Warning: patch kits are a scam for some tires now

I had a slow leak on my bike tire last Tuesday and grabbed a standard patch kit from the local shop in Akron. After 15 minutes of sanding and gluing, the patch just peeled off on my ride to work the next day. Turns out, some newer inner tubes have this smooth coating that glue won't stick to at all. Wasted $4 on the kit and 2 hours messing around. Has anyone else run into tubes that just refuse to take a patch?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinhunt7d ago

Yeah that smooth coating is a real pain. I had the same thing happen with a tube from a big box store last fall. The trick is to scuff it up with coarse sandpaper or even a file until you see the rubber actually start to look fuzzy and dull. You gotta really grind into it, not just a light sanding. Also, try using a vulcanizing fluid instead of the glue that comes in those cheap kits, that stuff bonds way better on those slick tubes. Just watch your fingers, that fluid is nasty if you get it on anything else.

blake_murray7d ago

Scuffing it up good is definitely the way to go. I had a tube from a hardware store last spring that was like trying to glue a wax paper together, nothing would stick. Ended up taking a rasp to it until the rubber was all rough and fluffy, then used some rubber cement from a tire repair kit instead of the patch glue. That held up way better than I expected. Just gotta be careful not to go too deep with the rasp and poke a hole in it.