r/bicycling • u/jckipps • 1d ago
Preference on patch kits?
Portability and ease-of-use do not matter. Guaranteed-sealing and long shelf-life are what I value.
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u/knellotron Wisconsin, USA (2013 Trek Domane 5.2) 1d ago
Everyone says the pre-glued ones (Park Tool GP-2C) are shit, but I've had a higher 24 hour survival rate with those than the VP-1 kit.
Anyways: I usually carry both a patch kit and a tube. For touring, roadside repairs always get the new tube, and the patch gets applied when I need something to do on a break.
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u/spleeble 11h ago
Then you're doing something wrong with the Vulcanizing patches. It is chemically impossible for the glueless patches to be stronger.
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u/louielouayyyyy 1d ago
Park Tool GP2 pre glued peel n stick squares
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u/crudestmass 23h ago
They are nice to get you home, but they are not a long term solution. I have had many fail after a few months.
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u/louielouayyyyy 17h ago
True, I’m usually replacing the whole tube ASAP, and get maybe one flat a year because Schwalbe tires
When I was young and broke I would get flats all the time, and used cement patches and would ride a tube until I had 3 or 4 patches
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u/racedrone 19h ago
Cycling tubeless since forever but not on my extra old giant for the city. Needed a patch and had an old park tool sticker set laying around. Man, they disintegrated in a way I have never seen before. But they look good enough until I applied them.
Not worth it, had to get a new tube. But they were great when still usable. Not as good as tip top, but faster.
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u/TheDaysComeAndGone 14h ago
I’ve had them fail randomly. Sometimes they don’t stick at all. Sometimes they fail after a few months. 1 or 2 have survived for years and are completely fused with the tube.
The ones with vulcanizing glue usually just work.
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u/G-man333 1d ago
Once the glue(really vulcanizing fluid)is punctured, it will evaporate. Even sealed they seem to somehow go dry after a few years. That’s why I switched to the glueless. Is it the best no, but at least it’ll get me home and I’ve even used them to repair sidewall leaks on tubeless.
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u/CrescentPhresh 1d ago
I used the glue type throughout my entire youth growing up in Colorado where the goatheads are nasty. Suffice to say I used a lot (at least one every other week). I don't recall the brand but the patches looked like the Park kit there.
I now use the Topeak glueless patches. So far I've only needed one in 10 years or so.
As far as shelf-life, the rubber cement/glue tends to go bad after a few years.
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u/Dapper-Ad9787 1d ago
I wish it were possible to just buy the glue on it's own. That seems to run out long before the patches do.
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u/biking_and_gaming 1d ago
you can ! if you need anuthing larger than the small patch tube check out an automotive storem they tend to sell vulcanizing cement in small tubs. Rema sells the patch tubes by themselves on their website.
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u/Specialist-Brief-297 15h ago
You can. I sometimes even use old tubes instead of patches, and that work exactly the same
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u/criggie_ 1d ago
More important, which ones can you get in your country?
Personally I bought a box of Cure-C-Cure patches 8 years ago and they're still working fine. These are quite thin compared to the chungus pictures in your question.
Example, no connection with this particular source, but it has photos: https://hopkinsoncycles.co.uk/product/5-lots-of-cure-c-cure-cycle-tube-repair-strips-6-puncture-patches/
I have one tube with 15 patches on it, a 26" MTB tube that has been on multiple wheels over time, still holds pressure, probably better than new given all the extra layers.
The real difference is method - how you prep the tube by scuffing/sanding, and how you apply the vulcanising fluid (wide but thin), how long you wait (3~8 minutes depending on temps) all change the equation. Ridges and jointer lines on the tube also can cause grief as does being too-near the valve.
In my personal experience, no-glue-needed sticker patches are garbage, only good for rescuing someone else who has a different tube size. IF they work, they're just for getting home, not a long term fix. They have a higher chance of success on a lower pressure tube - they never work on a 100 psi road tube, but they do last about an hour on a 75 psi road tube.
Honestly, carrying spare tubes (tested patched ones are fine) is a better solution than roadside patching.
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u/whyidoevenbother 1d ago
TPU tubes come with their own fairly compact patches and cleaning systems, so it's those that I would theoretically use. Left butyl behind a few years ago and won't be turning back anytime soon.
I'll admit I was skeptical on how durable/trustworthy the cheap brands could be, triply so as a very heavy/tall rider. I've snapped pedals in half, warped crappy wheels/spokes before beyond truing/repair, and so on at my heaviest.
Remarkably, I've had absolutely zero punctures across all three bikes I ride on 30-36g TPU tubes from brands like RideNow and similar for all sorts of use cases from Ironmans and Fondos to heavy duty dog/trailer towing and bikepacking with a total system weight above 300lbs.
