Puncture repairs failing

[Doki]

I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The patch
bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used bog standard
cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual sanding, lots of
time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

 

[Peter Clinch]

Doki wrote:
> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The patch
> bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used bog standard
> cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual sanding, lots of
> time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

Maybe you're using the rubber/vulcanising solution as "glue" rather than
as the primary repair?

After you put on the goop it should be just on the final verges of
tackiness before you actually put the patch on, so the solution over the
hole itself should be pretty much dry before the patch is in place.

I've been tempted to use the solution as glue in the past, but it really
doesn't work that well! If you are letting the solution almost dry
before adding the patch maybe your cheapo kit has cheapo vulcanising
solution or you have inner tubes made from tubular cheese, but I've yet
to find any that don't work if I let it dry to just about tacky /before/
the patch goes on.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

Doki wrote:

> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The
> patch bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used
> bog standard cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual
> sanding, lots of time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

Replace your puncture kit with Rema Tip-Top.

--
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

"Doki" <[email protected]>typed


> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The patch
> bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used bog standard
> cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual sanding, lots of
> time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?


Tip Top patches & glue
?? two layers of glue
Check all inner tubes for leaks annually.

Fix your punctures in batches, at home, when you're in no hurry, have a
radio or good music to hand and have a BIG mug of tea.

Check tubes under water following repair.

Puncture gourmet.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected]
Edgware.

 

[Pete Biggs]

Doki wrote:
> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The
> patch bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used
> bog standard cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual
> sanding, lots of time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

Alow the glue to completely dry *before* applying patch. (It works as a
dry contact adhesive). Press patch down firmly, then allow more time for
it to bond: at least 3 mins, pref 12 hours!

Do not test tube by inflating it before fitting in tyre (although a little
air to round it out is ok).

That should work even with cheapo stuff, but try a different brand of
patch & cement just in case your's are extraordinarily poor.

~PB

 

[Simonb]

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

> have a BIG mug of tea.

But only if you're seriously injured, Shirley?

 

[Arthur Clune]

Doki <[email protected]> wrote:
: I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The patch
: bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used bog standard
: cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual sanding, lots of
: time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

I'll probably get flamed for this, but just bin the tube. If you by tubes
mail order in batches of 10 you can get them for £1 - £2 a go depending on
quality. 10 last me 18 mths - 2 years on average.

My time is worth more than that, and I've never been happy with repairs on
narrow (23mm) tyres. I've seen them lift off in the heat before and I don't
want that happening when I'm doing 50mph and braking hard!

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Doki
('[email protected]') wrote:

> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The
> patch bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used bog
> standard cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual
> sanding, lots of time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?

Tip-top patches.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

IMHO, there aren't enough committed Christians, but that's care
in the community for you. -- Ben Evans

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

Arthur Clune wrote:

> I'll probably get flamed for this, but just bin the tube. If you by
> tubes mail order in batches of 10 you can get them for £1 - £2 a go
> depending on quality. 10 last me 18 mths - 2 years on average.

Not flamed, but "for differing values of tube." I find it quite hard to get
genuine 406 tubes (quite often the shops sell a sort of
one-size-fails-to-fit-all 406 and 451 generic 20" thing), so I tend to keep
them and repair them. Also, having used up the spare in fixing the
puncture, I usually want to get a usable spare for the next journey. It is
an immutable law of physics that the p*nct*re fairy only strikes when the
shops are shut...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

 

[Peter Clinch]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> Not flamed, but "for differing values of tube." I find it quite hard to get
> genuine 406 tubes

Only particularly impossible if you want that with a presta valve, but
unfortunately I do :-( (Mental note to self: ask pal about to head to
Darth Ben's Little Shop of Temptation to get a couple of above as spares
for the Roosmobile...)

I did follow Arthur's method when I'd get a pile of Specialized tubes
for 700 x 28 in the EBC bargain bin at the annual sale, but one downside
of Weird Bikes is they have Weird (i.e., often not 700c or 26") wheels
and there is, apparently, "no demand" for such with presta valves (which
I much prefer to Schraeders). Bah!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Arthur Clune]

Just zis Guy, you know? <[email protected]> wrote:

: Not flamed, but "for differing values of tube." I find it quite hard to get
: genuine 406 tubes (quite often the shops sell a sort of

But if you are just buying box of 10 mail order once a year this doesn't apply?

Though if your tubes are more, the economics changes

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

 

[Peter Clinch]

Arthur Clune wrote:

> But if you are just buying box of 10 mail order once a year this doesn't apply?

Roos was /trying/ to get a couple mail order last week from the Usual
Suspects. With prestas they really are quite hard to come by in the UK :-(

> Though if your tubes are more, the economics changes

And because they're rare, they do indeed cost more :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Pete Biggs]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> Maybe you're using the rubber/vulcanising solution as "glue" rather
> than as the primary repair?

