I've patched a few TPU inner tubes now with success. Some tips: - make the tube lie flat by sucking out the air from the valve. Then position the hole into the middle by by rubbing the tube between your finger and thumb. - don't skip the cleaning step. - use plenty of cement -- it works best if the cement is still gooey when applying the patch. - the cement will curl the patch: try to push the patch flat into the cement. I sandwich the repair section with cardboard or plastic, and then apply a work clamp until cement has cured. - save an old/unrepairable TPU tube to cut into spare patches. - I think the rubber cement is the same vulcanizing cement used for car tires (anybody know?), which can be purchased cheaply in large tubes at automotive supply shops. Using this and above spare patches will relieve you from buying any more repair kits.
@@cycleandexplore I've looked further into the cement, and it's generically called Camplast, which is commonly used to patch tents, inflated pools, etc and other products made from polyurethane (the PU in TPU). Cyanoacrylates (i.e. Crazy Glue) also bond well to TPU.
I use the Ridenow patch kit . Locate hole , clean with alcohol, apply glue. Wait for 3 minutes then patch 2 together , I then put tube between 2 wooden blocks and G-Clamp them for a few hours , Have done 3 like this and they are holding just fine
I've done that with butyl tubes and the old rubber glue. This works if it saves you time, as in you have no other recourse and want to risk it on your next ride. New tubes are a lot less expensive that a trip to the ER. I speak from experience.
i use 2 flat boards and clamp it tight with a g clamp and let it set for 30 minutes. Its holds really strong. Ure doing it wrong. U need consistent hard pressure for 30 minutes to allow the surfaces to bond. Also, make sure the area to patch is as flat as possible. U might need to stretch and tape the edges to eliminate creasing. Rubber cement with TPU patch is the way to go, provided u do it right.
Haven't found the need for clamp, just hold with finger for a couple mins and let it sit normal 30mins at least. for sure what he did wrong was use a patch way too big, which is harder to place without creases and sit completely flat. It is better for edges to stick down also. Too bad once you put a patch on you can't take it off 😅, really you just need 3mm maybe 4mm max extra material either sides of puncture, an old tpu tube will give you lifetime supply of patches
I use a similar technique with wood blocks and a woodworking clamp. But I only patch them at home…….I rode with spare rubber inner tubes in my cycling kit.
I have Aerothane TPU tubes. Patched a puncture with Schwalbe TPU kit. Left them for 5 days successfully held air. Until I hit a pothole and then they deflated. So going back to butyle. 65 PSI so It's possible higher a pressure may have worked better!
I've been dealing with TPU tubes quite a lot lately. Here's my conclusion. Don't bother patching. Not even at home. Even when a patch seems solid, it will probably fail at an inconvenient time. If you can't afford to replace a tube whenever you have a puncture, stay with butyl and carry a patch kit. The difference is probably not as noticeable as you've been led to believe. The best thing about TPUs is how little space they use in your repair kit.
Patching TPU can be done 100% fail proof but it involves a hazardous solvent. Patches and glue all fail in the long run. Especially in hot weather the glue softens and the tube starts to leak. I always replace the tube and collect them till I have some 10 tubes and then buy this solvent in the least amount I can find and patch them all. The patches cannot be separated anymore as the material basically fuses together like a cold weld. You cannot separate the patch anymore.
I have been using them for about a year with GP5000 tyres and had 6 holes so far and fixed every 1 with ease! Takes about 1 minute with the official kit. I never got that success rate with traditional tubes! Maybe 50%-75% success at best. Recently I changed my tyres to 4 seasons and now I stopped getting flats. 😅
I have successfully patched TPU with All Purpose Glue and a cutting a small piece of the traditional butyl repair patch. I put the glue on both surfaces and let it dry for a few mins, then applied a final smear of glue on the patch and applied pressure. I let it set for 2 hours before putting it back in the wheel. It's been a few days and all is fine. I can't say if this teq works for long term.
