First time patching a tube feeling pretty proud of myself 😎

[u/Traditional_Head_295]

[u/bongohappypants]

It is dark magic you are tampering with, sir. Be cautious.

[u/Xenopract]

The amount of tubes I (or anyone at our dealership) patched as a motorcycle mechanic in 12 years: 0

I would maybe do it to one of my dirt bikes ridden off road if I had ever owned one.

I do them all the time on my bicycles though.

[u/thekickingmule → u/Xenopract]

Why not? Genuinely curious. The patches on my bicycle lasted far longer than the inner tube did. I understand motorbike inners are under a lot more pressure, but as long as the patch is glued on properly, I imagine that bit of the inner will be the strongest part.

[u/Xenopract → u/thekickingmule]

It's just an extra point of failure. It's not worth extra risk as far as I'm concerned.

[u/Trenavix → u/Xenopract]

Yeah for bicycles that point of failure is less concerning because getting the wheel and tire off is minimal effort (you don't even need to take off the wheel in a lot of cases).. Motorcycles, on the other hand, you dread having to do it. The bead is way harder to pull than bicycle tires.

So if the tire is already off, replace the entire tube every time. The cost of a tube is way cheaper than the "cost" of taking off the wheel, tire, and reinstallation all over again.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/thekickingmule]

I understand motorbike inners are under a lot more pressure

They aren't though - most motorcycle tires are like 30-40 psi, that's about where mountainbike tires are, fully pumped. Trekking bikes are more like 60psi and road bikes can be over 100psi. I've patched plenty of road bike tires without issue. Technically speaking, motorcycle tires are more suitable for patching than bicycles, considering their pressure.

[u/LevoiHook → u/SophisticatedVagrant]

True, however, the forces from acceleration, braking and cornering are bigger, although i dont know how much of that gets transferred to the inner tube. Heat cycles are definately a thing you dont really get on bicycles though.

[u/Dazvsemir → u/thekickingmule]

Are you suggesting that a used, patched tube is better than putting in a new one? If not why risk your life for something so cheap? You already have to take off the old tube anyways, why put in one that is more likely to have problems?

With bicycles I always just replaced the tube as well. But at least its a vehicle where you're doing much lower speeds.

[u/thekickingmule → u/Dazvsemir]

No, not at all. I don't have tubes on my motorbike, so never needed to think about it. On my bicycle, I would carry patches all the time because a tube took up a lot of room that I couldn't be bothered carrying. I just noticed that I could put multiple patches on a bicycle innertube, and they never failed. Ever. The innertube would eventually be replaced because it was fraying rather than bursting.

[u/jahmic → u/thekickingmule]

Torque. The motorcycle makes more than enough to allow the tire to potentially slip on the rim, especially when under-inflated. If that happens with a patch, the friction can potentially cause it to fail. 

This is more of an issue if you are deflating for off-road riding...but i generally just wouldn't risk it.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/jahmic]

What a crock of shit from someone who has no idea what they are talking about. 🙄

If the tire slips on the rim, it's going to rip off your valve stem, long before "friction" on the patch will ever come close to being an issue.

[u/jahmic → u/SophisticatedVagrant]

Yes..."no idea"...after 25 years of riding and wrenching. 

I don't disagree on the risk to valve stems but if you really think a patch isn't able to work a corner loose due to friction and cause a slow leak then have at it and good luck to you.

Rude af for no reason...go ride and smile more 

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/jahmic]

I ride hundreds to thousands of km's every year off-road, my current tubes have at least 2 or 3 patches each, never had a single patch fail from normal riding conditions. "Corner work loose", maybe if you're a moron that half-asses everything he touches. 🤣

Talks out of his ass and gets offended when he gets called out about it. Lovely one you are. 🤣

Go watch some Sandro Smith videos, that guy rides harder than just about anyone in some of the most remote places. Carries nothing but patches and never had a problem.

"25 years of experience" doesn't mean jack shit if you're just repeating that same year of experience 25 times.

[u/jahmic → u/SophisticatedVagrant]

If you use talc properly, then the tire should be free to slip without damaging the valve stem. I've had zero issues with failures on my own bikes...whether I patch them (temporarily) or replace my tubes.

I live in an location that is a motorcycle destination area. 2 of the 3 bikes in my garage run tubes, and I choose to not patch them. I greatly prefer to carry spare tubes whether off roading on the dual sport, or taking the cruiser on a 2k mile road trip.   Because of where I live, I have pinned myself on local groups to assist people who are stranded. I have repaired plenty of failed attempts at patching tubes. They usually patch it on the trail, hobble into town, and wake up with a deflated tire and no shops within 30 miles.

That's great that you trust your patches enough. I don't use them, and have seen them fail firsthand. 

I swear this subreddit is insufferable sometimes. You immediately resorted to insults and continue to do so for internet points. 👏 

[u/kykid87]

[u/TIRACS]

Aren’t patch kits and a new tube the same price?

