Patch, replace, or slime??

[Skid Jackson]

My front tire has a slow leak. (lost about 6 pounds over 2 weeks, Damn i wish i could do that!) I have a bridgestone ULTRA- heavy duty tube in it. Not heavy duty, ULTRA- heavy duty, it's what they gave me when i asked for heavy duty. Think knobby tire w/the knobs taken off then stuffed inside your tire. This sucker is a monster but I think i pinched it putting it on.

Do you patch your tubes or just replace them??

Or should i try some of that slime stuff??

I trail ride so for peace of mind i'm thinking replace it. I can get way far away from the truck!!

What are your thoughts??
Thanks!

 

[derekk87]

id just patch it, they are cheap and normally hold really well

 

[1999RM125]

id carry a can of slime or a new tube and tire iron to be safe, no one wants to walk 50miles while pushing a bike, or if you dont mind you could just ride it out REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAL slow, but then you would prably have front rm problems

 

[Birken Vogt]

My new rule is to go ahead and patch it if the hole is on the outside or inside (don't ask how that might happen ;) ) portion of the tube. If it is on a sidewall I won't bother, because it will get rubbed off starting at the edges by the flexing of the tire.

When I patch a tube I use a large heavy duty patch. I rough the area up with a 60 grit stone in a die grinder (actually removing the top layer of rubber). Then I squirt it with "liquid buffer" which is available for this purpose. Then I cement the area and roll the patch down from the center out with a "stictcher" which is a tool available for this purpose. You can also use the convex end of one of those window screen installer thingies. After I am finished I dust it with talc, or failing that, I grate some soapstone or chalk over it with a file to un-stickify the remaining cement. I do all this on an anvil or something hard and sturdy.

This way I can be sure my chemical patches stick. Another easy way to do this is to use a hot patch which is a good solution in the woods, but might be a little impractical to carry with you. Different injuries and circumstances can call for different repairs.

 

[crkid]

If it is a really slow leak, chances are the puncture will be hard to spot and therefore hard to patch. That slime stuff does not work, at least not for me. I would recommend replacing it, but be careful this time.

 

[dirt bike dave]

If its only losing 6 pounds every two weeks, I would just pump it up before I ride.

 

[MTRIDER]

Why would you just pump it up ? Maybe at a track, never on a trail though...replace it .....20 bucks is worth the peice of mind ...patch the old one, now you have a back-up plan

 

[SiCnTwIsTdYz]

i would just buy a new tube be sure not to break the rim lock

 

[mackay]

I had a similar slow leak and it turned out that I had some grit in the valve core and it was easily fixed once I found it...so make sure its a puncture before you go any further. I prefer the dunking the tube under water and look for bubbles trick
good luck

 

[Skid Jackson]

Hey mackay i was thinking the same thing. I did get some grit in there once. i blasted the valve stem w/compressed air. Any other tricks to getting grit out of the valve stems??

 

[Joepro9]

get an epty windex spray bottle with a little bit of soap and water, then spray the stem, it you see bubbles its leaking. This also works for finding the air leak once you pull the tube. Fill it up with air, then spray the tube an area at a time, looking for bubbles. This will work, everytime.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Originally posted by MTRIDER
Why would you just pump it up ? Maybe at a track, never on a trail though...replace it .....20 bucks is worth the peice of mind ...patch the old one, now you have a back-up plan

Well, he's only losing 3 pounds of pressure per week, or less than 1/2 pound every 24 hours. That's less than 1/8 of a pound of pressure during a 6 hour riding session. If he's really worried about it he can add an extra 1/8 pound of pressure before going out on the trail.

It's a super heavy duty tube so it's at least as flat resistant as whatever tube he would replace it with.

As noted previously, a leak that slow may be hard to find. And his time is worth something - besides the $20 for a new tube.

I would guess 20% of the heavy duty tubes I've put on my bikes lose 2 or more pounds of pressure between rides. No big deal - just put air in.

 

[MikeT]

Patch it. Mr. Birken Vogt, is all over it. Sounds like he has done this before ;)