@@cycleandexplore Yes, a few days now and both tires feels solid to touch. That's 3 separate holes repaired with this method, as it turned out one of the tubes had two separate holes. 1st patch looked fine when inspected. Its important to use a material that can expand as the tube inflates, hence the use of traditional rubber patch. Also, the patches I cut are roughly 0.5 inch square
I’ve patched a bunch of these and I always inflate the tube just so it’s round. This gives me a nice surface to patch on. I find the wholes in tpu are always super tiny so it hasn’t been an issue. I always patch at home. Never on the road.
I bought 4 Ride Now tubes from Aliexpress they arrived in less than a week. Really happy with them so far. I also ordered their puncture repair kit it came with a tube of rubber cement? I found that odd. Someone has recommended using solvent cement from the plumbing shop.
I'm just stretching the tpu while patching Imitating stretch when inflated. Patching cement if improperly dried usually stretches if inflated making the patch come loose. Also when applying cement i apply on the patch and the tpu, then let it dry for a bit before patching.
My experience with ridenow TPU is great, even though after a couple of rides my rear tire had a big nail through, then the self adhesive patch that came with the repair kit just wouldn't hold under pressure.. but other than that the ones that survived so far, including the 24g ones that I bought as a replacement are working great and holding up pressure really well. PS: JSYK, the audio of your voice only comes in mono, the background music was in stereo..
2 Ridenow exploded on my bike ! one during an ascent (I'd be on hospital for long if it happens on a descent), another one, while I was sitting nearby and drinking a beer (there was no sun!). there are some weaker spots at tube joints which expand/get thinner. no probs with Tubolito though.
@@milkman2591 Experienced something similar. I punctured a tube last season, patched it with the glueless patch (it's basically just a sticker). Inflated and found it deflated maybe 30 minutes later. I put this tube in the closet to deal with later. This season I decided to try and pump it up and lo and behold it held overnight, so I went for a couple rides (about 80 km each, pressure about 70-75psig), and the following day after the second ride, found it flat when heading out for the next ride... so it's definitely not reliable.
It doesn’t hold the shape long enough for the rubber cement to dry up and set when inflated. I patched another one using a c-clamp to hold it down and seems working well.
The ride now glue is just rubber cement and the patch failed after a week. Junk. Now I use Gear Aid seam grip as a glue dot and cover with any glueless patch to protect the dot…solid.
i would add cement on the patch itself as well wait 30s and apply it as flat as possible and press with your thumbs for a minute. if you have a clamp to press it over a flat surface it would be better. the things you put on the top are not making enough pressure on the patch
Just get loctite all plastics glue which comes with a plastic primer and super glue, find the hole, use the primer pen, then ad glue and put on the patch, absolute bullet proof in seconds.
I know I'm late to the party here...but good to know about TPU tubes. I split my time between Southern California and New Mexico. In New Mexico, you basically have to have some sort of sealant whether running tubes or tubeless because there are these nasty things called goatheads (Google it if you're not familiar) that are everywhere. I run tubeless, but I actually carry a sealant-filled tube as my backup (Specialized Airstop) because you run the risk of hitting goatheads all the time, so even if your tubeless fails, you still need something with tubeless. I've considered TPU as a secondary, last-ditch backup because they're so small and light, but I'm not sure if they're good for even that in New Mexico, though I could probably get away with them in SoCal. Given that even patching them takes over 30 mins, they're not a good option for patching on the side of the road.
I never have success patching anything on the road side 😰 You can fit 3 TPUs in the same space as one butyl. Carrying spares would be your best option.
You need more practice - that's the worst attempt at patching I've seen for a while now. You didn't even try to get the first tube perfectly flat and centred for the patch - it was always going to fail. The best patches that work are glueless from Park Tools super patch SG-2, I've had 100% success.,
@@cycleandexplore im using exar tpu now, but it is too sensitive i had problem when it expand it made a very little hole. I replace it now with a new one. If it will not have the same problem. I will not try the schwalbe anymore. Thanks sir
@@cycleandexplore I also had another pink ride now inner tube for 29er , brand new tube goes flat after 4 days , cannot find The Leak ??? Tired of using tubeless sealant, so went to TPU direction
I've patched a few TPU inner tubes now with success. Some tips:
- make the tube lie flat by sucking out the air from the valve. Then position the hole into the middle by by rubbing the tube between your finger and thumb.
