MTFCA Forum

Hi All,
I have acouple of 21 inch inner tubes from flat tires. I was wondering what people think about repairing the tubes. They have slow leaks and I haven't found where they leak from. I was thinking of using them only for spares, not for running tires. Repair or replace? Your thoughts?
Thanks,
John

Slow leaks are typically stem delaminations or leaky cores. Easy fix with metal stems. Hot patches, if still available work well. Find the leak & fix accordingly. As long as the rubber is in tact,(no cracks) I fix em.

I have old tubes with up to 6 patches each and they don't lose any air. The old tubes are much heavier quality and I keep them going as long as I can.

What kind of tube patches do people use to repair their T inner tubes? I was curious if bike inner tube patch kits work ok or not

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/BEST-Round-Unive ... 860&sr=8-4 along with proper cement and a rolling wheel.

Excellent success.

You can go to an automotive supply store and get a can of cement and cold patches. Rough up the area around the leak and use the cement and patch.
I have a roller tool for replacing the rubber lock strip in window screens that I then roll over the patch to get any air pockets out.
To find a leak put air in the tube to inflate it and either put it in a container of water, you can do this a section at a time, or spray soapy water on it and it will bubble at the leak. Also be aware that valve stem cores can leak. to check for a leak there, spit on your finger and put the spit on the end of the valve stem and it will bubble if it leaks.
I had some old tubes that had rust attached from old wheels and that is where the leaks were.

Lots of good options here, but I take mine to the tire shop down the street. They do a great hot patch for a whopping 5 bucks. They probably do it more as a favor, since I buy all my tires for myself and also my wife's car there.