Exactly! I've always considered plugs to be temporary fix to get home. As seen by how many people have them come loose or can be pulled out manually. Then I'll remove tyre for proper patching from inside. Even type of patch used makes difference. You want Camel patches with red/brown uncured rubber layer which includes sulfur. This layer is permanently fused to tyre with vulcanizing fluid which reacts with the sulfur. This patch becomes permanent part of tyre and can't be removed. Try peeling it off and you'll end up ripping patch and tearing tyre because junction is so strong.
Tire Repair
- Thread starter PmodelinUS
- Start date
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
And there will be just as many people, or more, who will state that the externally applied repair kept the leak sealed for the remainder of the life of the tire with no further intervention.
That's the fun part of anecdotal evidence, it's worth what we pay for it.
Yes, but I have never ever seen properly applied vulcanizing patch fail and I've been patching tyres for 40-yrs. On autos too. Must be close to thousand by now. I've had plenty of my own and other's plugs fail. I always yank on them hard before riding off. Sure, good plug with vulcanizing fluid can last rest of tyre's life, but overall failure rate is still higher than proper patches on inside. Partly because there's so many crappy plug kits out there with poor glues.
In early days, yes I had patches not work on bicycle tubes when I was learning during my paper-boy years. Prep is most important part, have to sand off mould-release layer on inside of tyre. And use proper vulcanizing patch with uncured rubber. There's difference between Rema TipTop vs. Camel patches. That's why so many plugs and worms fail, they don't fully bond to inside of tyre. And rubber-cement is NOT same as vulcanizing fluid. It doesn't have ethylcyclohexylamine which generates poly-vinyl cross-linking with sulfur.
There's this thing known as stress-riser and engineers spend lots of time designing parts so that loads are transferred along part cleanly. I've tracked and raced plenty of patched tyres until they're fully worn. I would certainly not do that on plugged tyre because you damage lots of casing cords from using reamer.
There's lots of mis-labeling of parts, probably due to some translation issues were "rubber cement" is used in cases where it really is "vulcanizing fluid". In most cases however, "rubber cement" really is rubber cement like we used in kindergarten. Without sending off for chemical analysis, you can drip drop onto glass table and see how it dries. Vulcanizing fluid has ethylcyclohexylamine catalyst that activates sulfur and not a glue-layer. So when it dries, there's nothing left. Rubber cement dries into rubber ball.
Rubber cement is a glue, that's what holds 2-layers of paper together. And it's a weak glue. Try applying non-sulfur patch (all black) with rubber cement and you'll be able to peel patch off later. A vulcanized patch has bonds across joint and both layers are fused together. You'll end up tearing patch and tyre trying to separate them.
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Where would one buy vulcanizing fluid and uncured rubber plugs in bike-sized containers?
Oh heck. this is my thread. Some may know that I once lived on the lovely Mediterranean Island of Malta.
The roads there are really, really 3Dimensional and if you don´t have a repair tool you are screwed, in fact there are road side tire repair shops all over the place where they repair your tires while you wait. No big deal.
I pulled into a shop to get my tire fixed after a nail had gone in and was out again in ten minutes, I did see the guy chuck the nail back into the road, to drum up trade I suppose.
As a rule I had five or several repairs on each tire by the time it was ready to be changed and on one occasion I got a flat with brand new tires straight out of the shop on my way home. I cant remember a time when I had no repairs on the lovely island of Malta.
Since then I have learned to trust repair kits and always have one or two in the storage.
He, he! Did a roadside repair with the kit on the only (well, they like to call it a motorway) main road on the island between Mosta and St. Pauls after my shift at two in the morning.
The roads there are really, really 3Dimensional and if you don´t have a repair tool you are screwed, in fact there are road side tire repair shops all over the place where they repair your tires while you wait. No big deal.
I pulled into a shop to get my tire fixed after a nail had gone in and was out again in ten minutes, I did see the guy chuck the nail back into the road, to drum up trade I suppose.
As a rule I had five or several repairs on each tire by the time it was ready to be changed and on one occasion I got a flat with brand new tires straight out of the shop on my way home. I cant remember a time when I had no repairs on the lovely island of Malta.
Since then I have learned to trust repair kits and always have one or two in the storage.
He, he! Did a roadside repair with the kit on the only (well, they like to call it a motorway) main road on the island between Mosta and St. Pauls after my shift at two in the morning.
AHahhaha!!! My father-in-law lived on Malta for decades in his yout! Glad to hear that things haven't changed much!
Plugs are available with uncured rubber for max-strength vulcanizing. Not sure how you'd install in-the-field though.
I also carry some Slime sealant. I refill my old kit with these supplies:
rope-plugs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CIQLBM
rope-plugs (qty 60) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PW95DZW/
vulcanizing fluid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GD3P434
I use this for permanent repair when I get home: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JF2ZB8
Stitching roller is key to success: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1XZJ3W7/
It forces uncured rubber from patch that's undergoing vulcanization deeper into surface of tyre for extra strong bond.
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Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Whether what you have stated is correct or not is besides the point, the below still applies.
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
Leaves the question if to choose black or red "Bacon Strips"...
(black came with my Slime kit, red the ones one can obtain, just topped up for a Norway run...)
Picked up a drywall screw in Scotland, simply unscrewed it, filled a can of common breakdown spray, made it all the way back home to Austria with no issues or leaks...
So this might be the first, quick attempt before enlarging the puncture by reaming to glue/vulcanize a worm in...
If the goo doesn't hold, I'd grab the Bacon Strip kit...
Permanent repairs are however debated over, the object penetrating could have broken carcass wires, structural integrity impaired, even de-laminating seems possible, safety concerns...
So especially on motorcycle tires replacement is recommended...
I had one you can't fix awhile back. Sixty miles out of town, the rear end starts feeling loose. "Damn, another flat tire!" I moan. Takes like a mile to find a place where I can get off the road. I'm limping along at ten miles an hour as traffic whizzes by. Even got passed by a couple of bikes who seemed annoyed that I was on the far side of the road running with my right turn signal on. No emergency flashers on ole V-Ger. By time I get off the road the thing is completely flat. Need to look like Schwarzenegger to pull an ST up on the center stand with a flat rear tire. I pull over and get out my pump, plugs and tools, and start looking for the culprit. Can't find a screw or nail or anything. Can't hear any hiss either. Hook the pump up to it and start pumping air. Thing is so noisy I can't hear the leak, but it doesn't seem to be taking much air. I quickly pull the pump and THEN I find the leak. It's the valve stem. It's torn. no way to repair it on the road. Bead breaker is home in the shop. Had to call my brother to bring the trailer. Second time in fifty years of riding that I've had to trailer a bike home. Moral of the story, when you change the tire, change the valve stems. Don't think I did last time.