Has anybody had success repairing inner tubes?

RetiredGreyFox

RetiredGreyFox

RetiredGreyFox

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If so which kit do you use and what good instructional video can I follow?

Reasons for thread, over the last 6 years I've probably had around 8 punctures on all my bikes but never had success with repairing them on the road or when back home.

Thanks
 
neil_g said:
What exactly is the problem you have with getting a seal?
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I never get one :)

I have an inner tube waiting for me to experiment on since I've just put a new one in.

This is my kit but looking at it I've only tried to use the black square ones, perhaps I should try the yellow ones!

puncturekit.jpg
 
I used to use the boggo Halfords kits. Use a bit of sand paper to rough up the tube, put rubber solution on the area with the puncture, wait till tacky and stick patch on and hold down tight. Grate a bit of chalk and spread over the patch area so it sticks to any exposed tacky rubber solution and pump up the tube and dunk in a bowl of water to see if it’s leaking. If tube is leaking bin the ******* thing as they are about a quid from Wiggle ;)
 
Am I the only one who just replaces the tube? Hardly ever get a puncture and innertubes are a couple of quid and give more peace of mind than a patch.
 
pumaz said:
Am I the only one who just replaces the tube? Hardly ever get a puncture and innertubes are a couple of quid and give more peace of mind than a patch.
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I do exactly the same doing mainly mountain biking in the summer and road biking in the winter. I carry two spare tubes with me on every ride just in case.

If you want to do repairs on tubes you can then wait until you get home. If you are getting too many punctures think about harder wearing tyres or if needed change your routes.
 
Rema Tip Top patch kits are great. Dead cheap on eBay, work a treat.

If anyone wants to send me punctured inner tubes in the post I’ll pay for the postage. Cheaper to fix them than buying them new...
 
Fixed loads as a kid, don't think any of them ever failed. Like others have said forget the self adhesive ones and get a nice big tube of rubber glue.
 
Will echo all of the above.

Also remember to check the inside of the tyre for stuck sharp objects that couldve caused the puncture to start with.
 
DarkHorizon472 said:
Easy way to fit tyres, no need for straps. Even tight tyres go on easily by hand, no need for levers.

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Jesus that looked painfully slow, don’t know if I’m some kind of magician! But I can do a tyre change in no time at all, sometimes without a lever and have never damaged a tube doing it.
 
Depends on the tyre, most will go on by hand. Some tubeless mtb tyres can be a complete arse. Crank Brothers tyre levers are pretty damn good though.
 
Yea, you should be using vulcanising solution and waiting for it to get a bit tacky before applying the pad.

Mostly though I don't bother. If you're getting a lot of punctures then you need to replace your tyres. I have a Giant Defy and it didn't take long for the stock tyres to pick up a puncture, as soon as I replaced those with Continental Gatorskins I haven't had a puncture since.

The only time I had to replace a tube was when the valve failed. I just keep a spare tube in my saddlebag along with a repair kit. I'd rather swap the tube and crack on and then repair when I get home. Or just chuck it in the bin and buy a new tube. What's £8 on a tube once a year. I have about 3 spare tubes in the shed just to go.
 
pumaz said:
Am I the only one who just replaces the tube? Hardly ever get a puncture and innertubes are a couple of quid and give more peace of mind than a patch.
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Nope, I value my time more than carrying out a repair. Given I get a puncture once in a blue moon (5,000 miles until then getting one two weeks on the trot :p) it's hardly a significant expense to just replace the entire tube for £3.
 
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