fixing tube valve (?)

[bikerRob]

8/24/06 >> Okay, here goes dumb question number 3 ( or is it no. 4 ?) I have a tube that I have patched maybe 6 times. I hate to say it but it's starting to bring back sentimental feelings everytime I patch it. (yes, I'm kidding..) Anyway, the valve is starting to pull away from the tube (in one small spot ) and it will no longer hold air because of this..(sob, sniff)..Is there some way of fixing this so that it will hold air. I thought of using a little vulcanizing glue ( from an older style patch kit )on the crack and then lighting it but I really don't know if that would work or not. Will the Vulcanizing glue hold or is there a better way (?) *Spock!..Help me Spock! ( Note: this tube was on my Trek ) So Scotty, can anyone get this tube back up to warp speed....Sorry, I get a little punchy late at night.

[DKEG]

Are you kidding? 6 patches, uhhhh.....new tubes at performance are $2.47 or is this a pride thing?

[pinto]

I lived in Tucson for about eight years, where all the plants are armed enemies of airtight rubber. Some of my tubes had 25-30 patches before I bought a new one. You can keep patching till your tube's a quilt. But damage around the valve stem is tricky. You're tube's probably a goner. Take a large patch from a regular patch kit, cut a hole in the center just large enough for the valve stem to pass through (like a doughnut) and set your patch all the way around the base of the stem. Sometimes this works. Good luck.

[bikerRob]

Are you kidding? 6 patches, uhhhh.....new tubes at performance are $2.47 or is this a pride thing?

8/24/06 >> (He, He.. :D ) ...I know, when I woke up I saw the idiocy in this. After reading what Pinto had to say about the "donut" idea that got me thinking again. The tube is of course a goner but would this repair work as an emergency repair? I ask this because I know stuff happens on the trail that you just might be unprepared for. I remember one time a guy came up to me at the Landing Rd. (patapsco) trailhead asking if I had a tube he could have. It seems he was parked over off of Rolling Rd. and was traveling lite (carrying only a patch kit ) when a stick got caught up in his wheel. That was when he told me that he had borrowed a pump but the tube he had was broken at the valve stem. :rolleyes: Of course I'm sure the look on my face was probably, *Dude, you need to carry a tube* as I pondered the thought of giving up my last spare tube. I had no problem giving up the tube but the look on the guys face was, *Look, I know you got one you freaking Fred, now give it up.* I gave up the tube even though I thought his attitude sucked. Anyway, this has giving me an idea, not a donut as Pinto has suggested but a notch patch. It will be necessary to have a small portion of the patch over-lap the threads of the valve. Hopefully (using a Park patch) this will hold long enough to get you home in a pinch if you've already used your spare tube ( or weren't bright enough to bring one in the first place )

[bikerRob]

8/24/06 >>...Anyway, this has giving me an idea, not a donut as Pinto has suggested but a notch patch. It will be necessary to have a small portion of the patch over-lap the threads of the valve. Hopefully (using a Park patch) this will hold long enough to get you home in a pinch if you've already used your spare tube ( or weren't bright enough to bring one in the first place )

8/25/06 >> ( fun to quote yourself..) By Jove I think I've done it! I took one of my last two park patches and made a notch patch. The notch I cut is about a quarter inch wide and half inch long into the middle of the patch. The tear was only about a quarter inch wide and just below where the valve stem and rubber meet. I over lapped the patch with the threads just a tad, then I used a stem bolt to seal the threads a little better but I would of felt better if I had gotten the patch a little higher on the threads. Since I'm down to my last patch I'll have to wait because I want to cut a patch into a small strip and reinforce the area on the threads. ( I'll do this by winding it teflon tape fashion) Hopefully, that will do the trick. When it's done I'm going to put the tube in a spare wheel and see if it holds air. While I doubt that I'll ever use this as a long term repair, if the tube holds air I will undoubtedly make myself another patch to carry as an emergency repair item. So far the the tube has passed the first test, it is holding air under low pressure and not leaking ( tested under water )

[bikerRob]

8/30/06 >> Boogers!! It seems the repair failed the high pressure test...Waaaah!.. :p ( So much for premature self-congratulations :( ) When I got home today the tire was almost flat. I took it all apart and gave it a looksee. No noticeable holes or tears in the patch and the patch stills holds air under low pressure. It did hold air while I was home just before leaving work so undoubtedly under high pressure it is probably leaking around where the threads are. This was to be expected as the patches are not designed to bond to metal threads. Oh well, at least it's good to know that it holds air if only for a couple hours as that's better than having to walk out. If I figure a way to seal the threads I'll beat my chest for sure! However, I'm not going to hold my breath on this. ...*ummm, maybe if I file the threads down...or maybe get some filler and smooth it down..yeah!*....Okay! Okay! I'll go buy another freaking Tube!! :D *sniff* I feel...so...deflated.