Patching tubes
 

Sup guys, what’s your opinion on patching tubes? Any tips or tricks the manufacturer doesn’t tell you about? What’s your favorite brand.

i had decided to move away from patching tubes, but I had a flat today and don’t have any more tubes. Patched it per directions and it had failed when I checked on it a few hours later. Just redid it.

used the Slime patches, haven’t used this brand before. I would prefer if it came with a larger range of sizes; the smallest is too big and the largest too small. Nice to have a variety, just in case.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...48c75dde4.jpeg

If the smallest patch is too big, how can the largest patch be too small, since it is even larger than the smallest???

Easy answer - Rema Tip Top - the best and not too pricey, just do what the directions say.
They have a few sizes https://www.rematiptop.com/products/...g-patches.html
& kits available - https://www.rematiptop.com/products/...pair-kits.html

RCMoeur gave me the tip to use a dremel or other mechanical device for "scuffing" the tube, instead of the little piece of sandpaper, others said overkill, but I found it made the process easier /quicker

How long did you allow the glue to dry? Did you properly clean the surface? How exactly did the patch fail, did it just come unglued?

Personally, I'm always patching tubes. I don't have problems with my patch jobs and I've used many brands including the one you showed in the OP.




.

I see to find my patching skills were about 50/50. Thus pulling a patched tube out of my saddle bag was hit and miss. I finally got in the expensive habit of throwing out bad tubes and just buying replacements in bulk. These days I’m tubeless and have migrated to learning how to add sealant.

Main reason for failure is not scuffing off outer layer of tube fully.

Hello Larry! Glad you're back.

None of the suggestions are going to work for you. You'll just have to invent a method that will work for you. Like everything else, right ?

Maybe MikeDeason can stop by and you two can figure it out together.

I typed to soon.

Welcome back.

Duct tape is your friend.

the largest patch might not be big enough.

these instructions didn’t say to wait for it to cure a little before applying the patch, which was kind of weird.

I knew a dude who would hold a lighter over the glue to “quick dry” it but he was a bit of an idiot.

the instructions always seem to say to “lightly” sand the surface, this is probably a source of inconsistency, I never really know how much to rough it up.

my trick is to remove the plastic covering on top of the patch before applying it. All instructions I’ve read say to take it off later, but I keep on ******g up my patch job when pulling it off. I know you can leave it on but I hate how it looks.

I also think the amount of air in the tube when applying the patch is something I don’t know what is optimal.

Sand the tube until it's totally matte, rough is good. Let the cement dry thoroughly, the drier the better (this might be counter intuitive). No air in the tube, press the patch hard, better still roll it with something round, like a screwdriver handle. You shouldn't have any problems.

Leave the plastic covering on or wait until it's thoroughly adhered to the tube before trying to remove it. Noone will notice how it looks once it's inside the tire. Whatever you do, don't use fire around the glue/patch.

Tube just exploded, haven’t taken it off to see it it’s at the patch but I bet it is. Was holding fine and it just went all at once. Failed like 5 hours and 8 miles after the patch job. So that’s 2 patches failed today

Skill issue?

Undoubtedly

Don’t do that! It’s a misunderstanding from back in the days of hot patching which used a completely different process. Setting rubber cement or vulcanizing fluid (different stuff) on fire doesn’t do anything useful and does more harm than good. Let the glue dry naturally until it no longer looks wet. you can’t wait too long. Don’t rush it.

Tubes usually have a shiny coating which is a mold release from making the tube. All you need to do is remove most of that shiny coating. The metal scrapper in the Slime kit is a bad idea. Sandpaper…250 grit…does a much better job.

The plastic is there to keep your grimy fingers…even freshly washed fingers…from touching the patch material. Oils from your hands will interfere with the patch binding to the cement.

None is best. The patch and tube expand at different rates. If there is air in the tube, when the tube is deflated the patch can pucker. If the tube is fully deflated before the patch is applied, the patch will end up being smoother.

The real problem here is that the Slime kit is far inferior as patch kits go. Most patch kits are inferior. A Rema TipTop kit costs about the same and uses a vulcanizing fluid which isn’t just rubber cement. It contains other chemicals that promote new rubber bonds that rubber cement doesn’t. Cost wise the Rema kit is about the same but its superior performance is worth paying a tiny bit more. It has the same number of patches but they work better so you end up using less of them. It’s just not worth messing around with other kits.

I tried to find my earlier post on the process I use when I patch hundreds of tubes per year with a 95+% success rate. But BikeForum's search function is as useless as usual. But I do have the photo of the battery-powered dremel with the sanding drum attachment that makes the most important step so much easier. Used it tonight, in fact.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cbe16d3cc5.jpg


(pulls out soapbox)
Proper and thorough tube surface preparation is by far the most important step - much more important than patch or fluid brand, post-application rolling, etc. There must be clean dark black exposed virgin rubber for the entire patch surface and a bit extra around the edges to be sure. Skimping or skipping this step, as I've seen so many others do, is almost a guarantee of failure and muttering of "all patch kits suck" or "this kit or brand isn't any good". The dremel admittedly makes it very easy to complete in seconds. But if you have to do it by hand, it's all too easy for people to get tired of all the repetitions and pressure needed to get a large enough and clean enough surface - and so they say "good enough", apply the fluid and the patch, and then find out they wasted all that time and effort due to a faulty bond due to insufficient prep.
(puts away soapbox)

Rema Tip top brand

slime is junk

sand well and then make sure glue is dry before putting the patch on

Rubber cement is different than vulcanizing fluid? How different?

can I sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the tube to catalyze either of those? I tend to fail trying to wait for it to “dry” before applying the patch.

