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* Tube Fillers – This is some type of semi-liquid rubbery latex. Some come pressurized and some you pour into the tube, through the air inlet or the puncture hole itself.
Disadvantage: You reach for the goop when you’re most in need and, ratz, the stuff has dried up. So you’ve carried it around all this time for nothing.
* Patches – Self-adhesive or with glue contained separately. Disadvantage: It’s not the patch but the glue that fails from age. Either it’s become little more than tacky and doesn’t hold or has dried up like the fillers. Not to mention, the hole has to be smaller than the patch.
* Liners – Acceptable Alternative - This is some type of hard plastic stave permanently inserted between the tube and tire which purports to prevent punctures.
Disadvantage: I can’t say for sure they haven’t saved me from a flat but with the one’s I’ve tried, a thorn invariably manages to find the one spot not covered by the liner.
* Spare Tube – Better Alternative - Think about it. If you’re going to carry anything, why not just carry a spare tube. With fillers and patches you’ll have to replace the tube anyway. Adds no more weight to your field kit than fillers and patch kits. I would also recommend storing and sealing it in a plastic sandwich type bag to retard deterioration over time from ozone.
* Spare and Liner – Best Alternative – The best peace of mind comes from a combination of using a liner and carrying a spare tube.
Of course none of this helps if you experience a major malfunction like having a large section of your tire blown and ripped off or your rim majorly bent. But what are the odds of that happening
Disadvantage: You reach for the goop when you’re most in need and, ratz, the stuff has dried up. So you’ve carried it around all this time for nothing.
* Patches – Self-adhesive or with glue contained separately. Disadvantage: It’s not the patch but the glue that fails from age. Either it’s become little more than tacky and doesn’t hold or has dried up like the fillers. Not to mention, the hole has to be smaller than the patch.
* Liners – Acceptable Alternative - This is some type of hard plastic stave permanently inserted between the tube and tire which purports to prevent punctures.
Disadvantage: I can’t say for sure they haven’t saved me from a flat but with the one’s I’ve tried, a thorn invariably manages to find the one spot not covered by the liner.
* Spare Tube – Better Alternative - Think about it. If you’re going to carry anything, why not just carry a spare tube. With fillers and patches you’ll have to replace the tube anyway. Adds no more weight to your field kit than fillers and patch kits. I would also recommend storing and sealing it in a plastic sandwich type bag to retard deterioration over time from ozone.
* Spare and Liner – Best Alternative – The best peace of mind comes from a combination of using a liner and carrying a spare tube.
Of course none of this helps if you experience a major malfunction like having a large section of your tire blown and ripped off or your rim majorly bent. But what are the odds of that happening