The biggest secret of patching tubes...use glue patched not self stick patches. The self stick stuff sucks. I never have any trouble with glue on patches unless I miss the hole I'm trying to patch and end up putting the patch to far to one side or the other. I've ridden thousands on miles on patched tubes and have had not trouble with the patches...as long as I use glue on patches, like were pictured above. I wouldn't buy a patch kit at Walmart...you couldn't pay me enough to.

Anyhow, I just ordered four Continental Cyclocross tubes last night, heaviest duty I could find for a 700x32 tire.

I have the same problem and it gets a little more frequent every year.

I know this isn't the main jist of the thread, but I fall into the class of riders who USED to be great at patching tubes. Now I can't get one to hold for anything. They all seem to be solid while the tube is flat, but once the tube has some air in it, the patch starts to pull away. I've tried reversing the process (with small pinhole flats) by applying the patch while the tube is inflated. But once I deflate to reinsert into my tire, the whole thing crumbles up and falls off. Oh, and yes...I do wait plenty of time for the glue to dry.

As I said, I used to patch tires successfully all the time. Now, even with Park and other name-brand repair kits, I am totally useless for patching. What's wrong with me?

Just wanted to throw in some random tube comments here.

Unless you're buying heavy duty or lightweight tubes, the standard tubes found branded as bell, schwinn, kenda, bontrager, specialized, etc. are all pretty much the exact same. I would trust any walmart tube (as much as I hate walmart), especially if shrink wrapped, if that was all that was available to me.

I would also suggest better tires if you're getting lots of flats. Last summer, I was getting upwards of 200+ miles a week on a regular basis and only had a couple of flats. I was running Continental GP4000s tires, which have a puncture protection in the tread area, but not the sidewalls like the gatorskins. The newer GP4000s II comes in a 28 width, and my 25 tires look like 28's, so I would imagine the 28's might run large depending on the rim. My "old man" bike has 32 Panaracer Pasela PT tires and I've had one flat in about 1K miles and that was due to a super aggressive chunk of glass.

On the topic of self sealing tubes: The slime branded ones are not great in my opinion because I kind of hate slime for bicycle tires. It was originally marketed as an emergency fix for car tire punctures. It's heavy, thick and nasty and it doesn't make sense to me in road tubes at all. Maybe MTB, but even then it's a mess when they go bad. Bontrager (I work at a Trek dealer) has been selling some self sealing tubes which boast a much thinner substance that seems to be much more suited to cyclists. We normally sell them in the MTB sizes, so I can't vouch for any road applications.

Last summer, tubes were in short supply and we ended up getting some road tubes with removable valve cores. I bought some and had the idea to put an ounce of MTB tubeless sealant in them. It did pretty well and I even saw goatheads sticking out of my front tire once and didn't flat. However, I did pump my tires up one morning, not to the max pressure, but it was a super hot day and as I was coming to the bottom of a fast slope to stop at an intersection, my front tire did give a mighty loud pop and make a mess. I kind of wonder if the sealant plus the heat (warm temps combined with braking heat) contributed to the explosion, but the tire might have also been sitting in the sun while I was at school. I forget.

I found that heavy duty tubes and slime tubes seemed to have little benefit as far as number of flats when we tried them. At least that was my experience They are more expensive, bulkier to pack, and heavier so I avoid them both.

Maybe not the norm, but I look for lighter weight tubes and buy them sized for a little narrower tire than I will use them in or at least one at the small end of the recommended range. That way they are lighter, less bulky to pack, easier to mount, and I have not found them to flat noticeably more often.

There are lots of places where patching can go wrong. The main ones I've seen are not waiting enough, touching the patch before its dry, not using the proper patch kit, and inflating the tire after the patch has been stuck down.

There really is a difference between just about any patch kit and the Rema kits. Many of the other kits use rubber cement which isn't all the same as what Rema uses. Rema has an activator in the glue and in the patch that work together to form new rubber. I seldom experience a patch failure of any kind but I always use Rema. Other patch kits are a few cents cheaper but don't work nearly as well. If the patch doesn't work, the few cents aren't really saved.

I also never inflate the tube after patching outside of a tire for several days. I fold the tube and keep it in a plastic bag until I need to use it. Or I put it in the tire and inflate it. That presses the patch into place and makes the bond better. I also always patch with the tube flat so that the patch doesn't pucker.

cycco:

I think you've pinpointed my problem. At some point, I started to over-inflate my tubes OUTSIDE the tire to check the integrity of the patches. Perhaps I am just pushing them beyond the limit a patch is intended to stretch. I've got to experiment this weekend, as I've been puzzled by this sudden failure of all my patches for years now! BTW: I have used REMA patches with the same non-success.

