First flat question

It shouldn't make any real difference. Keeping the new one in and packing the patched one is certainly the easiest thing to do.

I like to put the patched tube back in the tire immediately so that the patch will cure in the correct shape.

RickF said:

...... Am I better off putting the old tube back on the tire and the new tube in my wedge, should I leave the new tube in the tire and put the patched tube in the wedge for the next time I flat, or does it make any difference?

It has always interested me to read on cycle forums that most seem to use their spare tube instead of repairing the puncture, this is obviously quicker by around 5 minutes, and most of this time is waiting for the glue to tack. Whilst drying the glue I check the tyre for any glass etc. Some do not even carry a repair kit, just a couple of tubes.

Personally I usually do a road side patch, unless I'm really in a hurry or just can't find that darn leak. I always reinstall the tube in the same direction so as the patch will be where tyre was penetrated, which I think maybe an advantage should the inside of the tyre be a little rough from the puncture. I'm willing to try anything that may ward off a flat. If I did use the spare tube, sometime in the next few days I'd reinstall the old tube.

When I used tyres that punctured regularly, particularly when worn, [those were the days 😠 ] I would have around 10/15 patches by the time the tyre needed replacing, so a new tyre was always treated with a new tube.

People ride bikes worth thousands and people have bikes with a seat and post worth more than my entire bike... so with tubes being so cheap, why don't people bin them?

fauxpas said:

People ride bikes worth thousands and people have bikes with a seat and post worth more than my entire bike... so with tubes being so cheap, why don't people bin them?

I can't speak for everyone here because not everyone is as mechanically gifted as I am.

For me, repairing a punctured tube is an achievement at the outermost boundaries of my mechanical capabilities. It's an accomplishment in which I take great pride.

fauxpas said:

People ride bikes worth thousands and people have bikes with a seat and post worth more than my entire bike... so with tubes being so cheap, why don't people bin them?

+1 on that statement. Here's the Q: "Would you rather ride on a patched tube or a new tube?" Uh, new naturally! Buying on sale and in bulk (split the order with your mates) gets them down around 2 bucks each. Not worth the hassle factor to me to mess with a patch that will never be "good as new".

In the world we have sooo much waste, lost, often non replenishable rescores. We have land fill rubbish tip locations becoming hard to find, the ones that are in place leach toxins into the environment......the problems are world wide.

Some of use ride bikes primarily for fun [like me] others use them to attempt to utilize the worlds resources & limit their use of fossil fuels by using bikes for commuting, shopping etc

We have some who would advocate that repairing a cycle tube is such a time consuming exercise or that always new is so much better, that to ditch a tube with one small hole to the rubbish is the best alternative. I do not know whether a tube may be recycled & if they could would they?

I have no idea how many hard core cyclists there are in the world, but it must be 10s of millions [stab in the dark guess] not to mention the casual world wide cyclists. Now comes the real calculation that I will not even try to guess, but will use my own experience as an example. This year alone to date the "one chance only tube" would have had me discard around 8/10 tubes were as the "repair puncture tube" had me discarding 2. That's around an extra tube a month assigned to land fill.

Wondering if Capwater & Fauxpas actually practice what they preach & if so reconsiders their attitude to tube repair/replacement.

It the punctured tube was fairly new, I'd keep it as the spare. If it was an older tube, I'd chuck it. Keeping it is the enviornmental solution, the cost isn't a consideration. Getting rid of older tubes is the more reliable solution.

Having the skill to patch at the road side is important, so if you have the time, glue the hole and while you are waiting for it to dry, put the wheel back together with the spare, by the time you have done that, the glue will be dry, ready for the patch. Also even experienced tyre changes sometimes pinch the tube putting it in, or miss the root cause and end up with a second flat.

fauxpas said:

People ride bikes worth thousands and people have bikes with a seat and post worth more than my entire bike... so with tubes being so cheap, why don't people bin them?

Well why would you? The tubes are still useful. They can be repaired. It's less [censored] to go in a landfill. It's a smart use of resources.

Why would someone be so stupid as to throw a tube out instead of repairing it?

Albert 50 said:

In the world we have sooo much waste, lost, often non replenishable rescores. We have land fill rubbish tip locations becoming hard to find, the ones that are in place leach toxins into the environment......the problems are world wide.

Some of use ride bikes primarily for fun [like me] others use them to attempt to utilize the worlds resources & limit their use of fossil fuels by using bikes for commuting, shopping etc

We have some who would advocate that repairing a cycle tube is such a time consuming exercise or that always new is so much better, that to ditch a tube with one small hole to the rubbish is the best alternative. I do not know whether a tube may be recycled & if they could would they?

