresh

Well, Park Tools .....

'Slime' in a tube, if it has too big a hole to clog it, usually makes a patch Not stick, where it leaks out.

I noticed that glue patches disappeared from the department store shelves a few years ago, but are now being sold again. Wonder why?

I've successfully removed slime patches and patched the tubes with glue patches. It can be done, at least in some cases.

I've had good luck with the Park patches, but not so much with the Slime patches.

I carry a spare tube anyway, so they're nothing more than a back up plan.

IME,

The 'user satisfaction' of quick/instant patches is pretty directly related to tire inflation pressure.
Generally the higher the tire pressure, the lower the user satisfaction.
Cyclists on low pressure tires (aka/ Balloon, Cruiser, MTB) tending to have the best outcomes.




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As many have pointed out. .yes a good band aid.. Replace the tube asap

good seasonal reminder to check your glue tubes

If done the same day, I've had good luck, but if I forget about it until it starts to leak, it's maybe a 50/50 chance of ruining the tube. As I said before, after the time of taking the wheel off, taking the tire off, finding the leak, checking the tire for the cause, etc., a minute or two extra to patch it right and be done with it isn't really costing me that much time. A 5g tube of glue certainly isn't killing my segment times on a 28lb bike, either.

From what I've seen, the temporary patches work best if the tube is large and doesn't have to stretch much to fill the inside of the tire, and at lower pressures. For me, it's about 50/50 whether or not the patch will hold 30 miles for me to finish a ride. I'd rather take the extra time to install a real patch than to be applying another temporary one in a few miles.

Just say no to Slime.

Thanks everyone...it's still holding, but I got some permanent patches now so will replace.