Patching tubes

I never patch tubes. However, I work at a bike shop, and tubes cost me around a dollar a piece.

I have one pack of patches in the saddle bag, but that's incase I get two flats in one ride. Although, ever since I installed the gatorskins, I haven't had a flat.

artemidorus said:

I think that the risk of your glue drying up in the tube is quite low and really is applicable to the tube sitting in your cupboard for years. I have an excess of good tubes of glue at the moment because each tube can do many more patches than come with it in the box.

You can buy spare patches from the LBS for 10 cents each. Much cheaper than buying a full kit each time.

Throwing away a tube for the sake of a patch is environmentally braindead:o but if that's your company policy then I suppose you have to adhere(pardon the pun) to it....

lbraasch said:

I never patch tubes. However, I work at a bike shop, and tubes cost me around a dollar a piece.

I have one pack of patches in the saddle bag, but that's incase I get two flats in one ride. Although, ever since I installed the gatorskins, I haven't had a flat.

There is nothing worse than getting flat tires in cold wet weather, especially at night, I found a way to make sure it doesn’t happen: take an old tire slightly smaller than the one you use, and cut off both beads. Used with extra thick tubes they are better than any tire liner ever made, glass just does not cut threw the second tire, but I use 2 extra tires per wheel ‘just incase’. Kevlar belted tires are not puncture proof by them self’s.

I have not had a puncture in over 2 years, thats when I started using this method.

I suppose that I am the odd man out here. I have had more flats on my truck tires than I have ever had on all of my bikes. In fact I have only had one flat on the road and a couple of pinch flats at home. I suppose that this comes from carrying a spare tube and patches on every ride. The day I forget these will be the day I get bit! BTW, I don't use any special tires, Bontrager Race Lites on my primamary roadie, Michelin Speediums on my retro Univega, Kenda on my MTB, and Vittoria Open Corsa Evo Cx on my restored 1984 Raleigh Supercourse.