What do you mean you can’t wait too long before applying the patch? Can you really wait like 30 min or something?

The "glue" is really part of the surface prep. Use a thin layer, and spread it out with your finger. It should dry in 60 seconds or so. Let it dry, and then very firmly attach the patch.

Don't put baking soda on it, or anything else. Baking soda is not going to catalyze the reaction.

I don't fix tubes anymore on the road. I carry a spare tube and repair the other at home. I have a 8 oz. metal can of tube glue(Slime brand from the Auto parts store). So much easier to do at home, as I'm not rushed to get back on the road. All the same repair tips apply.

Get some Rema Tip Top patches and vulcanizing fluid and you'll know if it's user error or if the brand of patch and "glue" is the problem. Could be a little of both.

clean the surface/
 

after prepping the surface with the valve stem removed clean it with isopropyl alcohol then apply the adhesive.never had 1 fail.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a8845f9c3e.jpg

Rubber cement and vulcanizing stuff is basically the same - vulcanizing is a bit thin and more volatile ... and so it dries out qqicker...
I've never been able to fully use a tube of vulcanizing stuff, usually have more than 1/2 left andf it becomes unusable...
So I use rubber cement.
Key for rubber cement is to use a thin coat - not goop it on.
I apply cement to both the scraped, clean surface of the tube as well as the patch, apply after both seem 'dry', buut not waiting too long....
I never remove the film off the patch...
when applying patch, tube usually aired to have some shape, but no really pressure - works fine.
finally I'll press the patch in place and hold pressure on patch for a short time, or place something of weight on it for a while...
can't remember when a patch last failed...
now using Park Tools GP2 self-adhering patches as well, they work well, but a bit pricy - absolute the only ones which will patch a TPU tube properly.
Ride On
Yuri
You can get a sizable jar of Rubber cement at Michael's for what a small tube of vulcanizing stuff costs....
also, the suggestion to clean tube with isopropyl is a good one, if you have it handy... which I usually do, if not out on road...

Rubber cement is used for mounting pictures to poster board among other uses. It is bits of rubber in a solvent and makes a fairly tight contact bond. Vulcanizing fluid is a mixture of bits of rubber in a solvent with a promoter that starts chemical reactions with the patch…which contains another promoter…to from new rubber molecular bonds. Rubber cement is a substance that a company who wants to make cheap patch kits grabs off the shelf because they have no idea about the chemistry of how rubber is made and they can get their product into the hands of people who have no idea that they are being duped. Vulcanizing fluid is developed by companies that understand how rubber is formed and how to make products to repair holes in rubber. Rema makes bicycle patches but they are only a small…very small…part of a company that makes dozens of tire repair products.

If you don’t know what something is, it is usually a good idea to leave it alone, and follow instructions from the manufacturer. No, baking soda or anything else will not “catalyze” drying nor adherence of the patch. I have spent a lot of time researching patch kits and I have lots of experience in chemistry. I would never adulterate either rubber cement nor vulcanizing fluid. Trust the people who developed the product and trust the ones who know the chemistry****COUGH***Rema***COUGH!

Although this applies to Rema patches as I wouldn’t use anything else, I have waited weeks. I forgot that I was patching tubes and left them in the garage for several weeks before I remembered them. I know that the patches worked because I haven’t had a failed patch (when using Rema) in decades.

My co-op went cheap and decided to go with rubber cement and some cheap bulk patches at one point. The patches are there for people coming in to use as well as for volunteers to do repairs on used tubes. I can’t tell you the number of failed patches we had until I convinced them that they weren’t saving any money. Doing a job twice instead of once isn’t saving any money. As the old saying goes “the most expensive tool is the one you buy twice”.

By the way, use Rema vulcanizing fluid and Rema patches together. They are a system and are meant to work together.

And don’t rush the job.

No, they are not the same. While both have rubber in a solvent, it is the promoter in both the vulcanizing fluid and the patch that make the difference. Rema uses an amine (fluid) and a carbamate (patch) to form new rubber bonds between the tube and the patch. The rubber in the vulcanizing fluid is there to make the patch adhere quickly to the tube, as well as provide material for the new bonds. It will cure over time. Back in the days of skin walls, you would often see discoloration around the patch site on the outside of the tire as the patch off-gassed.

Rubber cement just holds the patch to the tube. It might form new rubber bonds but the process is incredibly slow…like years…without the promoter.

I have carried open tubes of vulcanizing fluid around for months to years. I seldom have one dry out. The key is to seal the top well.

Yes, you can. Use it to mount pictures on posters. But if you want patches that don’t fail, use Rema patches and fluid.

consider walking...