Author Topic: How many patches?  (Read 9913 times)

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Offline hikerjer

How many patches?
« on: September 30, 2019, 06:35:42 pm »
So while this question applies specifically to my mountain bike,  I think it's relevant to any bicycle. I just put the sixth patch on the tube to my mountain bike (dang goat head thorns).  All the previous patches are holding fine and this one probably will too.  Still, I wonder when is enough.  How many punctures do you repair before replacing the tube? I know the time comes to just toss the tube and get a new one but I'm kind of a cheap guy.

Thank you.

Offline John Nelson

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2019, 04:09:34 am »
17

Offline BikePacker

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2019, 09:21:56 am »
1.

Offline dkoloko

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2019, 11:03:19 am »
Six. Very arbitrary number. Less important for me now for my touring bike, as that current bike runs tubeless.

Offline driftlessregion

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2019, 01:39:47 pm »
42. The answer to so many questions.

Offline BikeliciousBabe

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2019, 03:33:39 pm »
I haven't patched a tire in a long time.

Offline DanE

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2019, 04:26:51 pm »
I don't count the number but I stop when I have to put a patch over an existing patch.

Offline staehpj1

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2019, 08:28:42 am »
No particular number, when I am not comfortable with the location or coverage of a patch.

That or when I am too lazy to do a patch and instead just put in a tube.  Once a tube comes out and is in the tool bag, it is likely to get rejected before the next trip if it has patches.  I like to start tours with new or near new spares, but never pull out an installed tube just because it has patches unless maybe I am installing new tires.

OTOH, I love the tubeless setup on my MTB so much that at some point I'd consider stopping the use of tubes altogether.  I have not explored that option for touring and road though.

Offline Pat Lamb

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2019, 11:00:22 am »
I know I've topped a dozen.  In all but two cases*, the previous patches held until an unrepairable hole struck.  That can be something like the aforementioned puncture too close to a previous patch, puncture near or separation of a valve, or a blowout that's too big to patch.

* I'm about half way through a box of 100 Rema patches, so between that and the 4-6 patches in little repair kits I've used on tours, that's a failure rate of probably one in 35-40 patches.

Offline zerodish

Re: How many patches?
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2019, 09:34:33 am »
You need to replace the tube when any new patch has to overlap an existing patch. These will leak. Also it is time to get a new tube if any existing patch starts to peel.