mikesbytes wrote:Repairing the punctured single is a learning opportunity, but its sounding like this brand/model is not the one to learn on.
There is stitching on the rim tape, but that doesn't necessarily mean that what's underneath isn't glued.
The way around not having a tubular wheel would be to borrow one off someone in my club, there are a couple of retro collectors in the club who buy all sorts of parts on ebay for an assortment of half finished projects, shouldn't be too hard to find one. However what happens if I put gunk in it to fix the flat and then deflate it and fold it?
I've not seen stitching on rim tape before, but I have seen a dashed line printed on it before that looks a bit like it.
My fear for putting goop in a tube and then allowing the sides of the tube to come in contact with each other (such as by folding it or letting it deflate whilst resting on the ground) is that the goop will effectively glue the sides of the tube together. If this happens, there is a risk that when you inflate the tube again that it will tear itself apart. (This is only secondhand information because I don't use the stuff.)
My understanding is that Thoglette was suggesting having the goop, with the tyre ready to go, but not inserted into the tube until there is a need for it. When you get your next puncture you then decide which tyre to put it in, depending on the severity of the damage. From memory these are for track tyres, so there is less of a likelihood of severe gash destroying a tyre. In any case if the safety pin theory is true then it should be the sort of hole that goop will manage.
However: if you want to try patching the tube then it helps to find where the hole is before you start peeling the base tape off. It is easier to cut the base tape and only lift as much as you need to (10cm will do) since glueing half a tyre's worth back down is a pain. The same goes for cutting stitching, less is more. Once you've opened it up you can pull enough of the tube out to expose the working area.
Finding the hole can be fun, usually the tube pulls away from the tyre when deflated, so that when it is re-inflated the holes in the tube and the carcass don't line up. This means that the air will go between the tube and the carcass and most of it will choose to escape from the base of the valve where the biggest hole is, however there will be a tiny amount that comes out through the original hole.
Cheers,
Cameron
Cheers,
Cameron