Patching tubes

Bigbananabike

Yep, me too

Akadat

A tube repair kit will get you through many flats and weighs less than a spare tube.

All the tubes of glue have caps that cannot screw on tight, so the glue dries out before the patches are used up. I bought a miniture glass bottle with a strong screw cap and squirt all the glue into the bottle.

Getting puncture-proof tires has been the best solution by far, the contents of my glass bottle are still good after a year of non-use.

Farmguy

Instead of carrying patches, I just carry a tube of super glue, when you get a flat, pinch tube so hole kind of opens up then apply a small drop of superglue on hole then let go and flatten out tube, By the time you get the top back on glue, glue is dry and ready to install. The new superglue gel works even better. I have done this twice and so far Im 2/2. At home I then apply a patch.

Camilo

I'm always ready to patch on the road, but I've had so many frustrating times on the side of a noisy road trying to find the tiny hole. It's not only the noise, but the rush (I'm either commuting or with a group) AND - and this is the depressing part - at 50+ years old, I just can't see tiny stuff without my reading glasses and I don't carry them cycling. So I just find it easier, quicker and more pleasant to carry an lightweight tube in the seat bag. It's very small (I suck the air out to compress it, and tie with a rubber band).

I also carry either a park glueless patch kit or a small regular patch kit. I've had excellent results with the little Park glueless patches. Although they MIGHT not be as reliable as a glued patch (I haven't had an issue though), when you look at the big picture, they are. That is because sooner or later you'll be burned by a broken and/or dried up tube of glue and be stuck. The little Park glueless patches are pretty much fool proof, and if you apply them correctly (which is no more effort than a glued patch: roughen properly and clean), they will get you home for sure, and probably last "forever". I haven't tried any other brands though.

artemidorus

I think that the risk of your glue drying up in the tube is quite low and really is applicable to the tube sitting in your cupboard for years. I have an excess of good tubes of glue at the moment because each tube can do many more patches than come with it in the box.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

lbraasch

I never patch tubes. However, I work at a bike shop, and tubes cost me around a dollar a piece.

I have one pack of patches in the saddle bag, but that's incase I get two flats in one ride. Although, ever since I installed the gatorskins, I haven't had a flat.

sogood

You can buy spare patches from the LBS for 10 cents each. Much cheaper than buying a full kit each time.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

Bigbananabike

Throwing away a tube for the sake of a patch is environmentally braindead but if that's your company policy then I suppose you have to adhere(pardon the pun) to it....

jawnn

There is nothing worse than getting flat tires in cold wet weather, especially at night, I found a way to make sure it doesn’t happen: take an old tire slightly smaller than the one you use, and cut off both beads. Used with extra thick tubes they are better than any tire liner ever made, glass just does not cut threw the second tire, but I use 2 extra tires per wheel ‘just incase’. Kevlar belted tires are not puncture proof by them self’s.

I have not had a puncture in over 2 years, thats when I started using this method.

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