Wasted $40 on a tire patch kit that didn't even hold

Bought this fancy patch kit at REI last month. Had all these glues and tools. Used it on the trail near Boulder Creek. Patch blew off after 5 miles. Shoulda just spent the $8 on a good tube. Anyone else get burned by those all in one kits?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_terry22d ago

Read a review from some guy on a Colorado hiking forum who said those kits are basically just for show. He tested four different brands and only the cheap ones with the rubber cement actually worked. I had a similar experience with a patch kit from a big box store that just peeled right off in the rain. Sticking with a spare tube from now on, even if it means carrying an extra pound.

jasonf3522d ago

Did the guy in Colorado test them by actually stabbing the patches first to see if they were any good? Because that's the real test, not just riding around on smooth pavement like a lab rat. I bought one of those fancy kits once, looked all pro with the little metal tools and stuff. First real puncture in the middle of nowhere and the patch came off faster than my ex-wife's loyalty. The rubber cement stuff is the only thing that works, but it's sticky and messy and you feel like you're doing surgery on a tire. Spare tube is the way to go, just don't forget the pump or you're walking home with a heavy tube in your pack.

gavin22822d ago

You ever try those self-vulcanizing patches? My buddy swore by em until he patched a tire on a trail ride and the thing just slid off after like 2 miles of gravel. He ended up walking his bike back to the truck with the tube hanging out like a dead snake.