How often have you found that your bike tube patch kit’s glue has dried up? You only used it that first time two months ago and had plenty left after that. Now it’s all evaporated away. Boo:
Unless you need to bring a patch kit with your bike, you are much better off using bulk patches and cement. It will be 20x cheaper; the glue and patches will last for many years; the glue won’t dry up; and you avoid a lot of hassle around replacing patches and glue.
Cold-vulcanizing rubber cement
Contrary to popular opinion, Vulcanization is not the process of growing pointy ears. Patch glue is often called “vulcanizing fluid,” but it’s more correctly called “cold-vulcanizing fluid” because it doesn’t do actual vulcanization but rather uses solvents to allow two already vulcanized rubber surfaces to bond to each other. We’ll call it glue here in any case.
Instead of buying patch kits with their tiny single-use glue, buy a can of the glue. A single $6 can of glue will patch about 300 tires and last 20 years without drying out. I’ve been using the same can for 9 years now and it’s still like new. There are many brands of this, from well-known names like Rema, Slime, and Park to industrial sources such as those additionally listed below. Most likely any “cold vulcanization” product will work, but I’ve been using a can of the Slime pictured here for years. I’ve never seen these cans sold in bike shops, but they are easily found online, such as:
- https://www.amazon.com/Slime-1050-Rubber-Cement-oz/dp/B003V9UU66/
- https://www.amazon.com/Rema-Special-Cement-Rubber-Bonding/dp/B07HQSRMQX
- https://www.amazon.com/Xtra-Seal-Chemical-Vulcanizing-Cement-oz/dp/B01J47PO8W/
- https://www.amazon.com/Steelman-G10105-Chemical-Vulcanizing-Cement/dp/B00NBTGCLS/
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/REMA-COLD-VULCANIZING-FLUID-PATCH-GLUE-8oz-CAN/202111316908
Some of these products have names like “rubber cement,” but they are not the same as products like Elmer’s Rubber Cement. Can you use Elmer’s? No, because it is simply rubber polymers in a solvent. It doesn’t bond the two surfaces much and will result in slow leaks, if you can get the patch to even stay on. Cold-vulcanizing glue bonds the two surfaces. Also, contact cement and tubular sew-up glue don’t work either and result in leaky patches.
Bulk patches
Bike shops don’t sell patches in bulk either, but they are also easily found online. There are a few makers of these, but the gold standard is Rema Tip Top. Multiple patch sizes are available, but for most bicycles you want the Rema F0-P patches, which are 16mm (2/3″) in diameter. Larger patches are available (e.g. 25mm Rema F1-P), but I think they are pointless for bicycles and mountain bikes because if you need bigger than this then you have a really big cut in your tube. A box of 100 patches will probably last you at least ten years, and these things don’t expire.
Here are some links for bulk patches. Let me know if the links have stopped working so I can update them with new links.
- https://www.amazon.com/Rema-F0-P-16mm-Round-Patches/dp/B001S36CNC/
- https://www.ebay.com/p/1503895231?iid=322037347895
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/200-Bike-Patches-Bicycle-Tube-Repair-Bulk-15mm-Scooter-Moped-Trailer-MTB-Charity/254222886560
Watch out for bulk glueless patches, which can’t be glued..
Glueless patches
Glueless patches are peel-and-stick patches and take a few seconds to apply instead of a couple minutes for glued patches. But you want to avoid them to the extent possible, as they don’t actually bond the two surfaces and will typically leak over time. They are great for putting in your bike seat pack for emergency use on the road, but when you get home you are best to replace them with a real cold-vulcanized patch. FWIW I’ve used Park and Lezyne glueless patches and the Lezynes worked much better, mostly because their material is more flexible. I keep a few Lezynes in my seat bag.
Make your own patches
If you enjoy the DIY lifestyle then you can easily make your own bulk patches by just taking an existing bike tube and cutting it up into patches. It’s best to use one of those racer extra lite tubes because the rubber is thin like regular patch material. Cut to whatever size you want and treat like regular patches: apply light glue to both surfaces, wait a few minutes to evaporate to tacky dry, then press together. A $5 thin race tube can produce at least 100 patches, but it will take you an hour if you cut them all at once. Lastly, make sure you wash the inner surface of the tube, as it will typically have some white powder present. We have a post for this now: https://pedriana.wordpress.com/2020/12/20/make-your-own-bike-tube-patch-hearts/.
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