Patch the tube? Or replace it?

[Scott R Nelson]

Just curious what the rest of you do when your bicycle gets a flat tire. I just patched the rear tube of my mountain bike for the third or fourth time. I didn't count the patches, but it's only been a week since the last time I did that. The previous time was from a sticker - I don't know what made the tiny puncture this time, but there was nothing sticking through the tire when I checked.

So on motorcycle tires with tubes, you're supposed to put a new tube in there if possible. I have a whole box full of old motorcycle tubes that I've patched to take along if I'm heading out in the middle of nowhere as a quicker way to fix a flat.

How many patches will you apply to a bicycle tube before replacing it?

[BigPiney]

I suck at patching, so I always replace.

[Joe Public]

I’ve had good luck with patching, so I try to patch if possible.

[mtnbiker]

How many patches will you apply to a bicycle tube before replacing it?

Mountain bike: No patching since I went tubeless.
Road bike: Maybe 2 or 3, then go to a new tube.

[Moliere]

I never patch my road bike tires. If they go flat while I’m out, I replace and then usually dump the old tube in a random garbage can or dumpster. Tubes are like $7 a piece so why go through the hassle.


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[Scott R Nelson]

Tubes are like $7 a piece so why go through the hassle.

I can take the wheel off of my bike, yank the tube, patch it, and put it all back together again in about 15 minutes. It would take me longer than that to drive to a store that sells bike tubes. Or I could wait a few days for an online order to be delivered and I would still have to put the tube in. The actual patching operation is less than five minutes.

You must have a different idea of what a hassle is than I do.

[Moliere]

I can take the wheel off of my bike, yank the tube, patch it, and put it all back together again in about 15 minutes. It would take me longer than that to drive to a store that sells bike tubes. Or I could wait a few days for an online order to be delivered and I would still have to put the tube in. The actual patching operation is less than five minutes.

You must have a different idea of what a hassle is than I do.

I have about a dozen tubes in my drawer and another two in my saddle bag. I also have multiple tires since I tend to damage one every six months. I just keep a lot in hand since I rode quite a bit. But I’ve never had luck patching a tube. They always leak air so I figure why bother when they are as cheap as they are.


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[Shaka]

On my KTM 530 EXC I have a hybrid tire that I can actually run with zero pressure. I just ride back to my truck and then patch. Bikes I patch twice then replace the tube.

[Bo Diddley]

I'm with Moliere. I do keep a patch kit in my tool bag, but for expediency I simply put the new tube on my bike.

I've also split the tire wall on a ride, so I keep a piece of a juice box to put inside the tire until I get home. Some people use a folded dollar bill.

[All-American]

It’s too much effort to patch the tire. I just replace the bike.

[creekster]

It depends on the situation. Patching is pretty easy, really, especially with the new style (new to an old man like me) patches. If it is a small puncture and is in an easy to repair spot I will usually patch it. If it is a large puncture or an irregular hole or is high on the sidewall, or if I am in a hurry, I just put in a new tube. I always carry both a new tube and a patch kit.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It’s too much effort to patch the tire. I just replace the bike.

[Surfah]

Mountain bike: No patching since I went tubeless.
Road bike: Maybe 2 or 3, then go to a new tube.

Tried converting to tubeless last week. My rims are TL ready. The tires are TL ready. I couldn't get it to work no matter what I did. I was so frustrated. I even tried reinstalling the tube and then removing it with one bead still intact and still couldn't get it to seat. I took out the valve core to get more air into it with my compressor and still no dice. Finally I even took the tube and stretched it over the tire and rim to try and get it to seal. I gave up after this attempt and just reinstalled the tube. I guess I will try again whenever I need new tires.

[mtnbiker]

Tried converting to tubeless last week. My rims are TL ready. The tires are TL ready. I couldn't get it to work no matter what I did. I was so frustrated. I even tried reinstalling the tube and then removing it with one bead still intact and still couldn't get it to seat. I took out the valve core to get more air into it with my compressor and still no dice. Finally I even took the tube and stretched it over the tire and rim to try and get it to seal. I gave up after this attempt and just reinstalled the tube. I guess I will try again whenever I need new tires.

Bummer. I couldn't get the tires to seal the first time I tried going to tubeless, and the bike shop couldn't, either. It turned out that the tires weren't really tubeless-specific, and leaked all around the bead. A compressor is definitely a help when trying to seal for the first time.

[Surfah]

Bummer. I couldn't get the tires to seal the first time I tried going to tubeless, and the bike shop couldn't, either. It turned out that the tires weren't really tubeless-specific, and leaked all around the bead. A compressor is definitely a help when trying to seal for the first time.

Yeah. My tires don't say tubeless specifically, however, according to their website it says they are. I did some googling and found a tire shootout thing on some MTB website and they all complained that this tire (Vee Tire Crown Gem) was the most difficult to set up tubeless. So I will just run these off their rims and replace them with some Maxxis Minnions or something I know will work.