Patches, Should I depend upon ya Son?

[MaggieMan]

In all the years I have been riding I have never before had a flat tire ... until now. Picked up a small nail in the stock rear tire the other day. After 1 1/2 years I have whopping 4250 miles on the clock and factory tires. So other than the nail head, the rear tire looks very good. I'm not cheap ... but I am frugal! I would hate to throw away a tire that could potentially serve for another 4K+ miles.

So, my question is, would you trust an otherwise good tire that has been patched on your bike?

And what about plug patches vs. the internal kind? Or both?

Of course, I'm only asking your opinion about what *you* would do, not what *I* should do.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Mellow]

I would patch w/mushroom or worm plug and not look back. Taking it somewhere to put an internal plug in it might further add to the cost of that tire but if you could do that cheaply, it's the preferred approach.

 

[spiggotpaddy]

I have used a PLUG few times in the past, even tried that anti puncture goo before. But rubbers are so good these days its a rarity.

 

[Yoda]

I think there may be a SLIGHT misunderstanding in the translation from the Irish response. Oh, yeah!

 

[spiggotpaddy]

You mean we can't spell tyres?

 

[Phil Tarman]

I'm willing to try a mushroom plug or the gummy worm plug. My "vast" experience shows that if they last the first few days, they're likely to last the life of the tire.

 

[RedLdr1]

If you are close to a repair facility I would pull the tire and have an internal combination "plug and patch" inserted from the inside. That is the "best" repair supposedly and I have had them done on bike and car tires with no issues. I have also used a Stop and Go repair kit "gummy worm" to repair a flat on the road without any issues as well. But I feel more comfortable with the "plug and patch" so it is what I would do given a choice.

My "vast" experience shows that if they last the first few days, they're likely to last the life of the tire.

Same here....

 

[Warren]

Plug it and if the hole is small and in the center of the tread you should have no problems.

 

[charlie b]

I'd use an internal plug/patch. I don't mine external plugs in car/truck tires, where I carry a spare and extra patch material, but, on a bike not sure I would trust an external plug more that just for the ride home.

Many others have run plugged tires for thousands of miles. Others get a couple hundred.

 

[MaggieMan]

Thanks guys. I am familiar with the internal patches and worm plugs from car tires but had never known about the mushroom plugs. I think the internal patches are possibly best, but since that requires the removal of the wheel from the bike and the tire from the wheel ... and I ain't gonna do that myself ... I think I will try the mushroom plug first and see if I get lucky.

 

[bicyclist]

I think I will try the mushroom plug first and see if I get lucky.

I'd recommend the sticky string kit. The mushroom plugs are much more sensitive to proper installation and wound size. They have an unacceptably high failure rate, IMHO. If you decide to use the mushroom plugs, practice on an old tire until you have it down pat. When you're reaming, turn the reamer in one direction only to twist the belt wires out of the way.

 

[Phil Tarman]

When you're reaming, turn the reamer in one direction only to twist the belt wires out of the way.

George, that's a tip I've never heard before. Thanks. I've had 50% success with the mushroom plugs. The one I put in a friend's brand new rear tire lasted him 12,000 miles. The one I put in my 5,000-mile PR3 lasted me about 1530 miles... and that was on a Bun Burner Gold attempt!

I'm pretty sure I've reamed in both directions. I'll stop that!

 

[bicyclist]

I've had 50% success with the mushroom plugs.

Yeah, that's the trouble with the damned things. They're not reliable. If the hole is the right size and you do the dance just right, they work. Otherwise, yer screwed. I hit a piece of metal one time. It left a sort of v shaped hole that a mushroom plug would never have filled. A couple of sticky strings got me to where I could fix it properly.