By Scott
With spring now having arrived, it's time to make sure everything is prepped for a day out on the bike. Judging by the number of cable kits that get sold in January and February, I'd say that the first two months of the year are when folks redo the cables as the ground work for the cycling season. March and April seems to be the time that folks put on new tires and tubes.
Like most folks, I have a bag on my bike that I keep a collection of parts and tools in. One thing that I always keep on hand is a patch kit. I do have a spare tube with me, but I keep a patch kit on hand just in case.
- Sand the entire area which the patch will adhere to
- Put a thin layer of glue down, spread around the entire patch diameter
- Wait for 6 minutes to let the glue dry. This will depend on the amount of glue used.
- Put the patch on
- Hold with finger and thumb for 2 minutes.
- Re-install
- Inflate
- Ride bike
It's always handy to double check your cycling bag before the start of the season. Check that you have a spare tube (and that it seems to be in good shape) and you haven't lost the patches or glue from your repair kit. I also toss an extra zip tie or two and any roll's of electrical tape that are down to the end.
Do you have any tips on things you keep as extras in your cycling bag?
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15 comments:
Any old toe strap. The number of times it's saved me huge amounts of faff, be it lashing things to my bike, bags or self.
i keep a set of tyre levers by "Sport" in the bag. They're clipped together in a plastic cover around which i wrap about a 15" length of gaffers' tape. This is a sticky cloth tape (not to be confused with duct tape) that is very useful in case i should need to boot a tyre. The tape is easily torn to length and width in case your kit doesn't include a jack knife, and sticks very well to the tyre casing.
I store my patch kit inside a plastic, pill bottle with a few of yards of good quality duct tape (I have Gorilla brand) wound around the outside of the bottle. All that goes in a ziplock to keep dirt off the tape edges. The duct tape can be used as a temporary rim tape replacement or as a tire boot or whatever.
Haven't used the Rustine's yet but am very interested. Thanks for the directions. During your spring prep make sure your glue has not DRIED OUT!
I have relied on the Rema Tip-Top for years, carrying extra kits to sometimes give away.
Bought a Park kit recently. 5 of 6 patches failed almost immediately, even with very careful application. Tossed the rest and will never use again.
Cheers!
Odd. I've used Park for years and never had an issue. Maybe your kit got stored in high heat somewhere along the way.
Each bike has its own bag which stays on there. Typical contents:
Patch kit
One or two plastic tire levers, depending on how much trouble that bike's tires are.
Spare tube in a paper lunch bag or old sock
Bicycle multi-tool and/or sufficient individual tools for every fastener on the bike except pedals.
e.g. my single speed has a bolted axle, so I have a stubby 15 mm wrench in that kit
Master link appropriate for the chain
Fiberfix spoke (only on the touring bike)
2-3 plastic cable ties
One gray "disposable" work glove that doesn't really need to be disposed of. Like these:
https://www.fullsource.com/pip-33-g125-xs/
It keeps my hand clean when putting the chain back on the sprocket. Either hand works, so I split up pairs among the bikes.
I'm thinking about adding a few foil packed alcohol wipes for when I don't manage to keep clean.
I also have a $20 bill stashed somewhere on each bike, and on one bike have a spare key for the lock wrapped in foam and shoved up into the seat tube.
Don't forget to carry an extra SPD cleat and screws!
When will someone make a cement tube that seals properly so it doesn't dry out? I only get one use out of most patch kits and have resorted to more failure prone but longer lasting adhesive patches across most of my bikes. :/
I use Lezyne instant patches. Excellent adhesion and very thin.
Hmm. The Rustines instructions indicate 45 seconds. That's what I've been doing wrong. I'll try 6 minutes next time.
A thin kitchen trash bag. It weighs nothing and makes an effective jacket if the weather turns bad unexpectedly.
I echo Morgan's complaint about the cement tubes. I'd be happy to buy a supply of those if it were possible to buy them separately.
@ Erik Brooks - we do sell the glue by itself here - http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/tools/rustines-dissolutine-cement-for-patches-5gr-1720.html
Scott
How long is the glue good after opening? It seems that it fails in 1 to 2 years after opened. I would like to put the month/day on the tube and throw out old ones.
Yearsn ago I had gotten some individual patch glue packets from Britain in a small, round plastic sack that you bit a tit off to get the glue out. They lasted years because you only opened what you used.
BUT, a patch kit adds weight to the bike and will slow me down climbing a hill. In addition, the extra weight on the tube will affect angular momentum.
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