Tiny puncture close to a previous patch

I wouldn't waste my time and energy personally. Just buy a new tube way easier and less time and probably cheaper to a degree because time is money and when I do patch tubes I am usually drinking a small glass of something nice and that can get expensive.

No. Unless I didn't have a spare tube with me.

Having a new puncture so close to the old would make me suspicious that I hadn't completely removed whatever sharp pokey thing had embedded itself in the tire.

The poll needs another option —. YES, in emergency/on the road. Otherwise NO. Patch-on-patch usually doesn’t work out so well.

Dan

I'd try to patch, but I'd let the patch sit for a day and then give it the "pump it up to full pressure in an old wheel with an old tire and see if it holds air overnight" test before I used it.

Yes. I’ve done it lots in the past. Patching over another patch isn’t all that difficult. I do use Rema patches which work better than most other patches

Another poll that doesn't have the correct answers. Perhaps if you hadn't added "this tube is done" to the "No" selection I might have taken that answer. However the tube is by no means done. As some have said they would patch and have done similar holes.

I just don't patch tubes. I don't flat often enough to stay in good practice patching a tube. Up until last week I had gone 3 years without a flat while on a ride. I just put in a new 4 - $5 tube and call it done. Used tubes have plenty of uses for me around the shop and house. They don't get thrown away.

No, I wouldn't. Not patching a prior patch, or the edge of a patch. They don't do it on car tires; for the same reasons, I wouldn't on a bike tire either.

Plus, decent tubes are inexpensive. It's not worth the aggravation, at least not to me. $10 for a new tube, 15 minutes install, and done.

Thanks for all the comments and perspectives. Pretty interesting to see a nearly 50/50 split on this poll so far.

Like many others, I carry a new tube on rides and reserve patch jobs for doing several in bulk in the garage over a beverage. Also like many others, I keep unsalvageable tubes for other uses such as cutting into small rubber bands.

The location is also interesting - I can confirm that this puncture was caused by a fresh goathead in the tire. If I hadn't removed the thorn myself I would have thought that the previous patch job might have been faulty.

For the sake of experimentation and amusement I've sanded the area down a bit and threw on a new patch. I've clamped it overnight and I will report back to see how it holds up after mounting on a spare wheel.

I rode on our local gravel on tubed 30mm tires for about a year. I had 20 flats. I have some tubes with a lot of patches, but I wouldn't bother trying to patch OP's tube. I feel fairly confident that the patch would fail.

Nope. That new hole is too close to the other patch for my liking. Could it work? Probably. Would I trust it? Not enough to make it worth my while as a permanent fix.

The only exception would be if I were out on the road and this tube was my only option to get going again, then I'd give it a crack of course.

If the alternative was walking with my bike over my shoulder yes I would patch it.

But really it would probably hold just fine and if it didn't, I wouldn't think it would be more than a slow leak.

I'm a patcher, but I'd toss it.

On the road I'd go with my second backup tube

If this was my second backup tube, I'd patch the other punctured tube. If this was my other punctured tube, then yes.

Looks like 2:1 now towards binning it 😉

I agree I should have provided more context, but the objective was not necessarily to seek advice, just thought it would be interesting to see different folks' opinions. Thanks all for chiming in👌

In the past I have always patched on top of other patches with no problem.

I'd patch it, did it many times, no problems. I'd replace it if my ride involved fast descents.

I voted no due to the close proximity to the other patch, and another patch probably won't stick correctly, though it could, you could risk it and see what happens, but the patch on top of another will cause a small bump as your ride, and for that reason you probably should consider tossing it, or use it as a backup spare in your seatbag if you know that the new patch has stuck extremely well over the old patch.

However, usually I patch my tubes, there's no sense in throwing away a tube just because of a hole or two or three, the only reason people do that is because they are not confident in their patching abilities. I once had a tube with over a dozen patches on it, as long as the tube is pliable, doesn't stick to the inside of the tire, the valve stem works, the tube is good for repair.

I've never had a patch fail, like that one tube that had about 15 patches on it I used that tube for about 7 years, and it never leaked from any of the patches...unless it got another hole of course! Butyl tubes last at least 7 years to as long as 15 years assuming no fatal damage, so if you can keep patching a tube, they're safe to do so for at least 7 years.

One person mentioned a car patch, not the same thing. A car has to be able to run at the speed rating of the tire, most tires are around 112 to 118 mph, thus with two patches over another it would fail the speed rating, and that's why it's illegal to put a patch on top of another patch on any car tire. The last I checked, bicycles do not do 112 to 118 mph unless you're skydiving with it, but even then, since the tire isn't rotating at that speed on the road it isn't generating any heat, thus the tire would be fine when you landed.

I'd rip the existing patch off and see if I had another large enough to cover both holes.