if puncture kits are not what they used to be

[greyingbeard]

patches dont stick well
glue seems to be all solvent, not "vulcanising" perhaps.
Is EU meddling hindering eo transport ?
shall I buy tubes from poundland or spend £1.50 on whatever is on offer online, and bin them when the inevitable happens. Not eco-friendly is it

[Brucey]

mending punctures is like planting shrubs; you are much better off with a one bob plant in a ten bob hole than the other way round.

With puncture repairs the same is true of the prep; a cheapo patch on a well prepped tube is a much better arrangement than a tip-top patch on a badly prepared tube.

If said tube has just been inside a new tyre the tube will be covered in release compound; If repairing punctures at home you really need to use solvent to clean the tube before and after abrading it, else all you are doing is smearing the release compound around on the tube, which will inhibit adhesion.

With rubber solution the clue is in the name 'solution'. It is at least 95% solvent and it is meant to be.

BTW if the patch is on the inside of the tube, near the rim, it is much more likely to lift off, because the tube is stretched differently at that point. Patches under the crown of the tyre are far more reliable.

cheers

[mercalia]

..... If repairing punctures at home you really need to use solvent to clean the tube before and after abrading it, else all you are doing is smearing the release compound around on the tube, which will inhibit adhesion.

cheers

never had any problems just roughing the tube up well.

[Heltor Chasca]

A long haired and very affable bike mechanic I met on an event left me with one of his 'life tips'. He said if any of the tips he knew of this was the most useful:

When you smear your solvent/glue/vulcanising agent onto your clean and roughed up tube, leave it to get tacky. THEN DO IT A SECOND TIME. For reasons unbeknown to me the 2nd smearing is the secret . I'm yet to try it...b

[Brucey]

two coats is de rigeur... doesn't everyone do that?

cheers

[beardy]

No and I have never had a patch fail. On cycle or motorcycle.

I may give it a try though, belt, braces and safety pin cant hurt.

I do spend a long time getting the patch area sanded flat first, I suspect the first application in the double application is for a bit of cleaning and my (excessive) sanding makes that unnecessary.

[Brucey]

..... If repairing punctures at home you really need to use solvent to clean the tube before and after abrading it, else all you are doing is smearing the release compound around on the tube, which will inhibit adhesion.

cheers

never had any problems just roughing the tube up well.

.....yet.....

tyres and tubes vary. For roadside repairs you don't have much choice anyway, but if you want to do a proper job, trust me, that is the way to do it. You won't find many proper adhesive bonding procedures that don't recommend that you clean the surface first, even if you roughen it afterwards.

I've had considerable experience with 'abrasion as cleaning' type procedures, and if you look at a surface that most people would assume has been 'cleaned by abrasion' under a microscope, it isn't clean at all; the crud has just been stirred about, and 50% (or more) of the original surface is likely to remain untouched... It might not look that way, but the eye is easily deceived by lots of scratches. For example you can't (by eye) usually tell the difference between a metal surface that is 10% scratches or 50% scratches; they look about the same.

If you start to 'clean/abrade' a tube using abrasives, the abrasive itself becomes contaminated with whatever is on the surface and that material can then contaminate the surface of the tube, even though you might have removed the original surface entirely. Release compounds are specifically designed to inhibit adhesion and they can do that very well indeed.

Belt, braces and two safety pins?
-Yes please

cheers

[Brucey]

actually the solvents used in rubber solution are different now to how they used to be.

Less effective...? Probably...

Less likely to kill you...? Definitely...

cheers

[bertbeerpot]

@brucey Which solvent would you use to clean the tyre?

[Brucey]

if you have it, MEK (caution; its nasty stuff).

For something more readily available; use cigarette lighter fluid (you can get it in the pound shop).

Use clean tissues or the mythic 'clean, lint free cloth'. Do not re-use the wipes.

In the past I have used trich (or similar) which used to be sold as tipp-ex thinners (the present stuff is different). This was also the solvent of choice for the rubber solution. It is banned now, probably quite right too.

cheers

[mercalia]

two coats is de rigeur... doesn't everyone do that?

cheers

no never had any problems with one

[AlaninWales]

two coats is de rigeur... doesn't everyone do that?

cheers

no never had any problems with one

It's been a long time since I read the instructions on the tubes, but I'm pretty sure they said second coat after waiting for the first to dry. OTOH I always repair at the roadside (unless it's raining so I can't keep the tyre dry) so have never cleaned other than by abrasives. Replacing the supplied sandpaper with a tougher, large grit emery is something I always do - and a large piece so as to use a fresh surface once the grit starts to get clogged; this may take away some of the 'contaminated' surface dust.

[greyingbeard]

what instructions ?
I guess there are no instructions as the 28 language leaflet wouldnt fit in the box
Never thought Id need any !!!!

Thanks Brucey, fount of all knowledge, I guessed as much, health giving solvents that dont do the job properly like wot the old stuff did. The glue even smells different,

Yes I do remember a few idiots at school sniffing tippex thinners till they fell over. Thers quite a technique to getting the full effect from a spoonful. Kids these days dont know what they are missing, we had a tuck shop, now they get an apple and go behind the bike sheds for something a lot stronger.

[AlaninWales]

In those days instructions didn't need to be in any more than English!

[reohn2]

These are the best:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REMA-TIP-TOP- ... 4ae9b10012

The way I repair a tube is to rough up the puncture sight with abrasive paper a little bigger than the patch,apply the rubber solution with the tip of a finger again a little bigger than the patch,the warmth of the finger will help the solution go off.
When tacky(approx 1minute or less)apply second coat of solution wait a further minute or two max, until the solution has gone off/dried.
Remove foil from the back of the patch and apply it the sight with the hole central under the patch,press firmly with the thumb rolling the thumb out toward the edges.
Fold the patch to reveal the perforation across the middle of cellophane and peel it off from the centre of the patch outward.
Apply a little talc to the area to stop it sticking to the inside of the tyre.
Job done.
Total time about 5minutes once the puncture site has been found.
Note:- before replacing the top on the rubber solution,squeeze the tube until the solution is juussstt coming out of the end,then replace the top.It will remove any air out of the tube,if there's any air left in it next time you come to use it it'll be empty
Good quality patches and good quality tubes are far better than cheap of either IME.