New tubes or "make do and mend"?

[goo_mason]

It can sometimes be easier to patch en-route than replace; if the puncture site is obvious, remove the piece of glass (or whatever), then slip just a portion of tyre off the rim at that point. Pull out that bit of the tube with the hole in it, patch it and pop it back in. Saves you taking the wheel off.

 

[ianrauk]

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?

The grip of the Armadillo Elite's is excellent and there are hardly any grooves in the tyre to pick up any puncture material. I use these tyres all year round in all weathers and have had very few punctures. Keep them pumped up and look for any foreign objects that may be stuck in the rubber and they will last a good long time.

 

[fossyant]

I am going to sit in a corner.

Armadillo's/Gators/ Marathon's. argh. they are TANK tyres = HEAVY.

They will SUCK the LIFE out of YOU and YOUR BIKE.

 

[slowmotion]

I am going to sit in a corner.

Armadillo's/Gators/ Marathon's. argh. they are TANK tyres = HEAVY.

They will SUCK the LIFE out of YOU and YOUR BIKE.

fossy, which tyre for an urban commute? Do tell what keeps the Fairy away.

 

[Davidc]

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?

Re-use is always more beneficial than recycling, and I'm quite content to use the old tubes for a number of jobs, most of which would otherwise be done with newly bought materials.

My biggest problem is that written off tubes are even rarer than punctures so I never have enough of them for the other jobs. (I'm waiting for a puncture, or a donated tube would do, at present so I can replace part of the soft edging on my workbench - a case where old tubes are the best, no substitute accepted!)

 

[buddha]

I always have the intention of patching and reuse. However, I've now got a box full of 'single puncture' tubes in the shed.
Though I've recently discovered that old tubes (and a few hooks) made excellent bungie cords, are good at preventing bursting cardboard boxes from falling apart.

 

[monkeypony]

fossy, which tyre for an urban commute? Do tell what keeps the Fairy away.

Continental GP4000's. Over 6000 miles covered and only 2 punctures.

 

[yello]

That's darned good going for GP4000s. You must be fair floating over the roads!

 

[Ticktockmy]

It can sometimes be easier to patch en-route than replace; if the puncture site is obvious, remove the piece of glass (or whatever), then slip just a portion of tyre off the rim at that point. Pull out that bit of the tube with the hole in it, patch it and pop it back in. Saves you taking the wheel off.

Thats how it used to be be done, back in the good old days, when I was a lad, before QR's become so popular.

 

[bonker]

Why throw them away after 2 or three patches?? I've done an Ironman on tubes with more patches than that.

The biggest issue with punctures is finding glass/metal etc stuck in the tyre that immediately punctures the tube again. New tube doesn't fix that.

The next is pinching the tube against the rim when putting it all back together. New tube doesn't fix that either.

Mend them, you're cyclists.

 

[Kestevan]

Christ I must be tight... I only throw away a tube when there isn't any more room between the patches...

 

[MacB]

Simple solution, those of us that just fit new and don't repair send our old tubes to those that repair, everyone's happy. When I get some punctures I'll send them on, however I do use M+ tyres

 

[pshore]

Blimey, throw tubes away after 3 patches! Saver yer money for beer. I patch them until they stop holding air for enough days.

I always buy a roll of patch material (only ever found in Halfords) and cut my own variety of patch sizes and you get loooaaads of patches out of them. If you buy them precut isn't it a quid or two for 6 patches ? loadsa money !

So, £1 gets you a big tube of glue, £2 for a few years worth of patches = more beer.

 

[andrew_s]

I keep my punctured tubes in a box and patch them in a big batch when I've got enough to use most of a tube of glue. That way the glue doesn't dry out.
Separate is cheaper than kitsglue: http://www.inmotionproducts.com/shopexd.asp?id=202
patches: http://www.inmotionproducts.com/shopexd.asp?id=164

I don't have a patch per tube limit, but don't try patching cuts longer than about 3mm.

If you get a hole near a mould line it's much easier to use a razor to remove the mould line than sandpaper. Just don't use the razor you shave with - it doesn't seem to do the edge much good.

 

[Holdsworth]

I have the p'ture repair kit on its way from Wiggle, I will be in town tomorrow to buy a couple of tubes from the LBS and maybe have a browse of their tyres on offer. I hope to be back cycle commuting on Monday, all this week I have been taking the bus to work @ £4.20 a day that could've been spent on the bike.