- don't skip the cleaning step.
- use plenty of cement -- it works best if the cement is still gooey when applying the patch.
- the cement will curl the patch: try to push the patch flat into the cement. I sandwich the repair section with cardboard or plastic, and then apply a work clamp until cement has cured.
- save an old/unrepairable TPU tube to cut into spare patches.
- I think the rubber cement is the same vulcanizing cement used for car tires (anybody know?), which can be purchased cheaply in large tubes at automotive supply shops. Using this and above spare patches will relieve you from buying any more repair kits.
Thanks for sharing. Love the details you provided 👏
@@cycleandexplore I've looked further into the cement, and it's generically called Camplast, which is commonly used to patch tents, inflated pools, etc and other products made from polyurethane (the PU in TPU). Cyanoacrylates (i.e. Crazy Glue) also bond well to TPU.
@@jt4m0 I'm skeptical about using cyanoacrylate because it won't stretch as the tube expands.
is Camplast and rubber cement the same stuff? @@jt4m0
What cement? My kit came with rubber cement which I thought was odd. Would plastic solvent cement not be better?
I use the Ridenow patch kit . Locate hole , clean with alcohol, apply glue. Wait for 3 minutes then patch 2 together , I then put tube between 2 wooden blocks and G-Clamp them for a few hours , Have done 3 like this and they are holding just fine
Thanks for sharing
I've done that with butyl tubes and the old rubber glue. This works if it saves you time, as in you have no other recourse and want to risk it on your next ride. New tubes are a lot less expensive that a trip to the ER. I speak from experience.
i use 2 flat boards and clamp it tight with a g clamp and let it set for 30 minutes. Its holds really strong. Ure doing it wrong. U need consistent hard pressure for 30 minutes to allow the surfaces to bond. Also, make sure the area to patch is as flat as possible. U might need to stretch and tape the edges to eliminate creasing. Rubber cement with TPU patch is the way to go, provided u do it right.
Haven't found the need for clamp, just hold with finger for a couple mins and let it sit normal 30mins at least. for sure what he did wrong was use a patch way too big, which is harder to place without creases and sit completely flat. It is better for edges to stick down also. Too bad once you put a patch on you can't take it off 😅, really you just need 3mm maybe 4mm max extra material either sides of puncture, an old tpu tube will give you lifetime supply of patches
The water bottle trick works for me. It keep the patch in place until it dries up.
I use a similar technique with wood blocks and a woodworking clamp. But I only patch them at home…….I rode with spare rubber inner tubes in my cycling kit.
I have Aerothane TPU tubes. Patched a puncture with Schwalbe TPU kit. Left them for 5 days successfully held air. Until I hit a pothole and then they deflated. So going back to butyle. 65 PSI so It's possible higher a pressure may have worked better!
Oh, that's not very good. Hope you are not injure or the rims are ok.
I've been dealing with TPU tubes quite a lot lately. Here's my conclusion. Don't bother patching. Not even at home. Even when a patch seems solid, it will probably fail at an inconvenient time. If you can't afford to replace a tube whenever you have a puncture, stay with butyl and carry a patch kit. The difference is probably not as noticeable as you've been led to believe. The best thing about TPUs is how little space they use in your repair kit.
I have better luck with the patches. But I use most of my patched tubes as spares.
Patching TPU can be done 100% fail proof but it involves a hazardous solvent. Patches and glue all fail in the long run. Especially in hot weather the glue softens and the tube starts to leak. I always replace the tube and collect them till I have some 10 tubes and then buy this solvent in the least amount I can find and patch them all. The patches cannot be separated anymore as the material basically fuses together like a cold weld. You cannot separate the patch anymore.
What is this mystery solvent, please? @@dirkb4276
Mh, what’s the solvent?
