[purestfeeling]

What are your opinions on riding on a patched tire? I picked up something in my rear a couple weeks back and now I have a slow leak. The hole is pretty much in the center of the tire down in the bottom of the tread groove. If I fill up the tire by the next day its down to 20 or so psi.

So I want to patch it for the mean time until I decide on what new rear tire I want. What do you guys think about riding on a patched tire? Is it safe? Or maybe I should rephrase that.....how unsafe is it? Am I asking for trouble?

 

[metal_4_life]

Rock it. I rocked a patched front and rear tire for a little while. Both punctures were a little off center. Some will say don't and some say it's ok. Patch it and watch yourself until you can replace them.

 

[Gerard7aa]

Ive been riding my patched rear (plugged) for over 2k miles...

 

[RandyO]

patch...... no plugs yes, tens of thousands of miles new tires are nail magnets more often than not I get a flat within a week of buying new tires, I just plug em, watch the pressure a few days then go back to my normal routine

what can happen, the plug fails, it leaks, if you can't make is hole air then you buy a new tire,

even if it fails catastropicly, unless you panic , nothing will happen except being inconvenienced on the side of the road

 

[Rockin SV]

I don't think I'd do it on a front tire, but I've put 5,000 miles on my rear tire with a plug in it and it's never lost a pound of pressure.

 

[locoblanco]

patch from the inside is best, rode on them at high speed with no problems. one tire i lost count of how many times i patched it and was surprised to find six patches when it finally wore out and got replaced. plug is ok if you can get it to hold, but there's a lot of flex in m/c tires and i've had about 50/50 luck with plugs.

 

[scoobinater]

I say go for a patch on the inside, as long as it's not a track bike and as long as you don't ride like a maniac all the time. If you ride like a reasonable, responsible person, then it should be fine.

 

[madmark33]

I had this dilemma last season. Brand new Diablo Strada and got a nail in it. I convinced a local shop to remove the tire from the rim for me and then I patched it myself with a patch kit from the local hardware store. Patching seems pretty safe in my opinion. It shouldn't be considered a permanent solution, but it can be done on the cheap in the mean time till you can afford another new tire. Just keep in mind that you have a patch in your tire and it is a potential weak spot. Heck I used to patch my BMX tires in a similar way and they were filled to 100 psi and I put some pretty heavy forces on those tires without any failed patches. Yeah, i know the situation isn't exactly the same, but i'm just trying to illustrate the strength of the patch kits that are out there. As long as the patch is applied properly you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[dust_m23]

i wouldnt patch or plug a bike tire.....my cars rear tire is plugged up right now. too much depending on those 2 tires to risk a failure.......and a failure could be your worse nightmare or could be you just coast to a stop and call a tow.

my wife's brothers were in a horrible car wreck because of a failed plug in a front tire, ended up head first into a cliff face on kelly drive here in philly. the one brother was sleeping in the car with no belts and almost lost his eye when his face hit the windshield.

a blow out can be a serious thing or a minor thing......the risk is yours to take......me? ill take it in a car but not on the bike.

 

[tlfreek]

patch and plug - you should be fine.

 

[tlfreek]

oh yeah I would not repaira front a rear yes.

 

[tlfreek]

I say go for a patch on the inside, as long as it's not a track bike and as long as you don't ride like a maniac all the time. If you ride like a reasonable, responsible person, then it should be fine.

huh?

 

[Nexus242]

Mushroom plug or regular plug it and go. I had 3 plugs in my rear while running the dragon at the 06 rally. Never seconded guessed them.

 

[Zokambaa]

I'd go with thehybrid patch-plug... with the vulcanizing adhesive... done from the inside out..... I wouldn't go racing or high speed runs with it.. but anything under 100 should be fine...

and I wouldn't bother patching the front.. just swap it out...

 

[matthumm77]

I would get a new tire just for the peace of mind. My OCD would go into overdrive if I was riding on a patched tire

 

[svbandit]

patch it make sure its not just a flat patch go to a sears auto and ask to see 1 of their patches so u can see what i mean

 

[LuciousLeftFoot]

Been riding almost the whole life of the rear tire on my bike with a standard plug. I have driven on it since June of last year, all Winter and the only reason the tire is being replaced is from being worn almost smooth.

 

[jbswear]

Well, the only way that you can safely ride on a patched tire is if you fill it with a mixture of 50% Rotella full-synth, 50% blinker fluid, and 50% nitrogen.

You'll also need to wipe the tire down with a 55 gallon drum of prop wash to get rid of all the mold release that will be released from the puncture wound.

I'm so effing tired of this question coming up.

 

[mavfan]

plug kit from autozone, works like a charm.

 

[leaftye]

A while back I bought the materials to do a comprehensive plug & patch kit. I'd plug it with a mushroom plug from the inside. Work rubber cement into it to fill any gaps. Cover it all with a patch. Of course I haven't had a flat since I bought that stuff.