Tube patching hints for the Great Recession of 2009
 

A few questions. Trying to patch inner tubes. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't:

• The patches have sticky crap on the back. I presume you put the rubber cement on the patch back anyway as well as on the tube and allow both to dry before sticking them together?

• Better to apply the patch to a flat tube (no air) or partially inflated tube?

Any other hints? I'd like to get this to work all the time, but half of my patching attempts fail, I must be doing something wrong.

Those stupid Specialized tubes are like $6+ at the LBS. I'd like so save a few more.

Pcaddy, how'd you get out of Cat 5 without learning this?

Oh wait.


Anyway, I don't like the stick-on types, they seem to be much less robust to me as a long-term fix. The 'normal' patches you rubber cement on just the tube, let dry, stick on.

No air in the tube.

Another hint - I use brake cleaner instead of 'sanding' my tubes flat. Used to work great; with the new enviro-friendly brake cleaner, still works OK, but not great.

Sounds like you're doing it right.

The only hints I know are:

- make sure the tube is clean;
- scuff it up real good;
- don't use too much glue.

Once your technique is trustworthy, feel free to run a bunch of patches on the same tube. Works fine.

I never throw them away. Sometimes I wrap bars under tape with them. Sometimes I use them to make dangerous toys for the kids.

But don't use too little. Hahaha

I've heard that the main reason patches fail is because the user doesn't allow the glue to dry long enough. Be patient...the glue won't overdry. 5+ minutes should be good.

Don't use the glueless stick on patches for permanenet repairs like ElJamoquio mentioned.

Here are some tips. When I used to ride BMX as a kid and was dead broke I would patch all my tubes and ride them. A tube would last years and years. One tube I used had over 20 patches on it and worked fine.

1. Find Hole
2. Rough area up (you don't have to carry sandpaper you can just rub it on the concrete)
3. Apply glue to both the tube and patch.
4. Wait a little for it to get tacky but not dry. Maybe like 20 seconds.
5. With firm pressure put the patch on the tube. Works better on a flat tube. If you are on the road hold it for a little to make sure it sets up. If you are at home i usually put it on a hard surface and place a textbook on it until it dries.
6. When it is dry you are done. Put it on the bike and try not to pinch it.
7. Ride

+1 on the concrete.
I got so frustrated trying to use that stupid little cheese grater thing (some kits have sand paper which is no better) to rough up the tube, I just ripped it across the concrete a few times, instant success!! I did use the cheese grater to clean things up a little, but that needed very little effort.

I don't apply glue to the patch, but with some tubes found it's best to apply a coat to the tube, let dry, apply another coat, let dry and then put the patch on. I press the patch in a rolling motion with a screwdriver handle, or with whatever rounded and hard object I have at hand. 99.8% success rate.

Perfection. So close, yet so...unattainable.

Well, that's an easy one, when I started, you started in Cat 4. I never had to get out of Cat 5. I am confident that my mid-pack finishes (and handful of top 5 placings) in 200+ races would qualify me for the Cat 4 upgrade.

Sometimes it's hard to locate the hole, so have a bucket of water handy. And chuck those glueless/speed patches in the trash.

That's what she said.

Related question--what do you do if the patch needs to cover a ridge/seam? Do you have to grind the ridge down or just put the patch over the ridge and keep your fingers crossed?

It's really easier to just put in a new tube.

Generally - orange side down, and you don't need to put cement on the patch, just the tube. Put it on a somewhat larger area than the patch would cover. Let it dry a bit.

No air. A teensy bit of air won't matter, though.

Put patch on, then press with your thumbs on the patch and spread outwards to flatten the patch nicely against the tube. When done right, it should feel like the tube and patch are seamless. Wait a half a minute. Enjoy.

If patching at home, might as well let it sit a while before trying to inflate it.

Take ridge down. I use a razor.

I sand the ridge but don't care if it is still there. Shouldn't matter to much.

Are the glueless patches really crap? I've never used them but I got a whole bunch of them from a pit stop during bike to work day.

Glue on the tube, not on the patch. Buff first with the little buffer that comes with the patch kit.
Let the glue dry, then stick the patch on, and mash it around good. If it feels goopy and slides around, it wasn't dry enough.
Do it on a partially-inflated tube, try to get it as stretched as it will be when the tube is in place. It may look sort of dimpled when you deflate it.
The inner surface is harder to patch as it fits into more of a corner in the rim.
This is based on experience from truck tubes and 26x2.125" tubes, not from little skinny tubes, so your mileage may vary.

I have found they don't stick as well. They will get you home but may start to leak after a few days or weeks.

I save my punctured tubes in a box, until a cold winter night.

Put a log on the fire, pour a glass of single malt and start patching. Afterwards, I get all the air out of the tubes and carefully roll them as small as possible, use elastic bands. Put them in individual ziplocks, marked with size and valve length (I have different wheel sizes and rim depths).

Note there is no reason to put glue on patches. Just apply to tube around hole and allow to dry for a couple minutes.

The Park Tools ones work OK, at least for a while. In general, the glueless patches are the rough equivalent to a CO2 inflator: they'll get you home, but I wouldn't depend on them to keep you inflated in the long run.

Use patches for car tires, much more robust, and they come with a larger tube of glue.

Next, pcad needs to learn how to tune drivetrains.

Is it even worth keeping them my saddle bag? Say I do use one for a quick patch, will I be able to remove it later on without damaging the tube so I can put glue + patch?

Temp fix only in my experience, you're throwing away the tube, because you can't get the glue off well.