Punctures of the Paranormal

[Marchrider]

Only 3. That's time to replace. Although I do know someone who has more patches than tube on some tubes, I've seen them.

I would go to a dozen or more -

anyway, took the valve to bits, put a new inner bit in lubed with a dot os silicone grease, blown it back up - but will have to wait at least 2 days to see if its worked

 

[fossyant]

I would go to a dozen or more -

anyway, took the valve to bits, put a new inner bit in lubed with a dot os silicone grease, blown it back up - but will have to wait at least 2 days to see if its worked

Life is too short. And how old are the tubes by then. Most of my tubes are many years old by the time I've had three punctures. Time to renew.

 

[Marchrider]

Life is too short. And how old are the tubes by then. Most of my tubes are many years old by the time I've had three punctures. Time to renew.

I don't know - think I got that one out of a skip

seriously though do you ken the price of tubes now, that could be a fiver - and I have big problems when it comes to spending money

 

[grldtnr]

I'd agree,3 patches and it's out!
I 'm not a fan of sealants ,once in the tube, you can never reliably patch them, and it's just the way of things some tubes just become permeable and if it's 4 day deflation, just not worth a repair, time to replace or use as an emergency spare by which time it goes down pretty quickly.

It's the puncture fairy , the most malevolent bog the puncture gates doings.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I don't know - think I got that one out of a skip

seriously though do you ken the price of tubes now, that could be a fiver - and I have big problems when it comes to spending money

Not entirely surprising it has a puncture, then. I appreciate not wanting to spend money, but how much time have you invested in all this patching and investigating?

 

[grldtnr]

Not entirely surprising it has a puncture, then. I appreciate not wanting to spend money, but how much time have you invested in all this patching and investigating?

Umm ! I detect a hint of sarcasm here, as if March rider actually did skip dive for that tube...,.they might have, but luck to you if you expected it be a good tube.

 

[Ajax Bay]

will have to wait at least 2 days to see if its worked

Above was the OP's comment 'last year'. 13 days on, howsit going? Holding air?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Umm ! I detect a hint of sarcasm here, as if March rider actually did skip dive for that tube...,.they might have, but luck to you if you expected it be a good tube.

Not particularly intended, so sorry if it came over that way. I expect my job makes me very suspicious of mystery tubes: from experience, there's a reason they've been dumped or donated, and nothing good will come of using them.

It took a while to convince sceptical clients, but eventually I was able to get rid of all these:

The turning point was when I said that if they wanted to keep them, then they needed to organise them by size and valve type...

 

[Marchrider]

OK, some explanations

there was a wheel I got out of a skip a couple of years back, I wanted the bearing out of it (although it turned out to be no good) in fact the only worthwhile thing on it was the inner tube. I have absolutely no idea if the tube in this thread is that tube, but it could be.

But even if it was, my guess is it was probably trouble free for most of last year and only started loosing this little bit of pressure for xmas. I do joke about my inability to spend money, of course I could buy another - But one of my great loves in life is fixing, restoring and making things. and amongst that hobby is a fascination of how things work - I had tried to fix this puncture but couldn't even find the source of the leak, I can't let that lie, at the very least want to know why it is leaking

And yes, with a bit more patience I did get to the bottom of it, and it is interesting. You will see from the picture below (sorry its a bit out of focus) that it was in fact two leaks, one either side of a patch, right on the seam. I was convinced it must be the valve but it wasn't!

