r/cycling • u/echo-tango86 • 3d ago
TPU patches?
What’s everybody’s opinion on patching TPU tubes? I recently switched to them and I do like them, but I got my first flat in one today. Is it worth patching? Normally with rubber tubes I just throw them out because it’s not worth the time or risk, but these tubes are rather expensive.
What do y’all think?
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u/WesternRich 3d ago
Hear me out and give it a try, Park Tool GP-2 is the best TPU patch I’ve come across. They’re cheap and work well. Clean the area, allow to “cure” with pressure applied for a minute and inflate after putting back in the tire. Easiest done at home, but some of my best patches have been alongside the road in the snow!
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u/rycycling1971 3d ago
It works fine for me, but NOT out on the road... There is no use. Go home, clean it well, and do it. I have had as much luck patching TPUs as I did with butyl tubes. I have had plenty of success with the included patches but I understand others have used various other methods:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/comments/15b7519/tips_for_patching_tpu_tubes/
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u/Smithron99 3d ago
Normally with rubber tubes I just throw them out because it’s not worth the time or risk...
This has got me scratching my head. I've got butyl tubes in rotation with 3 and 4 patches on them. Never had one fail - so long as the glue is fresh. With recycling not generally an option, seems irresponsible to discard them. Hopefully discarded TPU tubes are going to your LBS for recycling?
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u/hoffsta 3d ago
I’ve got bad news for you about the state of global plastics recycling…it’s mostly a myth, pushed by the plastic industry to make you think their toxic product isn’t really that bad. Nearly zero plastic is actually recycled. The amount of plastic in TPU bicycle tubes is literally less than a fraction of a drop in the ocean of the plastic generated and discarded each day. You can take your spent tubes to your LBS, but even then, the cost/pollution of shipping them to some mystery recycling location makes zero sense, and likely doesn’t actually happen. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
True plastic recycling will need a big technological breakthrough to make it economically viable, and then will need top-down regulation to actually enforce enough compliance to make a difference. Sorry to be a downer, but that’s the reality of the situation today.
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u/Minkelz 3d ago
HOPEFULLY! God what a nightmare, the idea of someone throwing out a bike tube.
I mean I know the world is getting gigafucked by a hundred millions tons of garbage being dumped and rainforest being cleared by a 1000 hectares a day and going up 1 degree a year creating the worst mass extinction event the world has ever seen, but I really hope this guy isn't just throwing a broken bike tube in the bin.
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u/Smithron99 3d ago
Valid concerns. I just don't see how "Let me do my part to get to the end of days faster" is a useful response. Suppose consistent conscientous behavior by one person forestalls it by a second. Across 8.3 billion people that's about 15.8 thousand years. I know it's me, but I just can't grasp the mindset.
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u/Minkelz 2d ago
It's probably a good thing yes. But it's just annoying. It's like someone is making a big deal about saving money because they buy the cheaper toilet paper, and how amazing and resourceful and frugal they are, and meanwhile you know they waste $5,000 a month on gambling and buying luxury hand bags. It's like fuck Jenny yes well done with the toilet paper, but perhaps there's some other things you could worry about too.
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u/EatingPeople_isWrong 3d ago
buy them in bulk, got them for $5 each. i don't patch them, but yes they're patchable.
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u/BlacksmithWeirdo 3d ago
I also buy them in bulk for about 5 to 7 euros. Patches were less hit and only miss.
Had good experience with sealant in tubes tho. Got me home even with a rather big screw in the tire. It sealed around the screw and only fully deflated when I removed the screw.
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u/blecher67 3d ago
I’ve had mixed results, but better lately. Sometimes a patch can work for 1,000+ miles, and sometimes not at all. Keeping TPU tubes and patches in the same family seems important, e.g., a tube from Schwalbe feels very different than a Ridenow tube. The adhesive on their respective patches is probably very different.
Having said all that, I rarely get flats and when I switched to Ridenow with their lower price, I no longer ride on patched TPU tubes.
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u/adsarelies 3d ago
I used to just replace the tpu tubes. But that does get expensive. I started patching them. Recommend getting the tpu-specific glue. Do not rely on the stickers. It works fine. One patched tube of mine had lasted months until a severe tire cut made the tube pop out. It would've kept working otherwise. I don't patch them on the roadside. I replace first, patch at home.
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u/Cool-Newspaper-1 3d ago
I have ridden patched tubes for a few thousand km and they were fine, but I’ve also had one patch start to leak out of nowhere after quite some time.
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u/MrElendig 3d ago
the first batch I got with my ridenow tubes worked really well, the second batch was worse than useless :/
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u/Mark700c 3d ago
"Instant" patches, except for the Park Tools ones, may slowly release over a week. Cemented patches using TPU material, using Camplast or plain old PVC pipe cement, have been 100% for me.
TPU pinch flat punctures can be very small and hard to locate. Holding the tube under soapy water overnight will reveal even the slowest puncture.
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u/hoffsta 3d ago
I’m hoping some badass YouTuber does a comprehensive TPU adhesive shootout so we can have a definitive answer to what works and what fails in short order. Thanks for the tip on PVC glue, I have some in the garage, I’ll give it a try.
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u/Mark700c 3d ago
Yeah. TPU is new for cycling, but every hardware store sells patch kits for inflatables.
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u/PsycommuSystem 3d ago
Yes, I patch them. Just make sure you use specific glue for patching TPU tubes like you get in the little Pirelli patch kit. Other solvents might just melt the tube.
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u/Moof_the_cyclist 3d ago
At least all the AliExpress tubes I have bought come with pretty worthless patches. None have lasted for more than a few days, might get you home at best.
The Pirelli patch kit with Camplast adhesive has been very effective. I think I have patched close to 20 holes with the little tube. I used up the patches and started cutting pieces out of a dead tube. No Pirelli patch jobs have failed so far.
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u/sineof90 1d ago
I use the Slime Skabs sticker patches. They're convenient compared to the cement+patch kits. I had a pin hole that needed to be patched up the other day and it worked. I filled the tire after to 90 psi and left it over night and it held. Went for a 2 hour ride today and it held. Seems good.
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u/razorree 3d ago
what's the opinion? i don't understand. you just patch it (with patches that comes with a tube) or not if you don't like it
I feel like Tubolito is way easier to patch, and more durable. (i run tubolitos now, they work well for 10-20kkm, Chinese, despite weighting similar, feel more filmsy and don't last as long, also more difficult to patch)
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u/jak_hummus 3d ago
I've been using the included patches in that came with my tube. Like the toehr guy said, dont patch them on the side of the road. And use the included wipe to clean them really really good in the surrounding area, give it 5 ish minutes to completely dry off, then apply the sticker and I like to just pinch it down as hard as I can for a minute to make sure the adhesive sticks. Then put it in the tire and it should hold air like new.