I have no idea how many hard core cyclists there are in the world, but it must be 10s of millions [stab in the dark guess] not to mention the casual world wide cyclists. Now comes the real calculation that I will not even try to guess, but will use my own experience as an example. This year alone to date the "one chance only tube" would have had me discard around 8/10 tubes were as the "repair puncture tube" had me discarding 2. That's around an extra tube a month assigned to land fill.

Wondering if Capwater & Fauxpas actually practice what they preach & if so reconsiders their attitude to tube repair/replacement.

How funny is that... I wonder if those riders who are blessed with the resources to fund their own $5,000-15,000 bikes give $1 to greenpeace or the World Wide Fund For Nature?

I'm laughing hard... I'm also laughing cause I know the manufacture of tyres n tubes is not a green clean process...

Hence my previous thread about solid tyres...

lol 😄

fauxpas said:

How funny is that... I wonder if those riders who are blessed with the resources to fund their own $5,000-15,000 bikes give $1 to greenpeace or the World Wide Fund For Nature?

What? Why did you not include owners of $100-$600 bicycles? Are you jealous of people who have nicer bikes than yours?

fauxpas said:

I'm laughing hard... I'm also laughing cause I know the manufacture of tyres n tubes is not a green clean process...

Confused people often laugh for no reason. Given that he manufacture of tires and tubes is not a green process, doesn't it make sense to make sure you get the most out of that tire or tube?

fauxpas said:

Hence my previous thread about solid tyres...

Yeah, right.

fauxpas said:

lol 😄

No doubt you get a lot of LOL directed at you, princess.

Yes I ride a budget bike, and I ride daily to work and back, and am still to do any long distances... But I have not received a flat yet. It's like its such an everyday occurence that each rider who does not patch tubes leaves tonnes of earth killing rubber behind... lol... lol...

Patch away Mr Greenie... But I stand by my statement about replacing instead of patching, because even if I have a $500 ride, a tube worth less than $5 is still cheap... Bulk lots on ebay go for less than the price of 1 tyre.

I'll take this opportunity to ask, how often do you guys/gals get flats?

I was imagining once every 3 months or so for regular riders. Is this way off the mark?

fauxpas said:

I'll take this opportunity to ask, how often do you guys/gals get flats?

I was imagining once every 3 months or so for regular riders. Is this way off the mark?

It all depends on the type of tire and the road conditions. I use Specialized Armidillo tires and ride about 60 miles per week on the road and on crushed granite paths, but never in the rain. This was my first flat in two years. If I road in the rain, I expect I would have more flats. If I used a lighter, faster tire, I expct I would have more flats. Since my frame pump came with two patches, I figured this was a good opportunity to try them. I can get six patches from Performance for the price of one tube, and there is so little effort involved in patching so, green issues aside, why not patch?

How many tubes do you carry? I don't want to have to turn around if I flat because I have used my tube(s) and am left without protection. Carrying a patch kit is roughly like carrying a half dozen or more tubes in a matchbox. I may just change the tube if the risk is low (e.g. close to home) or time is short but otherwise usually patch first and save the spare tube for cases where patching won't work. I even carry a couple of glueless patches in case the glue dries out. A glueless patch is not as good as a new tire but rubber cement vulcanizes te rubber and patch, so it is arguably as good as new for that reason alone -- and since the patch wil help prevent the tube from bulging (even ever so slighly) at the puncture point -- as well as adding a layer at the now-weakened point in the tire, patching may be better than new for all but the smallest punture holes. But I wouldn't just keep patching after two or three punctures.

fauxpas said:

People ride bikes worth thousands and people have bikes with a seat and post worth more than my entire bike... so with tubes being so cheap, why don't people bin them?

fauxpas said:

I'll take this opportunity to ask, how often do you guys/gals get flats?

I was imagining once every 3 months or so for regular riders. Is this way off the mark?

2003 5 flats
2004 5 flats
2005 5 flats
2006 3 flats so far.
Average distance each year 10,000k.

I had zero flats for 2006 until 3 weeks ago and now I've had 3 flats in 3 weeks. In 2003 I went to work on the 31st December and got a flat rear on the way to work and a flat front on the way home, so if I hadn't ridden it would of been 3 flats.

I fail to see the problem with patching. I carry two spare tubes on each ride, when I get a flat, i change the tubes, and then patch the leaky one at home where i have sufficient light, and a cleaner environment.

Why throw away a good tube (99% of it is still good), when 5 mins and a patch allows you to use it?

I went through an unlucky patch where I flatted abt 4 times in 3 weeks. Each tube cost me abt $6. So that was $24, plus I needed to purchase spares again, another $24. It all adds up.

I carry one tube plus patches. Like Thomas, I prefer to do the patching at home, but I carry patches in case I have more than one flat on the same ride. I can patch on the roadside, but changing the tube is faster. I never would have found the hole in the tube on my previous flat if I had not put the inflated tube under water. That is not always easy to do on the roadside.