Patching tubes

This has probably been covered here before, but I'll ask anyway. I've never tried patching tubes after I've gotten a flat, but I've had three flats in the last two days and now I'm thinking I should give it a try. Are the patches reliable?

If applied correctly...YES! I have had patched tubes that have lasted longer after being patched than other tubes that never needed patched. I might have some reservations about using them in competition or on an MTB on a really gnarley trail, but you should have no problems with them training or commuting, etc.

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A tube with a patch applied properly should be as good as a new tube. Sand the tube around the hole, apply the glue paste, let it dry and then apply the patch.

the 'hard' part is getting the knack of knowing how long to let the glue dry before putting the patch on.

Let a few go flat then fix them all at once.

Once your good at it you can patch generaly patch very fast, the main hold up is letting the glue dry a bit.

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Patching tubes is great fun...ok, maybe not. It saves throwing out a tube to lanquish in a landfill and saves the rubber wasted on a new tube too .

One night last year I did 15 of my tubes that I'd let build up.

As others have said, sand the area where the patch will go, use the small sized patches, I leave the glue for 15 mins to tack off and then apply the patch. I put some air in the tube and leave it overnight to make sure its ok before using in my bike .

I don't care much for the patches that require you to glue and don't find any advantage to using them. I myself use the Part Tools self adhesive patch. I've never had a problem with them. And you don't have to wait for the glue to dry. There also cheap

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll give it a try. (I might try it on all the condoms I break through, also.)

Many self-adhesive patches are junk though. OTOH, you can't go wrong with gluing (if you know how to do it right that is).

Haha! Good luck with that dude! Just keep in mind the potential consequences if you screw up!

Its only 18 years, maybe less if something horrible happens. (Teach the little one that helmets are for fools. Works pretty well.)

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

It's a good skill to have, if you run out of tubes on the road, you can patch them to get you home.

You can also use patches to plug holes in the tyre

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Training Log

I hope you inspect your tread after every ride. Glass will eventually chew through a kevlar belted tire if left in the tread.

I usually patch them on the road, it only adds 5 min if you can find the hole quickly. The best bet is to get off and use your ear to find the hole as soon as you notice the softening tyre. Once hiss-located, the patch goes on quickly and you don't even need to pull much of the tube out of the tyre. Don't forget to remove the offending sharp thing in the tyre.
When does a tube get discarded?
1. No room for new patches
2. Big blow-out
3. Valve base dies (probably the commonest death of a tube in my hands)

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Same here!

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!