Is is glue, albeit a type of adhesive that works very well, and best when
it's dry (or nearly dry). The patch is literally stuck to the tube, and
that is the main repair, rather than filling in the hole.

There's no actual vulcanisation or even amalgamating going on so
"vulcanising solution" is a misnomer, a confusion left over from the days
when patches really did need to be vulcanised with a flame. Normal modern
patches can be peeled off to prove this when they're heated. Try pressing
a patched tube against a heated non-stick frying pan then peeling it off.
Thanks to Jobst Brandt for this one!

Some patches do work better than others, and patches can go off if they're
many years old (or have been stored in hot conditions, I think). Patches
have stuff which is like dried cement on the foil side.
I recommend the patches Mike Dyason sells.

~PB

 

[Peter Clinch]

Pete Biggs wrote:

> Is is glue, albeit a type of adhesive that works very well, and best when
> it's dry (or nearly dry). The patch is literally stuck to the tube, and
> that is the main repair, rather than filling in the hole.

Well, you learn something every day, they say. I've just learned
something, so I can go home now! ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Pete Biggs]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> Well, you learn something every day, they say. I've just learned
> something, so I can go home now! ;-)

I didn't realise it myself until recently. I did the Brandt Pan test,
fully expecting to ruin my tube in efforts to remove the patch, but it
just peeled right off! We've been conned all these years with the
"vulcanising" marketing BS.

I'm off for a bike ride if it's cooled down.

cheers
~PB

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

Arthur Clune wrote:

>> "for differing values of tube." I find it quite
>> hard to get genuine 406 tubes (quite often the shops sell a sort of

> But if you are just buying box of 10 mail order once a year this
> doesn't apply?

It is hard to find any at all, let alone boxes of ten. Having suffered
fifteen punctures in two weeks before I worked out what was causing them
would also have been quite expensive (and stock-exhausting).

When I find a supply of shiny new ones I buy all they have in stock and bin
any manky ones from the spares bin. Since I can fix a tube with about five
minutes of expended time (the chemistry of the glue doesn't actually require
that I suit watching the glue dry, after all) I consider that a reasonable
return, especially at anythign up to £5 per tube.

But I do generally bin cheap Schraeder-valved MTB tubes, for sure.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

 

[Sandy Morton]

In article <[email protected]>, Arthur Clune
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I'll probably get flamed for this, but just bin the tube.

Happy to agree with you on this one. I can repair a puncture in 5
minutes but I can replace a tube in under 2.

> If you by tubes mail order in batches of 10 you can get them for £1
> - £2 a go depending on quality. 10 last me 18 mths - 2 years on
> average.

I use about 150 in an average summer - less when it's dry and more
when it's wet - and pay significantly less than £1-00

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

 

[MSeries]

Arthur Clune wrote:
> Doki <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I've had a couple of punctures that I've repaired leak again. The
>> patch bubbles up above the hole and eventually gives up. I've used
>> bog standard cheapo puncture repair kit gear, and done all the usual
>> sanding, lots of time for the glue to dry things. Any ideas?
>
> I'll probably get flamed for this, but just bin the tube. If you by
> tubes mail order in batches of 10 you can get them for £1 - £2 a go
> depending on quality. 10 last me 18 mths - 2 years on average.
>
> My time is worth more than that, and I've never been happy with
> repairs on narrow (23mm) tyres. I've seen them lift off in the heat
> before and I don't want that happening when I'm doing 50mph and
> braking hard!
>
> Arthur

I agree with you Arthur.

 

[Doki]

"Sandy Morton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Arthur Clune
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I'll probably get flamed for this, but just bin the tube.
>
> Happy to agree with you on this one. I can repair a puncture in 5
> minutes but I can replace a tube in under 2.
>
> > If you by tubes mail order in batches of 10 you can get them for £1
> > - £2 a go depending on quality. 10 last me 18 mths - 2 years on
> > average.
>
> I use about 150 in an average summer - less when it's dry and more
> when it's wet - and pay significantly less than £1-00

Where do you buy your tubes, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Mark South]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Arthur Clune wrote:
>
> > But if you are just buying box of 10 mail order once a year this doesn't
apply?
>
> Roos was /trying/ to get a couple mail order last week from the Usual
> Suspects. With prestas they really are quite hard to come by in the UK :-(

Have you a logical explanantion for the strong preference, Pete?

> > Though if your tubes are more, the economics changes
>
> And because they're rare, they do indeed cost more :-(

How does that compare with those having Schraeder valves?
--
"Since you must keep improving, a $5 bike offers a lot more opportunities
to improve it, and can be improved cheaper. It's expensive to improve on
a $2000 bike." - Rick Onanian in rec.bicycles.tech