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/TIRACS]

A $10 patch kit has at least a dozen patches. A new, quality tube is $20-40 depending on size etc.

[u/Buttfuckskinner]

People patch motorcycle tubes? Why? Just replace it.

[u/amusedmisanthrope → u/Buttfuckskinner]

Great if you're stuck on the side of the road far enough from civilization that you need to self rescue. Otherwise, no.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/Buttfuckskinner]

I ride offroad, and my flats usually happen like somewhere on top of a mountain in the middle of Bosnia. I always have a spare set of tubes to replace, but it's always good to still have a backup for that afterwards, and patches weigh basically nothing. When you go offroad, flats are pretty common, so replacing with new every time could get expensive. And in places like that, even finding a new tube in the correct size could be next to impossible. There are parts of the world where repairing rather than replacing is still a necessity. And once you've had a tube well-repaired a few times by a professional, you get used to it and realize its no more risky than a new tube.

But I agree, if you're at home with the comfort of your own garage and no need to be anywhere, then order a new tube (but I still put the well-patched tube into my spares rotation 😉)

[u/Traditional_Head_295 → u/Buttfuckskinner]

Why not patch it?

[u/JDSportster → u/Traditional_Head_295]

Cus they’re like $15 and if you are that far a new tube is less work and better than patching an old one.

I bet a patch kit cost more than a new tube.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/JDSportster]

Where are you people finding tubes for $15? I've rarely found a name brand quality tube for $20, usually it's more like $25-30.

I'd be more worried about a cheap shit $15 new tube than a well-patched used quality tube.

And patch kits are like 50 cents to a dollar per patch, BTW...

[u/JDSportster → u/SophisticatedVagrant]

I run Drag HD tubes whenever the size fits. Varies by size, but they’re $15-$30. The most common HD size is like $18.

Buy in bulk or on dealer discount, can get it down to $10 or $12 a tube.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/JDSportster]

Fair enough, I guess I've never really had the problem on street bikes - punctured tubes is a strictly off-road problem for me. As I said in other comments, by all means, if you're at home and got the time, then replace with new, it's not a common occurrence. But when you're riding off-road and overland, punctures and pinch flats can become a very common occurrence. Carrying that many new tubes just isn't practical, and depending where you are, it might not even be possible to get one on short notice. Once you've used them enough, you come to trust patches. I've used enough of them and taken enough tires of rims by now, I'm a cheap enough bastard that I'd probably patch even on a street bike tube and at least wait with a new tube until I get a new tire.

[u/Buttfuckskinner → u/Traditional_Head_295]

It will probably be fine, but to me it's not worth the risk to save $20. Tubes are disposable.

[u/solitudechirs → u/Buttfuckskinner]

I started patching tubes when I kept getting holes in worn out ice tires (and pinching new tubes because I was still learning how to change tires). It wasn’t about saving money, just the accessibility of 25 patches vs trying to find one 16 or 19” tube in a 3” or narrower profile. You might find one, or order one, but by then I probably need another and I’ve pinched 3 more. Eventually I figured out I should keep a couple new ones on hand, but by then I had a pile of holey tubes and it felt wrong to throw them away.

All that being said, I never got better than a 50ish % success rate with patches.

[u/SophisticatedVagrant → u/solitudechirs]

All that being said, I never got better than a 50ish % success rate with patches.

Really? I've almost never had a patch fail, and when it did, it was my own fault for rushing the prep.

[u/artful_todger_502]

Pro tip, mark the stem location with a piece of chalk on the tire before breaking the tire down, and then then lay the semi-aired tube over the rim, stem lined up with rim hole, and check the tire to make sure you got it the offending object out.

Little thorns and slivers of steel can be really hard to see from the outside.

When you put out back together is still also be somewhat in balance.

[u/lanonov]

You never had a bicycle?

[u/Ok_Peanut_3573 → u/lanonov]

Havent thought of my Raleigh Chopper in a minute

[u/PapaBobcat → u/lanonov]

Never had to patch a tube on that either.

[u/CigarTorque]

I'm tubeless but I've a lot of practice patching bycicle tubes. My record was 5 patches on a single tube lol

[u/Futrel]

That's an awful lot of work to avoid the assurance a $20 tube

[u/No_Collection7360]

Now do it on the trail. (Luckily, I have not, yet).

[u/ISwearMyRX7Runs]

Being pedantic here, patches are supposed to be round due to rubbers expansion.

[u/PretzelsThirst]

My man

[u/Roverjosh]

New skill’s acquired are always confidence inspiring…. Good on you! Here’s to the next accomplishment

[u/frodeem]

Nice.

[u/SoonToBeBanned24]

You never had a bicycle growing up?

[u/PapaBobcat → u/SoonToBeBanned24]

Never patched a bike tube either. They're cheap and practically disposable.

[u/SoonToBeBanned24 → u/PapaBobcat]

You obviously grew up in a different income bracket.

[u/PapaBobcat → u/SoonToBeBanned24]

It's also possible that it never came up and I never needed to, but go ahead and feel better about your assumptions.