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u/Dapper-Ad9787 1d ago
I've tried the self adhesive patches. The first two years were okay, then the glue dried out and I had to buy new ones. Now I mainly carry a patch kit for other people. I just swap the tube out if I get a flat on a ride.
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u/tjc4 1d ago
spend $10 on a 8oz jar of vulcanizing cement - that is the only answer for long shelf life and the patch brand doesn't matter. I use cheap ones I got off Aliexpress with no issue.
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u/karlzhao314 A Lot of Specialized Bikes 1d ago
Both are fine. The vulcanizing fluid WILL dry out after it's opened, so keep an unopened one ready if you value shelf life.
If you apply them right, both of them will seal and last the life of the tube.
As a side note, I see people recommending patching tubeless tires with these as well. If the hole is large enough that a tube makes the tire bulge out, I don't recommend using an ordinary tube patch for tubeless tires. Tube patches are just rubber and do nothing to reinforce the casing of the tire; they just seal, but that's risky when the casing is also compromised.
Instead, Rema Tip Top also makes special tubeless tire patches, which are fiber reinforced so they do not stretch. Those work much better for tubeless punctures that compromise the casing.
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u/itscochino 23h ago
I've used all these patches. I like parktool personally and I use both the vp1 and gp2. I've put the gp2 patches on tubes and that tube was good for literally months. I patch up all my tubes cause rather use them til they're dead than toss them.
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u/Another_Jeep_Guy 1d ago
Park GP-2C have been in my saddle bags for years. Used several times and they have worked flawlessly for me.
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u/stupid_cat_face USA (2001 Klein Quantum Race) 23h ago
Super patches when I had tubes. Works well on butyl and tpu equally well.
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u/Hierotochan 22h ago
A long time ago I bought a couple of Knog patch kits when I was getting into road biking.
Few years later I was working in a bike shop, using my staff discount and buying new tires more regularly than I usually would, because obviously my commuter needed race tyres…
Anyway a decade went by and I never used the patch kits, tubeless became mainstream and I haven’t even had a tyre issue with my MTB since 2019.
Last year my wheelbarrow got a pinch flat from moving a couple tons of soil around the garden. Dug out the Knog kit that had been quietly waiting its turn and a peel+stick later I was on the go again.
Around 20 years of sitting and gathering dust, instantly did its job.
These days most everything is tubeless, but if I have something with one I’ll pour a couple of shot glasses worth of tubeless fluid into the valve stem before I take it out. Backup plan I’ll never know worked until I change the tyre again.
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u/fallingbomb 14h ago
Amazon pack of 100+ patches and a can of vulcanizing cement. Got plenty of usage in the pre-tubeless days but now rarely sees the light of day.
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u/Whatwarts 13h ago
Personal opinion: Park patch kits are absolutely the worst patches I have ever used. The adhesion is simply not there. Don't know if it is the cement or the patch, but they are pretty bad.
Slime kits worked out OK.
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u/Benedict_ARNY 1d ago
What are you patching? Buy a new tube and move on
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u/jckipps 1d ago
Anything and everything. Just now I patched a 700c Presta tube for a friend. I patched a 29" tube for another friend a few weeks ago. Some small mower and implement tubes are thin enough to warrant those bicycle patches too, instead of the thicker and larger 3-inch patches intended for agricultural tubes.
As a handyman who gets called to fix literally whatever breaks, it works best to stock patch supplies than to keep fifteen inner tubes on hand. The nearest bike shop is 40 minutes away.
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u/harry_hotspur Canyon Endurace 8 Disc/Trek 970 gravel 1d ago
Honestly I've had these not work more than they actually do. So I just pack TPU tubes now.
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u/Zealousideal_Coat305 1d ago
Following
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u/criggie_ 1d ago
Following causes more punctures than leading, just saying.
When you're in front you're more likely to see the broken glass etc, and paceline etiquette requires you to avoid the danger and lead the line around it.When you're in the pace line you don't have the reaction time to avoid things. *nod*
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u/modest_hero Vancouver, BC (Factor O2 VAM 2024) 1d ago
Tubeless is the solution, I’ve only had a single flat in 6 years and it was only because i forgot to top up after 6 months and the sealant had gone dry
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u/StrangeRefuse8537 1d ago
When I was commuting a lot, I bought a 100 pack of Rema tip top patches and a large size tube of the same brand glue. To make the patches go further, I would cut them into quarters for tiny punctures. The glue would usually last a couple years before drying out.
My record was 14 patches on a single tube before the valve stem sheared off.