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Do you prefer to change a bicycle tube every time you get a flat? Or do you economize and decorate with 10 patches before finally succumbing to total replacement? Barring any major tears in the rubber, my practice is to patch a tube 3 times with the fourth flat or slow leak necessitating a new tube. Ultimately, whether you patch or swap a new tube is more about personal preference and what makes a cyclist comfortable and confident on the road.
I will patch as a matter of practice, but I can't recall ever getting more than about 3 or 4 patches on a tube before I end up with a slash or split that can't be patched. Fortunately (and I know I'm taunting the innertube gods with this), I don't get so many that it's an overly-expensive endeavor to keep good tubes on hand. I tend to run w/ Pasela Tourguards (or whatever their new version of that is), so that helps quite a bit to prevent anything from getting to the tubes to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI know plenty of folks that will take their flats in to the LBS for a new tube, every single flat. That's got to get a little spendy, I would think. If it brings peace of mind, though, I guess there's that bit of security on a ride.
Wolf.
Wolf - I hear you about riding on good tires, thereby experiencing as few flats as possible. It took me many years to come to that realization, but I'm glad I did. A few extra pennies (okay, dollars) upfront means less hassle and angst on the road.
DeleteAlmost certainly, if I get a flat while I'm riding (as opposed to getting a flat and not noticing it until the next time I go to ride), I will replace it with a new tube and then patch the old one as a spare when I get home. I just don't enjoy patching on the side of the road. There have been moments though when I didn't have a spare tube with me, so that pretty well leaves me with one option. I tend to be of the mindset that 2-3 patches is all I care to deal with on a tube. I think it also depends on the tubes. I've spent more and less money on tubes and if I've spent more, I'm more likely to reuse the tube than one that was quite inexpensive. I've had good luck with Schwalbe tubes, but they usually aren't found cheaply, and I've also had decent use out of inexpensive or no-name/off-branded tubes. Regardless, I think that tossing a tube every time I get a flat is wasteful, so even though I may not be into patching on the side of the road, it will get reused down the line.
ReplyDeleteGE - when you replace your tube do you automatically check the tire to see if the flat causing debris is still stuck in the rubber? I'm of the mindset that if I can locate the source that caused the puncture, I might as well patch the tube, pulling only the section of tube out of tire and patching it on the spot. It's interesting how everyone does this task a little differently.
DeleteYes. I definitely check for debris stuck in the rubber. Most of the time, I don't find anything, but there have been occasions when there is something still remaining (usually glass or a goathead around here). On the bikes that have the super-puncture resistant tires, I cannot get them off by myself on the side of the road (they are ridiculously difficult to get off the rim), so I'm pretty well in trouble if that happens. To my count, it's only happened once in the many years I've had them, and in that instance, I had to call for a rescue ride and get help with the flat repair later.
DeleteI've debated whether or not having these tires is a good thing or not. I appreciate the fact that I almost never get flats riding these, but if I can't get them off the rim, that is of concern - especially if there isn't anyone to call for rescue.
It is interesting how each person kind of has his/her own way of dealing with flats on the road side and patch repair in general. Some people do prefer to just toss the tube once it has flatted and start fresh, but it just seems wasteful to me until it has at least a bit more use.
While riding it just depends on the situation whether I'll patch or replace. If I do replace I'll patch the punctured tube once home. I don't have a limit to how many times I'll patch a tube but can't recall any more than a 2 or 3 times.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm riding and don't want to disrupt my rhythm or flow--or am simply pressed for time--I'll replace the tube and patch later.
ReplyDeleteI have a "three flats and it's out" rule. In the bike shops in which I worked, we never patched flats because, given the amount of time it took, it cost as much, or even more than replacing the tube. Also, patches weaken tubes, so if the same tube flats a week later, the customer thinks the mechanic didn't do a good job.