Cheap ways to repair bicycle tube

It seems that no matter what I try, there is always some way for the small air leak to pop through the membrane. Any suggestions?

I don't want to buy a new tube.

 

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I have kevlar laminated tyres, they're gerrrrreat!

Have you checked the inside of the tyre for foreign matter? sometimes you can have a minute prick causing perpetual punctures.

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When I had a BMX I used to coat the patch in evo stick. That sealed any leaks in the patch.

 

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look at the tube closely and pull it like you are trying to tear it apart.
the surface should remain smooth.
if cracks develop then the tube is dry rotted and needs replaced.

if the above check passes then there are a number of possibilities.
first examine the rim where the tube rides.
there should be no spokes coming through, if there are then file them down.
second examine the sides of the rim.
third examine the inside of the tire. make sure there are no 'baddies'.
except for the cord the inside of your tire should be smooth.
fourth make sure you don't have to double the tube when installing it

 

If there are no foreign object in the tire or the rim, and there are no spokes poking through (there should even be a rubber protector in the inside of the rim), then you either have to buy a new tube, or buy a patching kit. The latter is cheaper, but will require you to actually find the hole, and it isn't as reliable.

 

Patches are fine, as long as you take your time about them.

I bought some spare tubes a few months back assuming I'd blow the patches off pretty quick, but they've lasted well. Even with a few trips to Glentress.

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and somebody left their thong on the funbox?

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Fill it with air and submerge it in water, squeezing it and look for where the bubbles come from.

 

I've found the hole - and the surface is still smooth when I stretch it.

But what material do you use to patch it up? more rubber?

 

Pretty much.

Puncture repair kits usually have different sized patches of rubber, some chalk, a tube of glue and rough parts on the box to scrape the tube and give it some grip.

You could probably get away with using a bit off an old tube, cut down to cover the hole about 1/4" all the way around. Rough the area around the hole (and your cut piece) up with a little bit of sandpaper, clean it, wait til it's dry then stick glue around the hole. Stick the patch down, then put a little glue around the edges of the patch once it's dried, so it's all stuck down. Then scrape some chalk onto it and make sure it's smooth enough to run your finger over. Talc should work too, I guess.

 

so what is the problem? you keep getting blowouts?
edit
are you trying to patch the same hole over and over and it keeps failing?

self vulcanizing patches. you also need the glue to apply them.

 

you know, just get a new tube, they're not horribly expensive, especially if you get plain, simple, inexpensive ones you can plan on blowing appart if that's your thing. if you want to patch something up, leopold's right, they make some great patches, the kind I used had were extra thick to give the leaked area even more protection, and the kit was just a portable one that fit in an inch-by-inch case!

but I'm not an expert, and thankfully i've only had to chage a set of tubes once and patch a tube once, rims, however, are a different story... nothing quite like having your bike fly out from under you only to roll sideways down the hill bending the rims so bad that one couldn't ride home with the brake calipers on... a fun ride that was...

 

Make sure you know what's causing the flats as well. I had a problem for awhile where I'd get flats all the time, even when not riding it. Turns out the tube was getting pinched inside. Line the tire with cloth to better prevent that.

- N

 

Yes. I don't have a source of rubber around - not even rubber bands.

Rubber cement cures, but unfortunately it forms bubbles around the site of application that gives it a weakness. Approaching 30-40 psi makes it burst. This is probably because I'm using a rigid material to patch it up - specifically, glossed paper from mail commercials. Laminating helps a lot, but still doesn't prevent eventual rupture.

I need to get it up to 60 psi.

 

i would suggest buying a new tube and keeping the old one to use for patching material.

 

Tubeless tires are used on racing bikes, they have to glue them on.

 

If you have a puncture repair kit it should have a small metal object like the sides of a cheese grater. Use this to scratch the tube where the holes are as this should make the patches stick better.

Aside from that I have no Idea what you should do, every time I try to fix tyre tubes it doesn't work.

If you end up gettin new tubes save the old ones, they're devilishly useful to tie things down with.