Inner tube repairs - is it just me ?

SWMBO can tell the difference. It's her arse and back that are in the firing line for most of the day ....

That's the one with a puncture ...

filled-solid-tyres.html

Cheers for those. Solid tyres (would be lovely !) aren't an option. SWMBO has tried them and they killed her back.

I'll keep this post bookmarked, but note that the first 3 sites have the same brain dead "filtering" that Amazon does ...

Oh gawd no ...

part of the problem is the chair is a more "active" model - where narrow tyres (and wheels) are part of the design.

I would also add, *really* scuff the area around the hole. IMO most of the bits of abrasive sheet they supply for this purrpose are not up to snuff. Best are the bit of tin, preforated to give a matrix of rough edges, that were around decades ago. Apart from the ones I have I haven't seen any for years.

My (ahem) thrifty Dad use to ride with two tyres - IIRC he removed the wire bead from one and put it inside the proper one. I bet it was a great ride...

Jon N

There are also puncture proof (solidish) tyres for wheelchairs from Greentyres. I used them on my bike 30 years ago , a swine to fit, but ....

Get a nutmeg grater.

FWIW, I have these on my wheelbarrows and they're excellent. OTOH, I don't ride around my wheelbarrows. Much.

Because you'll see it's a very odd size, and not stocked by a "real" shop.

The wheel is sealed with a shrunk on polymer. The guy in the bike shop did a thorough check before fitting tube & tyre.

Eh. Though I have re-punctured the tube with just this tire, as a splinter of glass had lodged in the foamy rubber. It was fully inside, and only came out when ridden, and so sliced the tube again. Didn't look closely enough and missed it.

Doubt that's your problem -- your patches fall off or leak, as if the glue fails?

I have used a die grinder with a stone to roughen the rubber, if it was handy at the time.

Thomas Prufer

No puncture-proof pneumatic tyre replacement has the ride quality, grip or weight advantages of an air-filled tyre, in an application like pedal cycles or wheelchairs.

My last girlfriend worked out that when her feet left the floor the tyre was OK. This was on 28 mm and about 80 psi. Now she's in a wheelchair and has small wheels with solid tyres (and so does the chair). She's not strong enough to propel herself. On her last chair there were small pneumatic tyres - a pig to change. I'm used to motorbike and pedal bike tyres, but these little ones... Almost worse than scrambler tyres.

Method I've used over 400,000 miles + other's bikes and motorbikes:

cleand the area with the little 'cheese grater' (instructions say no, but...). This gets rid of mold release, raised seam etc.

repeat with clean emery cloth - I use a bit of linishing belt; brush of dust.

now, most say 2 coats of glue, but I use 1 thick one

give it plenty of time to dry. On a cold/frosty night this could take ages, so warm it on hand or thigh.

apply patch then press it down on a hard surface - top tube will do as hard as possible

put in enough air to keep the shape and fit into tyre.

check round both beads to be sure it's seated and no pinches (a tad mor air helps with this)

inflate to half pressure and check seating. The extra pressure helps it stay on the seat.

pump up.

I drew the line at 7 patches on a tube and only a couple on the touring bike

- tyres get hot going down the Hard Knott!

Only use a good quality patch kit - I recommend Rema Tip Top. You need to sand the repair area really thoroughly - the little bit of sandpaper that comes in the repair kit isn't really up to the job. Then apply vulcanising solution to the area, and wait for it to dry. Peel the foil from the patch, apply the patch to the glued area. Rub the patch down firmly - I use a plastic tyre lever for this. Leave it for ten minutes then partially inflate the tube and check for air-tightness before refitting.

A few notes: I don't bother removing the clear plastic backing from the patch after fitting, or dusting with talc. Mark the location of the valve on the tyre before removing the tube, then you know which bit of tyre to inspect for sharp bits once you've found the puncture (but don't assume there aren't other sharp bits lurking). The little tubes of solution that come with a patch kit are okay to carry for a single application on the road, but expect it to dry up before you need it again. I have a big tube of vulcanising solution for repairs at home, I keep it wrapped in a couple of plastic bags in the back of the fridge, it has a so far lasted several years of occasional use. Carry spare tubes, so you can just swap a tube rather than try to repair it at the roadside. Then when you have collected a few punctured tubes, have a bulk patching session.

As you're also having problems with conventional patches maybe this isn't relevant.

All tyres and tubes are made in metal moulds which are coated with a release agent. Some of which is transferred.

The outsides of inner tubes are washed in a solvent which is supposed to remove most of this. The insides aren't

If you cut patches out of old innertubes which is what I take it you mean above there, then if you cut patches and put solution on the "wrong side" of the patch i.e on the inside , without first removing any release agent then the patch won't stick.

The reason you "scuff" the innertube is simply to remove the surface which despite the washing may still have traces of release agent. You could equally well use a razor blade held at right angles or even a solvent such as lighter fuel.

When you think about it, contact adhesives such as rubber solution should work best when coated on two smooth surfaces. A roughened surface of the tube can't mate with the smooth surface of a patch,

As to finishing with talc, While this can help in handling tubes generally and with sliding them into position under the tyre a coating of talc only adds to your troubles when trying to apply subsequent patches. Any surplus solution on the tube should be dry enough to rub off without any danger of it sticking to the inside of the tyre which will already be still coated with release agent in any case,

As to "hazy" like all contact adhesives, surfaces covered with rubber solution should only be mated when dry to the touch. I'd imagine if left too long they might pick up atmospheric moisture but ME anyway otherwise there's no big hurry,

michael adams

...

I'm a bit surprised by that - SWMBO has worn hers right through to the blue puncture-resistant layer in places without any punctures.

I mended lots of punctures in my youth (~60 years ago!) with a reasonable degree of success - but I didn't inflate my tyres to anything like 140 psi.

I always cleaned the surface of the tube with lighter fuel before applying the rubber solution, and then waited for that to go "tacky" before sticking the patch on. By far the best patches at the time were Romac cure-c-cure which were individually foil wrapped, and thinned at the edges so as to make subsequent lifting far less likely.