tubes cost to much.

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture,

Why?

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture,

Why?

In the last 12 months, I got 11 punctures on 3 different wheels through 5
different tires, after a safe period of almost 2 years.
Three days ago, while I was recovering the fourth punctures of a poor tube,
I was right asking myself how many patches a tube can host.
But I got it up for the 5th accident and it works excellently.

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?
GR

Gabriele Russo said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture,

Why?

In the last 12 months, I got 11 punctures on 3 different wheels

through 5

Quoted message said:

different tires, after a safe period of almost 2 years.
Three days ago, while I was recovering the fourth punctures of a poor

tube,

Quoted message said:

I was right asking myself how many patches a tube can host.
But I got it up for the 5th accident and it works excellently.

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?

I don't think there are any. I've asked my friends who discard tubes
after a hole or 2 why they do it, the just mumble incoherently.

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture, maybe I'll have to
change that to a third.

I think my record is about thirteen.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

In article <[email hidden]>,

Gabriele Russo said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture,

Why?

In the last 12 months, I got 11 punctures on 3 different wheels through 5
different tires, after a safe period of almost 2 years.
Three days ago, while I was recovering the fourth punctures of a poor tube,
I was right asking myself how many patches a tube can host.
But I got it up for the 5th accident and it works excellently.

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?
GR

When I discard a tube, it's generally due to failure at the valve stem.
The last tube I had to toss actually had the metal stem completely
separate from the rubber tube. There's no patch for that.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

Gabriele Russo said:

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?

I can think of these reasons to replace a tube:

- Blowout or detached valve stem (things that can't be patched).
- So many patches near to each other that you can feel a bump (never
happened to me, but theoretically possible).
- Rubber is starting to crack due to age (takes many years).
- You are an extreme weight weenie and you are worried about the weight
of the patches :-)

If none of these conditions apply, keep on patching and riding! If you
do a decent job patching, the patched area is probably more puncture
resistant than the rest of the tube due to the increased rubber
thickness.

-Jeff

Gabriele Russo said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Callistus Valerius said:

Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture,

Why?

In the last 12 months, I got 11 punctures on 3 different wheels through 5
different tires, after a safe period of almost 2 years.
Three days ago, while I was recovering the fourth punctures of a poor tube,
I was right asking myself how many patches a tube can host.
But I got it up for the 5th accident and it works excellently.

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?
GR

Incontinence.

Robin Hubert

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?

I can think of these reasons to replace a tube:

- Blowout or detached valve stem (things that can't be patched).

If none of these conditions apply, keep on patching and riding! If

you

Quoted message said:

do a decent job patching,

A hole too close to the valve stem or the valve stem separating from
the rubber, and a poor job of patching are my main/only reasons for
replacing a tube. About 25% of the time I do a bad job of patching.
And when I try to pull the unstuck patch off the tube to repatch it, it
will often rip the tube. Then its new tube time.

To the person who is worried about the cost of tubes. Ride with a
group and volunteer to carry the punctured tubes off as trash. Then
patch them at home and you have a "new" free tube. Amongst my riding
group I am the only one who patches tubes.

I've heard that a flat caused by a rupture in the rubber at the valve
stem base can be repaired by cutting the valve out leaving a hole about
the size of a dime and gluing in a replacement valve which has a rubber
base about the size of a quarter. I haven't tried it myself, but it
sounds it'll work.

Callistus Valerius said:

Why has the base price of a standard road tube gone from $2.50 to $5.00?
Sure I buy them on sale for $3 sometimes, but the base price increase is
kind of alarming. I use to keep the end caps of tubes I threw away, and put
them in a jar. After about 5 years the jar was full. You really don't
think you are using that many tubes, until you look at something like that.
Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture, maybe I'll have to
change that to a third.

Second puncture? Why? If the patch job is at all competent, a patched
tube is just as reliable as a new one. I throw them out only when they
have holes at the base of the stem, or are otherwise unrepairable.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a
_`\(,_ | conclusion. -- George Bernard Shaw
(_)/ (_) |

Jeff Loomis said:

Gabriele Russo said:

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?

I can think of these reasons to replace a tube:

- Blowout or detached valve stem (things that can't be patched).

Check. Or a new hole right next to or through an existing patch.

Quoted message said:

- So many patches near to each other that you can feel a bump (never
happened to me, but theoretically possible).