Thf or tetrahydrofuran.
I have used topeak "FlyPaper " glueless patch kit six patches in a compact kit that fit easily in a tool roll or seatbag. Thanks for sharing.
I have a pack of the same patch kit in my tool bottle just in case.
Have you used them with TPU tubes? TPU and rubber are entirely different things.
I have been using them for about a year with GP5000 tyres and had 6 holes so far and fixed every 1 with ease! Takes about 1 minute with the official kit.
I never got that success rate with traditional tubes! Maybe 50%-75% success at best.
Recently I changed my tyres to 4 seasons and now I stopped getting flats. 😅
Do you feel 4 seasons roll slower or don’t really feel the difference?
I have successfully patched TPU with All Purpose Glue and a cutting a small piece of the traditional butyl repair patch. I put the glue on both surfaces and let it dry for a few mins, then applied a final smear of glue on the patch and applied pressure. I let it set for 2 hours before putting it back in the wheel. It's been a few days and all is fine. I can't say if this teq works for long term.
Does it keep the air retention well?
@@cycleandexplore Yes, a few days now and both tires feels solid to touch. That's 3 separate holes repaired with this method, as it turned out one of the tubes had two separate holes. 1st patch looked fine when inspected. Its important to use a material that can expand as the tube inflates, hence the use of traditional rubber patch. Also, the patches I cut are roughly 0.5 inch square
Thanks for the detail. Love your work
I’ve patched a bunch of these and I always inflate the tube just so it’s round. This gives me a nice surface to patch on. I find the wholes in tpu are always super tiny so it hasn’t been an issue. I always patch at home. Never on the road.
Thank You - I will belay using TPU tubes for now...
that was a really good video! Thanks much for making it!
I bought 4 Ride Now tubes from Aliexpress they arrived in less than a week. Really happy with them so far. I also ordered their puncture repair kit it came with a tube of rubber cement? I found that odd. Someone has recommended using solvent cement from the plumbing shop.
The rubber cement worked on mind and over almost 1 year without any issues.
I'm just stretching the tpu while patching Imitating stretch when inflated. Patching cement if improperly dried usually stretches if inflated making the patch come loose. Also when applying cement i apply on the patch and the tpu, then let it dry for a bit before patching.
Very handy suggestion
My experience with ridenow TPU is great, even though after a couple of rides my rear tire had a big nail through, then the self adhesive patch that came with the repair kit just wouldn't hold under pressure.. but other than that the ones that survived so far, including the 24g ones that I bought as a replacement are working great and holding up pressure really well.
PS: JSYK, the audio of your voice only comes in mono, the background music was in stereo..
i have the 19g version and it came with patch tools with only the alcohol wipes and the patch sticker. no cement or glue.... hmmmmmm
They recently changed the patch to the guileless patch kit. I guess that is more convenient.
I just converted to tup from tubeless on my 29er.
29x2.4
The new ride now leaks after 24hrs new where the valve joins the tube
2 Ridenow exploded on my bike ! one during an ascent (I'd be on hospital for long if it happens on a descent), another one, while I was sitting nearby and drinking a beer (there was no sun!). there are some weaker spots at tube joints which expand/get thinner.
no probs with Tubolito though.
Oh dear, I hope you’re okay. I have not heard anything like this from other rides. What pressure do you run on your tires?
@@cycleandexplore Conti GP5000 28mm, ~20mm inner width wheels, around 5-5.5 bar
Is the patch the same material as the tube ?
Yes, it is same material.
I’m using the ride now tubes from Ali express and they come with little sticker patches that seem to work pretty well
IMO they are one of the best TPU on the market when you are on a budget.
@@cycleandexplore I take back what I said about the patches, woke up the next day and it was flat lol
Oh, at least you not finding out during your ride 😉
@@milkman2591 Experienced something similar. I punctured a tube last season, patched it with the glueless patch (it's basically just a sticker). Inflated and found it deflated maybe 30 minutes later. I put this tube in the closet to deal with later. This season I decided to try and pump it up and lo and behold it held overnight, so I went for a couple rides (about 80 km each, pressure about 70-75psig), and the following day after the second ride, found it flat when heading out for the next ride... so it's definitely not reliable.
