Newb questions about fixing flats.

[huskerdont]

I just bought that Topeak Road Morph pump (in the H. Meatmotor post) as a gift, and I’m a bit envious. It looks pretty sweet. I bought a Crank Bros Sterling LG Hand Pump with gauge for myself, which takes up a little less room in my pack and mounts easily should I chose to do so. I used it this weekend and it works well. Really love having a pump with a gauge that goes to 100 (which for me is good enough for roadside repair–the Topeak goes much higher though, and therein lies the envy.)

[mello yello]

@huskerdont 142627 wrote:

I just bought that Topeak Road Morph pump (in the H. Meatmotor post) as a gift, and I’m a bit envious. It looks pretty sweet.

I’ve had two of the road morph pumps, and they’re generally excellent. However, my last one didn’t quite fit into my trunk bag, and the water bottle attachment was inoperable, and I started putting in in my trunk bag and zipping around it… needless to say, I lost it on my commute a few months ago. Now I have a Nashbar pump that fits in my bag… so, regardless of how nice the pump is, it’s only to the degree that it’s practical to carry it with you.

Also, I found the other day that once one opens the tube of glue for patching, it should be checked periodically. I got out my patch kit to help someone fix their flat, only to find my glue had dried into a somewhat moist paste. Needless to say the patch didn’t hold and I gave the fellow my spare presta tube (his was a schraeder valve). The next week I found that my front wheel had developed a flat, after more than a year, and that my previous patch was still good. I’m debating storing the tube with the hole unpatched until I have one or two more (this may take years) so I use a whole tube of glue in one session.

[KLizotte]

I’ve always been concerned about putting a pump in my jersey pocket due to potential injury that may occur if I’m in an accident (via landing on it). Anyone have any real world experience in this matter?

[hozn]

I’ve scratched up a pump by falling on it (more than once, I fear), but it’s hard to imagine a small pump like the Lezyne pumps being able to really jab into one’s back. That pump really has no edges or anything sharp on it. Of course, if the jersey or pocket is very loose and the pump isn’t being held against the back, I guess this could be more likely. This certainly isn’t something I’m worried about, though. I will say that I have lost a pump by riding in the woods with it. (If anyone found a silver & black Lezyne at Wakefield, that was probably mine — but you can keep it, it’s a great little pump.) I ordered my replacement pump in a more visible blue so that I’d see it in the leaves.

[mstone]

Yes, the patch glue is a consumable. It’ll last forever unopened, but not long after. (I recently used one that said made in West Germany…)

[Harry Meatmotor]

Honestly, why does it seem that everyone around here insists on using cold vulcanizing patch kits? Glueless/self-adhesive patches work about a brazillion times better. Do yourself a favor and ditch that patch kit you bought from The Bicycle Exchange in 1989. It’s been useless for at least a decade now!

And people, patching a tube is not a permanent fix, especially if you’re patching the tube and then letting it sit uninflated. The pressure between the inflated innertube and the inside of the tire carcass helps keep the patch in place. Relying on cold vulcanizing glue to keep the patch in place while the tube sits in your garden tool shed or in your seatbag will typically end in disappointment, frustration, and potentially miles of walking.

[huskerdont]

@KLizotte 142639 wrote:

I’ve always been concerned about putting a pump in my jersey pocket due to potential injury that may occur if I’m in an accident (via landing on it). Anyone have any real world experience in this matter?

I usually mountain bike with a pump in my jersey pocket or stuffed in the back of my shorts, and I’ve fallen on it before. It hurts a bit more than just falling, but there was no real injury. I suppose if you hit it just right you could get the pump to break skin, but I can could do that anyway without the pump.

[bentbike33]

@Harry Meatmotor 142664 wrote:

Honestly, why does it seem that everyone around here insists on using cold vulcanizing patch kits?

Probably the little buzz you get from the fumes.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@huskerdont 142666 wrote:

I usually mountain bike with a pump in my jersey pocket or stuffed in the back of my shorts, and I’ve fallen on it before. It hurts a bit more than just falling, but there was no real injury. I suppose if you hit it just right you could get the pump to break skin, but I can could do that anyway without the pump.

adding to the aside, I’ve witnessed more ancillary injuries from CO2 cartridges and house keys than from mini pumps stuffed into jersey pockets. House keys are pokey!!!!

[Steve O]

@Harry Meatmotor 142664 wrote:

Honestly, why does it seem that everyone around here insists on using cold vulcanizing patch kits? Glueless/self-adhesive patches work about a brazillion times better.

Maybe I’m just old school, but I have found that if I do a good job with a patch and glue, that patch will last forever (so yes, a permanent fix IMO). The glueless ones fail after a while–at least for me. And both because I’m cheap and not a fan of throwing away perfectly good tubes because of one tiny little hole I will continue to use glue.

[Vicegrip]

Had 2 self stick patches go bad after a while. First was a no name brand so I got some well recommended brand name ones. The brand name one lasted a month before delaminating a bit and leaking. It would not come off clean enough for me to remove it so I chucked the tube. I now carry peel and stick on group rides along with a fresh tube and a CO2. All other rides it is patched but tested tubes glue and a pump

[mstone]

@Steve O 142671 wrote:

Maybe I’m just old school, but I have found that if I do a good job with a patch and glue, that patch will last forever (so yes, a permanent fix IMO). The glueless ones fail after a while–at least for me. And both because I’m cheap and not a fan of throwing away perfectly good tubes because of one tiny little hole I will continue to use glue.

Yup, I’ve never had a self-adhesive patch not fail eventually, usually in a matter of days. The messy patches last forever.

Edit to add: that said, I’ll use a self-stick on the ride because trying to use the glue on the side of the road sucks.

[huskerdont]

I carry self-adhesive patches and a new tube in my saddle bag, but will always use the new tube first. If that one goes too and I have to use a patch, I’ll change the tube to a new one when home, then throw away the patched tube. But it’s not that common to get two flats as long as you check for glass and thorns in your tire (tempting fate now, of course). Throwing the patched tube away gets rid of any worry about the patch eventually failing. I’m cheap, sure, but not about tubes. They cost little and I don’t see any reason to ride around with one that’s likely to fail.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@huskerdont 142674 wrote:

They cost little and I don’t see any reason to ride around with one that’s likely to fail.

EGGs-Zachary.

But hey, I’m a mechanic. I hate fixing my own bikes. Much more fun to ride them than fix 12 year old innertubes with stinky glue during a marathon tube-patching exercise to save $6.

Now, lets talk butyl versus latex!!! trollololol…

edit: also, to assuage any guilt associated with throwing used/punctured tubes in the trash, many shops have tube recycling programs.

[huskerdont]

@Harry Meatmotor 142675 wrote:

edit: also, to assuage any guilt associated with throwing used/punctured tubes in the trash, many shops have tube recycling programs.

This is not a thing that I knew, but now that I do, I’ll check and see which shops near me do this. If I get a flat while commuting, if there’s a shop nearby, I’ll usually stop off and get a tube to replace the one that was in my bag, so could maybe recycle the old one at the same time.

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