Just wondering if folks have had any problems patching tubes for future re-use after getting home.

This is for AT-HOME patching, not on-the-ride patching; I carry 2 extra inner tubes for fast changes en route, but last year I had at least 8 flats and accumulated a good number of tubes with a small hole in them.

Good idea? Not worth the effort? Worth it for the practice alone?

I think it's a good idea.

Use old fashioned patches.

Here's what I do...

Accumulate a bunch of old tubes (6-10).....have a "batch patch" party, with a game on TV or whatever, and patch them all up. If you do it correctly the patched tube is as good as new. Best time to do this is wintertime.

That being said, I believe a lot of BFers consider tubes to be disposable and just cough up $5 for a new one each time.

BUT BUT BUT THE ENVIRONMENT!!!111

and at 8 tubes a year, that's $40 that could be spent on other bike crap

Cost isn't that primary issue for me - I just feel that it's a tragic waste sometimes when you do a flat-happy ride and get 2, even 3 flats in one ride. If you use hi-quality Bontrager inner tubes like I do (they are MUCH better than the cheapos - you can feel the difference just holding them in your hands) , that's a $24 bike ride, and it seems like a huge waste to discard a nearly brand-new tube when you can just fix it.

I never ever considered throwing away a tube because of a "small hole", ALWAYS patch and reuse them.

I just posted in another thread (I swear if I get a flat this afternoon I'm blaming you people) that I've quit using patched up tubes for spares.

Just isn't worth it to me. In a different forum we discussed regional challenges to tire integrity and it does vary depending on where and how you ride.

I wasn't paying attention a while back and hit a crumbled road edge and pinch-flatted my front tire. That was probably 1500k ago. First flat on that bike after about 4000k or so.

$15 -$25 bucks a year on tubes is worth the peace of mind to me.

Is it a good idea? Is this even a question? I thought every one did this.

It's possible to have peace of mind AND re-use your tubes...Just patch them correctly, spending the necessary time to get the area properly sanded/seams flattened, thin layer of vulcanizing fluid larger than the patch, couple of minutes to dry and apply and massage the clean patch to the tube. NEVER had trouble with patches failing, and most of my "in service" tubes have 3-6 patches on them. Perfect peace of mind, you simply have to be patient and deliberate about doing everything right every time.

-Jeremy

What do you mean?

i also use the "batch patch" method. i use general arts and crafts type rubber cement, the kind with the big bottle and brush inside. never had a tube patched in this manner fail at the patch.

on the road i carry the park tools glueless patches. come to think of if, i've not had one of them fail either.

I always reuse my inner tubes up to two leaks. After two leaks they go into the trash bin.

You noticed that too, huh?

Very annoying. But all other areas should be patched as discussed above.

I'll reuse also, unless the whole is anywhere near the valve stem.

What I mean by that is that you don't want to just paste the patch on and let it be. Just like you can get air pockets behind window tinting or any other thin layer application, if you're not careful, you can get sections of the patch that aren't fully bonded to the tube. I'll often times carefully grab the corners of the "plastic cover" of the patch so that it's curved. You want to be careful to not touch the bottom side of the patch before you apply it as you don't want your skin oils to alter the vulcanizing reaction. Then I'll carefully align the patch to the hole and lay that middle section on first, then allow the patch to slowly "unroll" out onto the tube. Then immediately, I'll press hard on the patch, pushing down and toward the edges of the patch all around, as if to push out any bubbles of trapped air. That's the part that I would describe as massaging the patch. Whether this method is truly necessary I can't say, but my patching results are perfect.

One of the big questions that non-patchers have is how "safe" a patched tube is. It's important to realize that the tube on a bike is required to do one simple job, provide a barrier impermeable to air, that's it. The parts of the system providing strength and support are the rim (and rim tape) and the tire. What this means is that if you do have a patch fail, it's impossible for the results of that failure to be any more violent than was the original puncture. Most punctures (if not a snake bite) occur slowly and without incident. So if a tube fails due to a poor patching job, it'll be air leaking back out of the same hole that it did the first time, and at the same speed. Patched tubes are no more "dangerous" and will no more readily cause blowouts than a brand new tube. If you have had blowouts on patched tubes, here's a news flash, it was either your fault for poorly mounting your tire, a tire that would have failed anyway, or an actual incompatibility between your tires/rims. It's almost alway worth patching, especially if the puncture is a pinhole from a auto tire bead wire or small piece of glass. I've even successfully patched a pinch flat (that was only on one side of the tube [so two holes]) with a patch that I cut in half and applied in a diagonal stagger to allow it to cover both holes. I don't recommend this, but wanted to try it and it held just fine.

*as an added note, if anyone here doesn't want to patch their tubes, feel free to pile them up and give me a call when you have 10 or so and I'll pay shipping for you to send them. I also don't like to waste tubes, and to me, patched or new makes no difference at all.

-Jeremy

Naw, I get in from a ride I'm generally hot, sweaty and knackered. I want a shower and some food. Then I've got stuff to do like life and work.

So the tube sits there waiting on me. I forget to patch it. Best I just put a fresh tube in my seat bag a go on with things rather than worry about patching a tube.

totally do the batch method, I understand not patching on the road, but in the comfort of your home, I can't see a reason not to patch. Proper patching requires patience.

I know I should patch them but I don't. I just buy five or ten tubes and keep them in my truck. When I use the spare tube I carry I will replace it with a new one. I do carry a Park patch kit to use on the road for my second and third flat on a single ride.

As far as the cost of a tube goes that is neglible when I think about the number of miles I ride a year compared to how many tubes I go through. I probably give away more tubes than I actually use myself anyway.

I patch tubes, I just don't like wasting them if it is usable.

Meh.

I do it sometimes:
I have good intentions to
But I am lazy

that patch is going to make you lose the race, your sponsors, and your fans.

Even if I had any sponsors or fans, that would not be an issue. A properly patched tube is no more likely to fail than a new one. I don't like waste, so like some others here I wait until I have three or four and then spend fifteen minutes or so patching them. It's not the money, it just seems ridiculous to throw them away.

the patching process is the same for me, except one involves drinking a beer

I'd like to be the guy who can afford to throw away perfectly good tubes. I have a few with more than 6 patches on them still in circulation.

Patch and reuse.

Unless the valve is effed up.

I have a big box of patched tubes, another of tubes that need patching, and a third box of tubes that can't be repaired (or need a lot of effort to patch because I need to remove glueless patches first).

I've been seeing more punctured tubes abandoned on the side of the road. One was picked up by a clean up crew after a few weeks. The other two were picked up by me. They have very minor damage and got put in the to-be-patched box.