Doesn’t step 1 show you have to slightly inflate the tube? I imagine doing so would reduce stress in the glue under the patch when inflated and in use
It doesn’t hold the shape long enough for the rubber cement to dry up and set when inflated. I patched another one using a c-clamp to hold it down and seems working well.
The ride now glue is just rubber cement and the patch failed after a week. Junk. Now I use Gear Aid seam grip as a glue dot and cover with any glueless patch to protect the dot…solid.
i would add cement on the patch itself as well wait 30s and apply it as flat as possible and press with your thumbs for a minute. if you have a clamp to press it over a flat surface it would be better. the things you put on the top are not making enough pressure on the patch
Thanks for the suggestion.
Can I use Slime SCABS to patch TPU tires? Only patch kits that can be found at Dick's Sporting Goods
I think they are different. The glue for TPU is different from the normal rubber cement.
❤❤❤
👍👍👍
thanks!
Would galvanizing rubber cement work the same?
I don’t know if that works. TPU is a different material and most likely needs a different bonding agent.
Just get loctite all plastics glue which comes with a plastic primer and super glue, find the hole, use the primer pen, then ad glue and put on the patch, absolute bullet proof in seconds.
Thanks for sharing
I know I'm late to the party here...but good to know about TPU tubes. I split my time between Southern California and New Mexico. In New Mexico, you basically have to have some sort of sealant whether running tubes or tubeless because there are these nasty things called goatheads (Google it if you're not familiar) that are everywhere. I run tubeless, but I actually carry a sealant-filled tube as my backup (Specialized Airstop) because you run the risk of hitting goatheads all the time, so even if your tubeless fails, you still need something with tubeless. I've considered TPU as a secondary, last-ditch backup because they're so small and light, but I'm not sure if they're good for even that in New Mexico, though I could probably get away with them in SoCal. Given that even patching them takes over 30 mins, they're not a good option for patching on the side of the road.
I never have success patching anything on the road side 😰
You can fit 3 TPUs in the same space as one butyl. Carrying spares would be your best option.
Thanks for the information, I searched on google about the goatheads and it is interesting, here in the south of Brazil we have only the sandbur.
Ridenow do not use this kind of patch anymore, the new one is glue less and it works so much better.
Good to know they released the guileless patch 👍
@@cycleandexplore i can attest, they work great!
I don't know if you realized, but your voice only plays on the left earphone
I got to know that after the video was released. Thanks for letting me know 👍
You need more practice - that's the worst attempt at patching I've seen for a while now. You didn't even try to get the first tube perfectly flat and centred for the patch - it was always going to fail.
The best patches that work are glueless from Park Tools super patch SG-2, I've had 100% success.,
Thanks for the tips. The repair was fine and the tube hold air reasonably. I also have the Park Tool patches just in case the repair fail.
How about schwalbe sv20
I guess you can patch the SW20 using the traditional inner tube patch kit.
@@cycleandexplore thanks! Is it light also?
@barianelozano2614 It’s light compared with other butyl tubes but nothing come close to TPU.
@@cycleandexplore im using exar tpu now, but it is too sensitive i had problem when it expand it made a very little hole. I replace it now with a new one. If it will not have the same problem. I will not try the schwalbe anymore. Thanks sir
Instead of rubber glue how about CA ?
Instant cement ???
I dont have experience with instant cement, maybe other can share their experience.
@@cycleandexplore I also had another pink ride now inner tube for 29er , brand new tube goes flat after 4 days , cannot find The Leak ???
Tired of using tubeless sealant, so went to TPU direction
just use self adhesive patches.
I have a pack of Park Tool GP-2. It is same that the tube clean and dry for patch to adhere. Thanks for sharing
@@cycleandexplore Yes, I'm using self gluing patches and don't have problems with adhesion. They are very sticky.