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Home→Bicycling News→Don’t Let Bad Glue Stop You On The Road

Don’t Let Bad Glue Stop You On The Road

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This Sunday I was out riding across the McKay Causeway over Lake Houston. This stretch of road is where I have had more flat tires than any where else. Riding about 20mph I heard the tire hissing back at me with the sad news that I had a flat. The usual cause is a small piece of wire entering the tire and tube. I wonder where these small pieces of wire come from. Street sweeper brushes? Radial tires shredding?

Out on the causeway is not a good place to patch a tube with all of the noise from the passing traffic. Walking about a half mile got me to a quiet side street. As I prepared to patch the tube I started to worry about the glue in my patch kit. Without another option I went ahead and patched the tube, aired up the tire and was satisfied with the fix. The patch got me home but the next morning I checked the tire and the air had left. So much for the glue and patch.

The moral of this experience; do not be cheap and try to keep glue unused over the winter months, or long time period. Replace your patch kit when spring arrives and avoid getting stuck on the road.

In a side note: I have tried the quick adhesive patches with no success. There must be a trick I do not know to get these to work. If you know what it is let me know.

Posted in Bicycling News permalink

About Rick Ankrum

In 1999 I had a burning desire to create a web site focused on Texas bicycling. Over the years this web site has existed many people have visited. As I think of information I need to bicycle I add them to the web site.

Comments

Don’t Let Bad Glue Stop You On The Road — 3 Comments

  1. I love the “glueless kits” but, much the same as a traditional “glue” patch kit, the real key to a successful patch is the proper preparation of the surface of the tube and making sure not to touch the surface of the patch. If you don’t completely expose the virgin rubber of the tube, the patch (whether glued or glueless) has very little chance of success. You need to use the sandpaper (or whatever abrasive is provided with the kit) to completely remove all the oxidized rubber or powder from the patch site and you need to make the prepared area larger than the patch to ensure that the edges of the patch have a good sealing point.
    It is also worth noting that if the puncture is near a raised “seam” in the tube, you will need to completely sand/file that ridge down for the entire area covered by the patch – if you don’t, the air will have a nice little channel provided by that ridge and will gradually leak back out.

    One final note – the “glue” in patch kits is not glue. It is a vulcanizing compound that actually “melts” the rubber and fuses the patch and the tube into one. With that being said, the procedures for vulcanizing are different than the procedures for gluing and if you want the very best results, apply the vulcanizing compound and let it dry to a “skinned over” state before you apply the patch. This will greatly assist the patch to adhere more securely and faster. After you get the patch on (whether glueless or glued) I usually “knead” the patch into the tube and stretch the patch with the tube a bit to really allow them to grow into one.

    My patches RARELY (if ever) leak.

  3. Great advice. I must confess in the heat of approaching darkness or a time deadline I try to shortcut the process. I will slow down and use the abrasive as it should be and look for more success. My problem with the glue was the solvent had mostly evaporated and the color was milky white from the tube rather than the almost clear it should be.

    There must be a conspiracy to sell more complete patch kits since I have never found a place to buy just the rubber cement. Everyone wants to sell a full kit.

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