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- How to repair a puncture in a kevlar tire?
- By:admin
- I asked this in the road bike forum and one guy didn't really answer my question. While commuting to work, I got a puncture in my Ultra Gator Skin tire 700x23, which I run at 110-115psi. It is right in the center tread from a tiny shard of glass. It went all the way through and popped the tube, which is not a big deal, but there is a small hole through the tire itself.
I really want to patch it to make sure it won't be a problem in the future. I was thinking of using some sidewall from an old tire to patch it, but what glue should I use? I hear the regular rubber cement patch glue doesn't work properly. Should I use that Shoe Goop stuff? Or, is there a specific way to do this?
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I'd like to know too. I recently discovered an unsightly gash on one of my folder's tires. Fortunately, it doesn't go all the way through, yet, but I'm sure it will soon.
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I am surprised that the ultragatorskin got skewered...I run the same pressure (weigh 200#) and have lots of large cuts down to the kevlar but not through it. I tried cyanoacrylate to seal the cuts and that did not work. I then tried an automotive "form-a-gasket" compound and that seems to work (have about 1400mi). I did not have shoe goop so I do not know how well that works.
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A small hole in a tire does not need any repair. The hole is too small to allow the tube to push through and the chance of debris hitting the hole in the exact spot is negligable. Unless the tire has a big slice going all the way through, just patch the tube and ride on.
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I second supcom's advice, after having the experience of Running 700x23 Gatorskins myself for a couple of years - the best commuter tire I have used to date.
Small punctures from needle-like glass shards need no work on the tire. I did recently have a recurring puncture that was tracked down to a larger hole in the casing. Since placing an ordinary tube patch on the inside, to cover the hole this has given no further trouble. I used to try and join up small cuts in the tread with superglue. It works for a while, but they usually open up again. The patch repair works well and doesn't compromise the ride, I have used it a couple of times.
:edit: And the patch glue seemed to work OK too. Not amazingly well held, but no danger of moving in normal use either.
Cheers,
Ed
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I recently ran over "Mighty Thorn" and he managed to penetrate the ultra gatorskin. But it seems to have been a very rare occurance. Still, it amazed me a thorn could penetrate the kevlar in the right situation. In terms of holes in the tire, when the tire is fully inflated if you cant see any deformation in the tread pattern or a small bulge, you are likely fine continuing to ride the tire as is in my experience. I used to get all sorts of gashes in my armadillos when I rode them but never anything deeper than the kevlar so after 2 - 3000 miles or so I was usually riding some pretty ripped up tires that were still functional amazingly enough.
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If you are careful about reinstalling the repaired tube, the patch will cover the hole in the tire.
Otherwise, for a small hole, I agree, no tire patch required.
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You could try regular rubber cement too. The reason superglue doesn't hold is that any glue that hardens will break under the constant flexing that a tire undergoes. Rubber cement (and the specific variations that are in patch kits) are flexible after curing so they can flex.
I worked in a used book store and we would repair book spines with rubber cement for that same reason.
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Ok, I did a little trick one of the members in the road forum mentioned. I just put a little CA glue to fill in the puncture hole, and installed a new tube. The glass was stuck in the tire for a while it seems, ,there is several holes in the tube in the general area. The glass really did a number on the tube, so I just replaced it with a ne wone.
I pumped it up this morning, and so far so good. It is not even bulging either. Tough tire. I was just so ticked off, I just bought that tire two days ago. Thanks for the advice, everyone. I thinkI may keep a piece of old sidewall and some shoe glue just in case it ever needs more serious surgery.
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