Puncture repair kit recommendation wanted

[HenryDorsetCase]

Hi all

Did a week "touring" in the north island last week, and when I got back there is a 5mm deep gouge in my rear tyre. :0 its off to the side, not the centre of the carcass, and not straight but angled, so Ive obviously run over something which has then flicked out. No leaks thankfully, but..... if it had happened in the back of beyond and it had flatted, I would have been screwed...

so, can anyone recommend a compact, efficient puncture repair kit?

Cycle World recommend this one. but of course it can't be airmailed.

[merv]

Most bike shops have kits like that so just go and buy one. I have one I got from Motomail I think, can't remember the brand but they are basically all near enough the same.

The plugs are usually the thread type which get you home, but then take your tyre into the bike shop to get a proper internal repair done afterwards.

[paulj]

Hmm - I'm a bit late to this thread - sorry - after three punctures in as many weeks I became a reluctant expert rather quickly - the gas cannister designs are a waste of money - by the time you have pumped up the tube to find the leak they're stuffed and you can still have a flat tyre albeit a repaired one!

I ended up buying two small tyre leavers, a puncture kit (glue, patches ...) and a mountain bike pump that will do 160+PSI - works real well and the only downside is a tired arm! Pack a spare tube too - by the time you have pulled the bike to a stop you'll have shredded it.

Unfortunately I have not had another puncture!

[peanuteater]

havent had to use it yet... !, but assuming it will get me home if needed-tyre panda x repco or super cheap.

[johnnyflash]

Hi all

Did a week "touring" in the north island last week, and when I got back there is a 5mm deep gouge in my rear tyre. :0 its off to the side, not the centre of the carcass, and not straight but angled, so Ive obviously run over something which has then flicked out. No leaks thankfully, but..... if it had happened in the back of beyond and it had flatted, I would have been screwed...

so, can anyone recommend a compact, efficient puncture repair kit?

Cycle World recommend this one. but of course it can't be airmailed.

Gidday.. sorry probably a bit late with this but Ive just been through this excercise and ended up with the following kit from outr local bike shop, available in most main centre bike shops.. check out http://www.genuineinnovations.com/mo...11&prodid=1022

very compact and covers all angles

[PLUG]

ditto paulj's comments ... bicycle punture repair kit-mountain bike hand pump-tube-tyre levers & a valve key ...

[Idol Rider]

Ditto for the geniune inovations repair kit. Have one in my tank bag fortunitly Ive never had to use it. But a friend has and swears by them.

[KoroJ]

There is one availabe at the bike shops that includes a hand pump as well as the gas bottles.

Because I've got heaps of space with panniers & top box, I now carry a foot pump with a basic kit under the seat.

[Rhino]

the gas cannister designs are a waste of money - by the time you have pumped up the tube to find the leak they're stuffed and you can still have a flat tyre albeit a repaired one!

The secret is to find the hole and plug it BEFORE using the canisters.

I used two canisters to inflate the rear tyre of the Goldwing on the road from Oamaru to Benmore after plugging it and they worked fine. The other thing to note is that you should let the CO2 out at the first service station that has an air compressor and refill the tyre. Apparently CO2 expands at a greater rate than air, so pressure variation is greater than normal between hot and cold.

This got ScorpyGirl and I back to Auckland without any problems on a fully laden bike.

[Highlander]

Ditto for the geniune inovations repair kit. Have one in my tank bag fortunitly Ive never had to use it. But a friend has and swears by them.

Me too except mine is under my seat. The man in the shop used one the weekend before I bought mine and was suitably impressed.

[paulj]

Well - for what it is worth - two of my four punctures I have put down to faulty tube installation - a national tyre repair chain, starting with the letter B offered to put some latex goo in my tubes when repairing a flat. They reckoned it would slow down the effects of a nail etc and allow me to get somewhere useful to repair the flat It was about $8 a shot and I thought 'what the heck ... let's do it".

However both tubes (front and rear) failed in exactly the same way about 1-2K after their repair. Both failed by becoming gummed up about the valve stem and creasing such that they began to wear, finally wearing through in a crease. I did manage to get to a friendly place - Haast Backpackers - and I repaired the tube with patch.

On getting back home, I purchased two new tubes and replaced them myself - I have cut open two tubes here in the pics - one has had the pretty pink latex goo now looking like a charred eel and the entire tube wet with what I presume is water, the other tube is a normal one without goo - it is easy to see what has happened. God knows what it did to my tyre balance - I didn't notice anything significant (perhaps I don't ride fast enough!).

Moral of the story - don't put the goo in.

PS - I also discovered that new tubes on delivery may have a rather loose valve stem lock nut - a friends front tyre kept going down in a rather erratic way - sometimes quickly - 20 mins - sometimes several hours - the stem lock nut gave up a turn and a half and all was well. After that experience I checked my new tubes and they too gave up a half turn. I have never seen repairer's check this when installing new tubes. Pity.

[doc]

The secret is to find the hole and plug it BEFORE using the canisters.

I used two canisters to inflate the rear tyre of the Goldwing on the road from Oamaru to Benmore after plugging it and they worked fine. The other thing to note is that you should let the CO2 out at the first service station that has an air compressor and refill the tyre. Apparently CO2 expands at a greater rate than air, so pressure variation is greater than normal between hot and cold.

This got ScorpyGirl and I back to Auckland without any problems on a fully laden bike.

Yep thats the right advice, got a puncture at Omarama on the way to the Burt rally. Plugged it and it stayed in until the tyre wore out. Tyre was new when I left jaffaland . No one wants to plug tyres anymore. Get the kit with the big bottles, and don't go silly tryin the break speed records on the straights, 140-150km and had no problems.

[merv]

I see Repco have all sorts of repair kits now - plugs for tubeless, plus Slime for both tubed and tubeless tyres. Don't know if that stuff works very well but the plugs do to get you home, then you got to get a proper patch job done.

Woohoo that's me at 4,000 posts so I can go to bed now!!

[johnnyflash]

trick with the Co2 kits is to make sure you gget the right size, else you will be carrying a heap of cartridges..
see http://www.genuineinnovations.com/yieldchart.aspx
Best for road bikes is minimum 3x25 gram but make sure u have the right inflator to suit, the Deluxe ATV Tire Repair & Co2 kit it has a dual gas applicator & hand pump, (mind u I have tubeless tyres so less hassle all round)

[Roj]

For the few times I have been touring I have taken tyre leavers, repair kit and a small 12v pump, haven't had to use it, murphy's law that one, if you have all the gear you won't need it...