Tube repair kits......
 

Hey there! Getting a Tube repair kit together. Got a little pump, levers etc.

Just wondered which brands of rubber cement glue stuff has worked for you guys in the past? Any brands to recommend/avoid? Is it all the same???

Also the same for patches, do you need special patches or can you make your own from pieces of old tubes?

Any help appreciated!!

never had a problem with patches BUT loads of problems with tubes of glue/cement bursting so any ideas on that front more than welcome :clap:

Cheers
Pete

Get the patches etc. from an agricultural merchants. They often do complete kits.

Of course we can now purchase gluless puncture repair kits from good cycle shops.
EG:
Park P02C Glueless Patch Kit | Evans Cycles

This means there is no tube of glue to carry.
I carry this on my bicycle but as yet not had to use. They do look as if they would do the job and if I ever need to ( ha ha) I will use one on the m/bike , but will also carry the classic type (just in case)

Socks

Good idea !
Or get patches from a genuine tyre repair shop .

I don't have any experience of the glueless patches but I regard that kind of thing with suspicion . Also the glueless patches are square - if you use them ,you should cut the corners and make them round .
Square patches are more likely to come off and they always peel off from the corner.

Get rubber solution glue in a small tube and put it inside an Altoids tin or something similar and then it won't get puntured . Store patches flat and tightly together so they won't get bent .This stops the backing from peeling off which will make them useless .

Remember to wait until the glue is dry before you apply the patch [ don't blow on it ] and roll the patch on . Once it's on , put it on a firm base and roll it down with a heavy lump of metal from the centre outwards .[ curved edge of a tyre lever is good for this ]

Don't try to make patches from old bits of tube .

I buy TipTop patches (in big sizes) and TipTop glue in the farmer shops. Tyre-shops don't sell them anymore.
Remember that there are problems that patches can't fix (ripped out valves etc).

Another problem is the tubes, som are impossible to patch. Michelin and Bridgestone are my favourites.

Tim,

Great ideas here. I have never had to patch a tube in 250,000 miles of riding around. I have always ridden tube tires with a spare front and rear tube. When I get a flat, I pull over replace the tube and get a new spare tube at the next available opportunity. It's usually the rear and I have never had to use my second tube before getting another spare.

My thinking is that new tubes are cheap insurance. Sort of like regular oil changes. I also make a point of pumping up the flat tube and inspect where the hole came from. Sometimes it is obvious like when I crossed a stream in Costa Rica and heard a whap whap whap coming out the other side. I stopped to pull a small screwdriver out of the rear tire that was hitting the swingarm. That was a first. Must have been stuck in the muddy stream bottom pointing up. Picked up a new tube in the next beach town at a little llantera tire shop. But sometimes it was a fold before I learned the importance of sprinkling baby powder on the tube and pumping it up part way and feeling around the tube to make sure there weren't any folds before levering the second side of the tire onto the rim. Other times I have to line up the tube with the tire using the tire stem and rim hole and feel inside the tire to find what caused the puncture. If you don't find the small nail or small thorn that was still poking through the casing and remove it before putting in a fresh tube you will get another flat. Or if its on the inner rim side of the tube feel around and see where the exposed spoke nipple was rubbing and put some duct tape or rim tape to fix the problem. I install my own tires so I can inspect my wheels before putting on fresh tires and renew the duct tape (rim tape) if it's old and clean the inner rims if they're dirty. Old tire grunge and dirt can ball up and cause problems on the inner rims so I try to keep my inner rims clean.

All this time I have carried around a patch kit on the off chance that I get three flats in a row before picking up replacement tubes. Hasn't happened yet so my glue and patch knowledge is weak. I did get fresh patches and glue kit at Walmart before heading down to Panama on the off chance I might need them. Better safe than sorry. I don't think I would want to patch a tire with peel and stick patches in the tropical rains on the side of the road though. That sounds sketchy to me. All contact cement is the same as far as I know. I like the smell but have only ever used it when making custom countertops. The key is to coat both surfaces and let the glue dry thoroughly before pressing the two surfaces together. I like Dodger's helpful suggestions for technique. Sounds like he gets a lot more miles out of his tubes than I do and his advice makes sense.

Just some ideas you may find useful.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

Thanks for this info. I also carry spare tubes, BUT was also thinking of getting a canister of puncture repair spray – not sure which proprietary product is best though – just as an extra temporary ‘get you to the next garage’ remedy. Now I’m wondering if it’s worth the trouble .. and I should just rely on the spare tubes alone.

Anyone here had experience with this type of liquid latex that’s supposed to repair and re-inflate a punctured tyre (with or without a tube) instantly and conveniently?

I’m not referring to the preventative stuff – e.g. Slime, UltraSeal etc – of which, it seems, there are some very mixed opinions.

Thanks

PS – @ John Downs: nice story and pics over on your ADV thread. Well done .. :thumbup1:

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Excellent!
 

Cheers guys! loads of excellent info. I will be carrying some spare tubes, but I like the back up of being able to patch up tubes if they're repairable.

Tim.

If it's a roadside repair I think it's always best to fit a new tube. Save the punctured tube and repair it at your leisure. I use TipTop kits and always use a reasonably large patch. I'm happier if it has had a chance to dry at least overnight before inflating.

Like AliBaba I've found some makes of tube just can't be repaired - not made from rubber, I presume.

PS been trail riding for the past week with a tube that had a slow puncture but has remained sealed with a squirt of that aerosol crazy foam stuff - first time ever it's worked for me!