Fixing tires with glue

[daker13]

I read a post by a forum member a while ago about fixing nicks in his tires. I believe he said he used a dental pick to pick out glass, etc., from the tires, then filled the nick in with glue... Can anyone give me more info on this practice in terms of types of glue, how to do it, etc.?

[wallymann]

gap-filling super glue can work for small stuff.

the problem for anything bigger than a small nick is finding an adhesive that is strong & flexible & weather-resistant.

i have not found an adhesive that can stay reliably adhered to a tire for any meaningful mileage in real-world weather conditions on anything more than a tiny 1-2mm cut.

I read a post by a forum member a while ago about fixing nicks in his tires. I believe he said he used a dental pick to pick out glass, etc., from the tires, then filled the nick in with glue... Can anyone give me more info on this practice in terms of types of glue, how to do it, etc.?

[dave thompson]

That may have been me. I check our tires after every ride (which are generally 30~60 miles) for glass, cuts, wire, damage, etc. If it's small embedded stuff, a piece of glass for instance, I'll remove the debris and use FreeSole to fill the hole.

FreeSole is different from Shoe Goo and other silicone products in that it is Urethane and starts to cure when in contact with air. It bonds stuff together strongly.

FreeSole works extremely well to fill holes and divots in tires. If the tire surface is cleaned well, I use alcohol, FreeSole is tenacious in it's bond to the tire and seems to wear about the same rate as the tires do. I buy my FreeSole at a local shoe repair shop but it's also sold at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's to name a few.

http://outdoor.mcnett.eu/?page_id=692

[wallymann]

sweet -- just ordered some!

i've used their seam-grip stuff to seal sidewalls, seems to work well for that, although i wouldnt mind it to be maybe a 50% thinner mix for that application to go further and not lay on so thick.

[dave thompson]

sweet -- just ordered some!

i've used their seam-grip stuff to seal sidewalls, seems to work well for that, although i wouldnt mind it to be maybe a 50% thinner mix for that application to go further and not lay on so thick.

When I'm repairing small cuts, nicks, etc., I squeeze a small blob on the end of a clean flat-blade screwdriver and I can control how much product goes where. I try to get it well down into the hole or cut and spread some out from there to reinforce the repair.

I keep my FreeSole in the fridge or freezer with the tube wrapped in plastic food wrap. FreeSole starts to cure in the presence of air so I follow the storage directions and add my own twist. A tube (1 oz) lasts a heck of a long time.

[donevwil]

I've had the best success with rubber-toughened cyanoacrylate (http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/hlc/hlc117.htm)that I buy at my local Ace Hardware. Regular cyanoacrylate break up over time, while the black rubber-toughened is more durable and a bit flexible. Remember this stuff is industrial strength whereas "Crazy Glue" is diluted cyanoacrylate and really not worth trying.

I glue cuts that can be fully closed up. I deflate the tire, clean out the cut(s) with a dental pic, wash out the cut(s), dry, then add the tiniest drop I can (too much will make a mess and never dry), holding the cut closed with the dental pic until adhered. Let it sit for a while to cure and inflate. Keep the glue in the fridge.

I don't fill voids (this stuff doesn't fill) although in an emergency I have used Shoe Goo. It worked for a ride or two, but had to overlap the tread to avoid gaps forming so there was a hump at the patch.

[ultraman6970]

That looks like an awesome product :)

[gospastic]

I just bought some of this Sugru stuff. I wonder if it could work in this application.

http://www.sugru.com

[weaponsgrade]

Super glue and shoe goo never worked for me. But I'm going try those other products mentioned. Thanks

[Ken Robb]

I pick out the glass and other stuff but I don't bother with glue. The stuff Thompson uses sounds good but I was never tempted to use a "super glue". I was afraid that using glue that dries hard and rigid in a tire was like putting a sharp stone back in the cut/hole that I was trying to repair.

[donevwil]

... I was afraid that using glue that dries hard and rigid in a tire was like putting a sharp stone back in the cut/hole that I was trying to repair.

You are correct, that's exactly what Super Glue will do, it has poor adhesion relative to industrial cyanoacrylate. Industrial CA is much stronger but will ultimately do the same if the cut is not cleaned well prior. The black rubber-toughened CA does not do that IME, however. New tire is always a better option, but I'm cheap.