For years when fixing a puncture near the seam I have sanded away the seam worried that the repair would fail because of it, air would find its way along that bridge, but I was convinced by others that this attention to detail was a madness - "just stick the patch on". and I know I spend far too long faffing about with anything I am working on. So on a few occasions i have "just stuck the patch on", and in away I'm pleased one of them has failed in the very way I thought it would

I stuck another two patches on, and a week or so later (150mile later) tyre still fully inflated - I see no reason why properly repaired tubes with a dozen patches on can't be as good and as trustable as a new one

I will enjoy knowing that I fixed it and enjoy that it has not went to landfil

 

[Ajax Bay]

I see no reason why properly repaired tubes with a dozen patches on can't be as good and as trustable as a new one

With your conditional ("properly repaired") they can be as "good" as new, but you cannot test the quality of the patch, beyond letting it cure, putting air in it to expand the tube diameter to greater than its in-tyre 'norm' and leaving it to demonstrate its airtightness for a day (and I assume anyone reading this does that already).
But every patch generates an incremental hazard (for example as you've discovered) so that should affect a rational cyclist's "trust". And the risk of that hazard being realised increases linearly with every patch. This risk is additional to the 'normal' risk.
I think, and clearly your and others' MMV, once a tube has been patched twice, the third time it fails it's for the recycling bin.

 

[EckyH]

But every patch generates an incremental hazard

That's why I learned to use patched tubes only on the rear wheel - there it is a bit less hazardous than on the front wheel.

E.

 

[Katana]

I seem to have one of those annoying punctures at the moment that takes about 4 days to deflate, need to pump the tyre up every ride. I have had the tube out yet again today, and this time spent an age holding sections of it under the water, holding it there fir ages looking for that one dot of air escaping - at the valve I must of stared unblinking for five minutes

whats going on when this happens - had a similar one a year or two back, cured it with a new tube, seems such a waste sending a near perfect tube off to landfill

Is there anything that can be added to the tyre to cure these things - bearing in mind that I have to let the tyre down to remove the rear wheel, so whatever I add can't stay in permanently

Now this may seem bit far fetched but believe me it happened with me once as my usual rides are on tow paths. I often get punctures due to haw thorns scattered by irresponsible farmers. I once had a similar situation where by there were no visible sign of a thorn lodged in the rear tyre and I couldn’t feel it either when I ran my fingers inside the tyre. However every time I replaced a new tube the tyre would deflate after 3/4 days. On very close inspection of the tyre it transpired that a very small thorn was lodged at such an angle that it would only just poke the tube under weight but otherwise not visible at all!!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Now this may seem bit far fetched but believe me it happened with me once as my usual rides are on tow paths. I often get punctures due to haw thorns scattered by irresponsible farmers. I once had a similar situation where by there were no visible sign of a thorn lodged in the rear tyre and I couldn’t feel it either when I ran my fingers inside the tyre. However every time I replaced a new tube the tyre would deflate after 3/4 days. On very close inspection of the tyre it transpired that a very small thorn was lodged at such an angle that it would only just poke the tube under weight but otherwise not visible at all!!

I had that a couple of time
took a very close inspection of teh thread pattern to find it. It was an oldish tyre and the tread was a bit thinner

I checked the other tyre - which was a marathon - and dug 7 things out of it
some were hawthorn and a couple of bits of metal

thicker tread on the marathon had stopped them

 

[Marchrider]

Now this may seem bit far fetched but believe me it happened with me once as my usual rides are on tow paths. I often get punctures due to haw thorns scattered by irresponsible farmers. I once had a similar situation where by there were no visible sign of a thorn lodged in the rear tyre and I couldn’t feel it either when I ran my fingers inside the tyre. However every time I replaced a new tube the tyre would deflate after 3/4 days. On very close inspection of the tyre it transpired that a very small thorn was lodged at such an angle that it would only just poke the tube under weight but otherwise not visible at all!!

not far fetched at all, I had a pair of shoes that done that once

and it is not always irresponsible for farmers to leave the hawthorn clippings, with them embedded in the tyre you would have exceptional grip on these otherwise treacherous roads - they make fine improvised ice spike tyres (seriously, when you think it couldn't get worse)

these little riverlets are fine to cycle up providing there is no ice underneath, when you come across a bit you hit the deck in a nano second

 

[Katana]

not far fetched at all, I had a pair of shoes that done that once

and it is not always irresponsible for farmers to leave the hawthorn clippings, with them embedded in the tyre you would have exceptional grip on these otherwise treacherous roads - they make fine improvised ice spike tyres
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