New tubes or "make do and mend"?

[John the Monkey]

I've found that Edinburgh Bike Co-Op's patch kits have been really good, as - surprisingly - have the Tesco Value £1 jobs (albeit that they only contained about 3 small patches).

However, for sheer quality I have to agree with the recommendations given previously for Rema Tip Top patches. They may cost a little more, but they're bigger and far superior.

Rema's kits come in really nice little plastic boxes too.

Ahem.

 

[yello]

Must be honest, I'm getting fed up of glue going hard and patches not working (again, probably due to age). I may just revert to replacing tubes rather than repairing.

I know I shouldn't tempt fate but I puncture so rarely that the 'new v repair' cost argument isn't really a consideration - it seems I have to buy a new repair kit when I puncture anyway!

 

[661-Pete]

Must be honest, I'm getting fed up of glue going hard and patches not working (again, probably due to age). I may just revert to replacing tubes rather than repairing.

That's one of the downsides, make sure you screw the top on the glue (strictly speaking, 'solution') really tightly after use. Once it thickens and doesn't flow freely, yes it's no good any more. Of course a sealed tube will last indefinitely until the seal is broken.

Patches usually last quite a while, but on old ones I sometimes find the backing paper difficult to peel off. Don't bulk-buy!

 

[Davidc]

I only had one last year (puncture that is) and two the year before, so I've almost forgotten what I do. They all happen on the canal towpath which is the worst place known for repairing anything. I also let a woman who'd gone out with no means of repairing a flat tyre have a brand new tube (which I even put in for her!) in exchange for her holy one. She bought me a cup of tea afterwards which cost her more than the tube had cost me.

I carry 2 spares and if I have one 1 is a repaired tube, also a repair kit, and like others above do repairs at home. If I had 3 punctures I'd have to fix it on the road.

Unless the puncture is in the outside half of the tube, away from seams, away from the valve and straightforward I discard the tube, so usually that means it's replace and discard. Plenty of second uses for them if they are discarded.

I have a spare wheel and old tyre of each size, and check the repair on those. If a repaired tube doesn't stay hard for a week it doesn't get re-used. I don't care how many patches there are, if it passes that test it's OK.

Don't do expensive patches. the SJS ones I bought for 99p seem to work fine. The Halfords ones in the pack for the other bike will probably be fine too - haven't opened the plastic case yet though.

 

[Arch]

Not patching tubes is a wicked waste of resources. If patching isn't working, you're doing it wrong..

I agree about replacing the tube at the roadside and patching later - more likely to do a good job that way too.

I think we will have to give up on one of the trailer tubes at work - there's a slow leak, which I tried to patch, but couldn't find a actual hole (so I patched something that looked like a hole, but didn't show bubbles underwater). It's going soft again though, so we'll throw it out now - probably the valve, or just sheer age.

The patch I applied was the 13th....

 

[byegad]

Touch wood 90% of my patches are effective (I usually pump the tube up and leave it over night to check) and touch wood again I don't have to rely on them too much; so up to a limit I'll usually mend. I find that its better to repair a few tubes in one go; it perhaps means the glue/ patches are better.

Well 10% fail rate is not good to me. I gave up patching except in emergencies when I run out of tubes on the trike. The reason? Failure of patches, not all and maybe not even 10% but one failure is one too many in my book. Years ago I repaired tubes over and over again with few problems but some time in the late 80s I found patches would fail, some three minutes after inflating, some 3 weeks and some 3 months. Now I replace the tube every time and bin the old one.

 

[John the Monkey]

Not patching tubes is a wicked waste of resources. If patching isn't working, you're doing it wrong..

"Dead" tubes are very useful too.

I always cut a few rubber band type shapes from them to keep stuff together in a saddle bag, or in the toolbox.

I've not had a patch fail since I started using Rema, and waiting properly for the glue to be ready (apply, wait 5 mins, then put the patch on).

 

[mgarl10024]

Not patching tubes is a wicked waste of resources.

For people not willing to accept the perceived reduced reliability of patched tubes, are there any ways to recycle them?
I don't mean 'other uses' for them, I mean real recycling where they could be remade into new tubes for example?

 

[John the Monkey]

For people not willing to accept the perceived reduced reliability of patched tubes, are there any ways to recycle them?
I don't mean 'other uses' for them, I mean real recycling where they could be remade into new tubes for example?

If the valves are good, give them to people who'll patch them.

 

[Arch]

For people not willing to accept the perceived reduced reliability of patched tubes, are there any ways to recycle them?
I don't mean 'other uses' for them, I mean real recycling where they could be remade into new tubes for example?

I don't know about that - it's possible that having been vulcanised, the rubber is not recyclable in that way - like some plastics can't be melted down for recycling, but can be chipped and made into fleece.

I made a load of rubber bands for work out of an old tube, and then a colleague saw bags of them for sale!

Old motor tyres can be chipped for use as riding school surface (like sand, only springier), I imagine old tube could go that way too - you'd need to find a company that makes the stuff.

 

[HLaB]

Well 10% fail rate is not good to me. I gave up patching except in emergencies when I run out of tubes on the trike. The reason? Failure of patches, not all and maybe not even 10% but one failure is one too many in my book. Years ago I repaired tubes over and over again with few problems but some time in the late 80s I found patches would fail, some three minutes after inflating, some 3 weeks and some 3 months. Now I replace the tube every time and bin the old one.

Thats your choice , thankfully I can base that made up statistic on a low number of experiences.

 

[HLaB]

Must be honest, I'm getting fed up of glue going hard and patches not working (again, probably due to age). I may just revert to replacing tubes rather than repairing.

I know I shouldn't tempt fate but I puncture so rarely that the 'new v repair' cost argument isn't really a consideration - it seems I have to buy a new repair kit when I puncture anyway!

I still carry a kit as back up to a tube and touch wood, I've never had to use it on the road. I thought I'd finally beaten the glue going hard by leaving the kit unopened and patching several tubes in one session; it seemed to be working. Unfortunately the unopened tubes can't cope with the pressure of being in my saddle bags/ panniers. Just before Christmas I was running low on tube so I thought I'd better patch a few only to find all three of my unopened kits were damaged :-(

 

[jay clock]

my top tip when repairing is to draw a large cross running through the hole about 2-3cms wide with a biro. Then once you have used your sandpaper the edges of the cross are still visible, allowing you to see exactly where the hole is.....

and I am in the "replace at roadside and repair at home once or twice"camp

 

[Holdsworth]

Well I definitely think that the majority of people are going for the replace at the roadside, and repair the tube as a spare. I will get TT02 p'ture repair kit going on the good reviews on it as a permanent repair solution.

I am still looking for a decent set of tyres to replace my blizzards with, I have been looking at the Armadillos but the apparently the grip isn't too good and the grooves collect p'ture material off the road. Are there any stronger-structured tyres that have decent levels of grip out there?

 

[400bhp]

and I am in the "replace at roadside and repair at home once or twice"camp

Absolutely. I'd only try a repair at the roadside if it was an emergency.