Puncture patches

[bigjim]

Does anybody have a source for small puncture patches? All mine are too big for the kind of punctures I get. The roundness of the tube always means it is a nuisance to stop the edges lifting no matter how much glue I use. Cutting them up is a pest as you don't have a feathered edge. I think the original design is biased towards bigger thicker tube,s not the modern lightweight ones. I did have some nice ones from China that were oval shaped but have run out and all I can find is the big square or circular stuff. Back to ordering tubes now, which goes against all my scrooge-ish upbringing.

[reohn2]

Any use:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REMA-TIP-TOP ... Sw4A5YpHDk

[Mike Sales]

Weldtite cure-c-cure used to make feathered edge patches for narrow tubes. I have a few left. They are about 15mm. in diameter.
Here they are.

http://index.weldtite.co.uk/products/puncture-repair-materials

I like to cut my own patches from their sheets.

[hamster]

Have a look for REMA TipTop patches.

[Nebulous]

Cut pieces to suit your needs from old inner tubes. Larger patches are better than smaller - more area for bonding means less stress per mm². If edges lift on a small patch it's more of a concern than on a bigger patch. Once inflated in place the tube is pushed firmly against the tyre anyway.

[bigjim]

Cut pieces to suit your needs from old inner tubes. Larger patches are better than smaller - more area for bonding means less stress per mm². If edges lift on a small patch it's more of a concern than on a bigger patch. Once inflated in place the tube is pushed firmly against the tyre anyway.

Even when the tube is deflated it has a natural round shape which makes the feathered edge harder to stick. I've never had much luck using old inner tube as patches. Had 3 punctures in the last week on different bikes. First since October. 1 nail and two glass.

[slowster]

A Michelin A1 inner tube for 18mm-23mm tyres measures 22mm across when squeezed flat (when new), and the smallest Rema Tip Top patches have a 24mm diameter including the feathered edge. In my case I've got so many A1 inner tubes acquired very cheaply and had punctures so rarely on the summer bike fitted with them that I don't think I bothered to repair most punctured tubes.

Another problem with repairing such narrow tubes is that a patch will very often have to cover a seam in the tube, making it necessary to use the piece of emery paper to sand the seam smooth.

I think what I have done in the past is press 1/2 of one side of the patch firmly to the tube. After allowing a little while (a few minutes?) for that part of the patch to adhere sufficiently to the tube, I have then rolled the tube in my fingers so that I can then press the other half of the patch against the tube. That results in the patch being folded over in the middle and sandwiched around the flattened edge of the tube, and I can then maintain the pressure on the patch on both sides by squeezing it between my finger and thumb. Even with that method I think I had problems ensuring that the feathered edge adhered properly all around the patch, which probably partly explains my bad habit of not usually bothering to repair the tubes.

[xerxes]

Have a look for REMA TipTop patches.

Yes, I recommend these. (See the link by reohn2 above).

[kwackers]

Does anyone else put some air in the tube before sticking the patch on?

I like the tube to be roughly the right size before I stick the patch on...

[PH]

the smallest Rema Tip Top patches have a 24mm diameter including the feathered edge.

I think that's size 1, there is a size 0 which is 16mm.

[Paulatic]

Does anyone else put some air in the tube before sticking the patch on?

I like the tube to be roughly the right size before I stick the patch on...

No. Theres usually a hole in the tube letting the air out when I fix em.

[Nebulous]

"Once inflated in place the tube is pushed firmly against the tyre anyway."

So unless there's a long period between patch application and tube inflation inside the tyre, the adhesive/cement still has 'stick'. Although a raised patch perimeter may look unsightly, once the tube is inflated in place I've never had an associated failure. If patching spare tubes at home, press the patch into place for an hour or so with bench vice or vice grips. Yes, you'll need some sort of jaw protectors - another use for old tubes

[rjb]

+1 for making patches from old tubes. I prep my patches with rubber solution and leave until completely dry, waiting for at least 20 mins. Then prep the punctured tube with rubber solution as normal. As others have said, I clamp my repairs in a bench vice between a couple of blocks of flat scrap wood and leave for at least a couple of hours. You could even use those clamp things, cramps?
This won't work if the hole is any bigger than a pin prick.

[kwackers]

Does anyone else put some air in the tube before sticking the patch on?

I like the tube to be roughly the right size before I stick the patch on...

No. Theres usually a hole in the tube letting the air out when I fix em.

Yeah, but you can usually put a few puffs of air in and then bang the patch over the hole.

[Brucey]

the smallest Rema Tip Top patches have a 24mm diameter including the feathered edge.

I think that's size 1, there is a size 0 which is 16mm.

yep. The dark coloured centre is about 15mm in such patches. They work out 11-1/2p each here;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REMA-TIP-TOP-TYRE-INNER-TUBE-PUNCTURE-REPAIR-BICYCLE-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-15MM-PATCHES/152846996514?

FWIW I use a small grindstone on Dremel tool to prep tubes, remove seams etc. Works a treat provided you don't go nuts with it.

cheers