[Roger M]

A little bit off topic: I hit something and pinched the tire and tube.

Is this salvageable?

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140319_104304_853-1.jpg

[Ken Robb]

too risky for me.

[Seramount]

I use this stuff to fix a wide variety of items...

http://eclecticproducts.com/e6000_retail.htm

have had good results so far with small-to-medium tire cuts.

[ultraman6970]

This looks superficial to me, if you actually have a deep cut under the rubber just glue some tubes piece inside as a reinforcement and then use some urethane glue over the top, done.

A little bit off topic: I hit something and pinched the tire and tube.

Is this salvageable?

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140319_104304_853-1.jpg

[rustychisel]

A little bit off topic: I hit something and pinched the tire and tube.

Is this salvageable?

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140319_104304_853-1.jpg



Your general rule of thumb should involve an inspection of the tyre carcass (ie the threads). Turn tyre inside out and examine the construction and the threads there, if ruptured, holed through or otherwise damage then the tyre integrity is compromised. At which point it's a line call, but that doesn't look like a tyre I'd want on my bike when descending at 70kmh.

[Roger M]

A little bit off topic: I hit something and pinched the tire and tube.

Is this salvageable?

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140319_104304_853-1.jpg

This looks superficial to me, if you actually have a deep cut under the rubber just glue some tubes piece inside as a reinforcement and then use some urethane glue over the top, done.

Your general rule of thumb should involve an inspection of the tyre carcass (ie the threads). Turn tyre inside out and examine the construction and the threads there, if ruptured, holed through or otherwise damage then the tyre integrity is compromised. At which point it's a line call, but that doesn't look like a tyre I'd want on my bike when descending at 70kmh.

Following up on this:

I took some photos of the tire off the rim.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140328_110344_219-1.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140328_110444_618.jpg

FWIW, I pretty much wrote this tire off after the incident.

[pinkshogun]

its more of a wearing away at the side wall. it doesnt go all the way through. would this product, which is waterproof and flexible help?

[ultraman6970]

Grab a piece of the thickest tube you have moving around and glue it with some urethane glue, tubulars glue or even the cement for patches will do, is not that bad inside but you never know what will happen from here to the next 6 months you know, thats why IMO you have to reinforce that from the inside a little bit.

Then from the outside just use some black glue thing, maybe rtv silicon will do the trick for example so the threads of the cut are neatly glued to the carcass.

Good luck.

ps: there is more than one way to fix this ok? if you have some other idea go ahead.

[cetuximab]

Use Aquaseal when superior flexibility is necessary (i.e., wet suit repair), Seam Grip for superior waterproofing (i.e., seam sealing outerwear and tents) and Freesole for superior abrasion resistance (i.e., shoe repair).

I have used aquaseal to glue in drysuit neck and wrist gaskets. Still flexible years afterward.

They are all urethane based glues.

[oldpotatoe]

A little bit off topic: I hit something and pinched the tire and tube.

Is this salvageable?

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140319_104304_853-1.jpg

when you air it, does it bulge? If yes, adios tire..if no, glue some there.

[11.4]

Following up on this:

I took some photos of the tire off the rim.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140328_110344_219-1.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/IMG_20140328_110444_618.jpg

FWIW, I pretty much wrote this tire off after the incident.

Is the mark on the left of the inside view the same as the damage on the outside view on the right? If so, you've gone through at least three layers of transverse threads. That means some of it is cut. Try it on the rear, with a couple provisos.

First, do a boot. I like to use adhesive sailcloth repair tape for this kind of thing on light tires, because it doesn't really affect the ride. In your case, you might want to consider a piece of boot from an old lightweight tire casing (I always save my old Veloflex Records for this kind of thing). Glue it in with Pliobond, Seam Grip or Aquaseal -- they all work fine for this.

Second, if you go light on the boot, go to a slightly heavier tube. I've found that latex tubes find absolutely any weakness in a casing. Lightweight butyl are better but not great, but standard inner tubes (about 75-80 gram ones) are thick enough and stiff enough that they just don't deform and penetrate. It's an easy fix and does a lot.