And how would a patch on the tube cause the tire to have a bump?

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored
_`\(,_ | by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo
(_)/ (_) | Emerson

"Robin Hubert" wrote: Incontinence.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Right. If you can't fix it, [censored] on it.

Callistus Valerius said:

Why has the base price of a standard road tube gone from $2.50 to $5.00?
Sure I buy them on sale for $3 sometimes, but the base price increase is
kind of alarming. I use to keep the end caps of tubes I threw away, and put
them in a jar. After about 5 years the jar was full. You really don't
think you are using that many tubes, until you look at something like that.
Usually I throw the tube away on the second puncture, maybe I'll have to
change that to a third.

You get a lot of punctures. Try different tyres and/or keeping out of
the gutter when riding.

David L. Johnson said:

Jeff Loomis said:

Gabriele Russo said:

Instead, which are the signs to waste a tube? Loss of elasticity,
consistence?

I can think of these reasons to replace a tube:

- Blowout or detached valve stem (things that can't be patched).

Check. Or a new hole right next to or through an existing patch.

I've never tried it myself, but I believe Jobst has mentioned that a patch
can be removed by applying heat. If you really want to be frugal, you
could do this and then apply a new patch over both holes.

I *have* ended up with patches that overlap somewhat, and this has not
caused any difficulties.

--
Benjamin Lewis

A small, but vocal, contingent even argues that tin is superior, but they
are held by most to be the lunatic fringe of Foil Deflector Beanie science.

Leo Lichtman said:

"Robin Hubert" wrote: Incontinence.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Right. If you can't fix it, [censored] on it.

I suck at patching tubes. I get maybe a 50% success rate on the ones I
attempt (the easier ones). If the puncture is near a seam or the valve
or someplace where I can't get a good flat localized are to apply the
patch I don't even try. I do practice, but I don't seem to be getting
any better.

Anyway, given my low success rate, I'm disinclined to carry a patched
tube as a spare... I want the security of knowing my spare is good so I
always have two unused tubes in my seat pack. So unless I'm changing
tubes at home (like a slow leaker that I didn't notice at the end of a
previous ride) then my patched tubes don't get installed. Every once in
a while I get to use one that passes quality control and I think "big
deal, I saved $3.

I've got about a dozen hanging around my garage for anybody who wants
'em. Mixture of 16" and 20" (my kid's bike and a trailer, not a
recumbent), 26", 700c, long stems and short.

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

David L. Johnson said:

Second puncture? Why? If the patch job is at all competent, a patched
tube is just as reliable as a new one. I throw them out only when they
have holes at the base of the stem, or are otherwise unrepairable.

I used to believe this until I discovered that patches on the inside
of the tube (against the rim) leaked from the patch glue softening
due to rim heat when braking on steep descents. It took me a while
to solve the mystery because when I stopped to repair the tube, I
could find no leak. Yet, because the tube deflated quickly, I
expected to find the leak easily.

I suspect this problem occurs more frequently for (cyclists who are
heavy, aerodynamic, or who ride tandem) and descend steep hills that
require significant braking.

--
Bill Bushnell
http://pobox.com/~bushnell/

David L. Johnson said:

On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:17:09 -0700, Jeff Loomis wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

- So many patches near to each other that you can feel a bump

(never

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

happened to me, but theoretically possible).

And how would a patch on the tube cause the tire to have a bump?

OK, maybe this one couldn't even happen. It seems like if you had a
truly massive number of patches overlapping in a single spot, you might
be able to feel it through the tire. Certainly if you had so many that
they filled the entire cross section of the tire you would feel it
because you would then have a solid tire at that single point. The
tire itself would not show a bump, but you might feel a bump. I don't
think this is a likely scenario (understatement) as I indicated
initially.

-Jeff

I am the same way. I will reuse a tube and a tire sort of like my
underwear. I keep them until they disapear. I figure that tubes
probably get stronger with all the patches.

Andres

"Bill Bushnell" wrote: I used to believe this until I discovered that
patches on the inside of the tube (against the rim) leaked from the patch
glue softening due to rim heat when braking on steep descents. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am much newer to this NG than many of you, so maybe I just don't know.
But, this observation seems so logical that I wonder how come others have
not mentioned the effect of braking heat on patches. Is this common
knowledge that I am just learning, a new insight on Bill's part, or a
misconception on Bill's part?

I want to believe he's right, because it makes so much sense.