Gatorskin sidewall: defect, unlucky?

[Timasin]

That sounds like a "debris still in tyre" issue

Definitely a factor at times but i've found that the patch deteriorates and leaks out from the side of it. I guess i need to re-look at the patching of tubes and try different patch brands and glue to find something that works. Do you guys use the little patches and place on an un-inflated tube then put back in the tire with a little baby powder?

[Martin PJ]

Definitely a factor at times but i've found that the patch deteriorates and leaks out from the side of it. I guess i need to re-look at the patching of tubes and try different patch brands and glue to find something that works. Do you guys use the little patches and place on an un-inflated tube then put back in the tire with a little baby powder?

When you puncture, match up the tube puncture with the tire and try to identify the spot where it punctured. If there is a hole in the tire wall (any visible small hole), you should also patch the tire with a tube patch from the inside. If unpatched, the tube will push into this hole and form a puncture after 3 or 4 rides because of the pressure in the tube.

 

If there is a small piece of wire in the tire (can be almost invisible) the puncture hole will look different from a glass puncture. It has an area of rubbing marks on the tube surface with a small hole in the middle. A glass cut is a clean hole.

 

My patching technique is I sandpaper the tube surface, then I put a toothpick into the hole. Spread a lot of glue all around the hole, bigger than the patch. Wait 15 minutes or so, then apply the patch with pressure onto the glue once you remove the toothpick. Make sure the hole is dead center. It is hard to see the hole when everything is covered in glue, hence the toothpick. Try to apply pressure for an hour or so, I leave my tube with patch under a leg of a chair or table, after sitting on it for a minute or two initially. I find puncture kits bought at bike shops work better than the cheaper ones, so try different kits if your patches are not working. All the glues are the same, so it is not the glue.

 

Another trick someone taught me is once you have opened the glue, when you screw back the cap put a small piece of square shopping bag plastic between the cap and the glue container. The glue caps do not seal properly and the glue dries out pretty quickly once opened.

[Skinnyone]

Another long lost trick is to coat the inside of the tyre and the tube with talc powder...this prevents the tube getting stuck to the tyre and causing a friction puncture, it also sometimes helps when a foreign object pierces the tyre the tube can move away from it...it may not stop punctures but I found it helps a lot.