Very bad idea. That is almost certainly your problem. Don't put any more air in than necessary after patching until the tire is mounted. Once the tire is mounted the patch will press against the inside of the tire helping to keep it in place until fully cured.

I can't tell you how happy I am to see this. I do this too and get funny looks from fellow riders. My personal limit is six patches per tube, only because that's how many patches are in the kits I buy. I ride in goathead country and have gotten multiple flats per day, even with liners. I've also never had a glue-on patch fail in many decades. I tried a (brand name) glueless patch once at a friend's urging, and it lasted half a day, less than 50 miles. I think they're good to get you home on a day ride to put in a new tube, I guess.

Just take it in thus store with you..

You guys are giving up just when the tube is getting properly broken in. I usually give up around 25 or 30. And, since you live in Colorado, andrewclaus, you should by your patches by the 100 box. You know you are going to use them

Rema uses cold vulcanizing fluid which is better than rubber cement. That said I find that rubber cement works very well too. As others have said, scuff up the tire with sand paper and allow the cement to dry completely, usu, 10 minutes. Apply the patch and then really work it on. I use a rolling tool that is intended for inserting spline when repairing screen windows. I press hard and roll it over the patch in all directions.

For goat head and other pinhole type punctures, which is about 98% of the ones I get, I find that super glue works great to stick the sides of the puncture together, just like it sticks your fingers together if you're not careful. The fix is permanent, doesn't show, and can be used in the tire after a minute or two.

What's a "goat head?"

Very common in the south western US.

There is a bike shop in Newton, KS on 6th street. Newton Bike Shop, they also have a hostel and host many trans american cyclists. Great shop and people.

One plant can make thousands of these caltrops-style thorns, shaped so that one thorn is always pointed up. It's a low, spreading plant with small yellow flowers, and like to grow in bare, disturbed soil, such as roadsides. They love warm weather, and at least here in SoCal, seem to suck any moisture they need from the humidity in the air, in that they can grow wildly on bare soil during our rainless summer. They are not native to the Americas, so don't feel guilt about destroying them here. They can't get through car tires, but any activity on the shoulder can spread hundreds onto the paved surface to lie in wait for you. You also have to be careful about rolling your bike anywhere off road, or use tire liners or thick tread to defeat them.

Tribulus terrestris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

+ 1

When you say spreading, I'm not sure if people understand how far a single plant can spread. I've cut out a single plant that is 8 to 10 feet across with about a thousand branches. Each branch can produce hundreds of seed pods and each seed pod produces 6 seeds.

The good news is that Tribulus terrestris doesn't do well with competition. As soon as grasses move in, the plant doesn't grow well. The bad news is that the seed can lay fallow for up to 50 years waiting for the right conditions.

That's nice to know but that's 415 miles from Pueblo

For the problem of missing the puncture with the patch, here's what I do. In my kit, I carry a couple of toothpicks. after scuffing the area, carefully poke the toothpick into the puncture, apply glue, wait the proper amount of time, then poise the patch over the puncture, pull the toothpick out and apply patch. This really cuts down on the missing. If its a snakebite, break the toothpick in half.

When carrying an alcohol stove, I use a little denatured alcohol to clean the area after scuffing. I have had the best luck with Rema glue as well, but also buy cans of glue at the local NAPA, and occasionally have a patching party in the garage.

Also in the twenty+ patches on a tube camp. I flatted once on a group ride, and pulled out a tube with over 20 patches. The ration of crap I got from the freds was pretty incredible, until I told the loudest that as each patch equaled the cost of a new tube, this one was worth over $100! Other than a little "if you cant afford new tubes that's fine" posturing, he shut up. I learned that day that four of the six riders I was with had never patched a tube, including the guy giving me the most grief! Just kept buying new ones.

Thought I would add, when a patch get to the 20 + point, its generally old enough that I discard it.
and on topic, I have used walmart tubes with no real issues, though I generally buy ten or so tubes at a time from Nashbar. The price is better, and again, no issues with those either.

I hadn't either, but today I saw 700 X 25/32 Bell standard Presta valve tubes for $4.97 and slime filled ones for $9.97....I guess they're starting now.

I just purchased and received 4ea 700 x 35/45 for $9.80 shipped from Amazon Prime.
They were folded and sealed in plastic wrap. They look ok to me for what thats worth

Also be careful about running over anything green growing in the road cracks. They also occur in parts of Oregon and southern Idaho.

They do have just one taproot that's easily broken with a hoe, or just by kicking the plant. Where I used to work, they would grow out in front, and kids would ride off the sidewalk into the dirt danger zone. Their tires instantly looked like crumb cake (mmmm) with all the thorns stuck in them.

If they could just get the genes from these plants that let them grow without rain on terrible soil, then put them in some type of food plant, they could feed the world!