Heavy duty inner tubes.

[Bill the Bong]

I swear by the UHD tubes, sure you can still get punctures, but my experience has been that when I do they are slow punctures. I have had cases that when I went to put a new tyre on they remove the tube only to find that there are 4 thorns right through the tube but the tyre never lost pressure! I normally then patch the UHD tube and refit it. Nice thing is you can still run lower pressures and not get impact punctures. I won't ride without UHD tubes.

How do you patch UHD tube? I would really like to know - I, and other people I know, have tried many times and the patch always comes off within few dozen km. Is there a trick I am missing (I always wait at least 10 minutes after I apply the glue before I stick it on)?

I use HD/UHD tubes as standard for my trips, but carry normal tubes as back-up. They are much lighter and smaller to pack and I can patch them (which I wasn't able to do yet with HD/UHD), so theoretically should be able to withstand more punctures (as I can fix them).

Very easy.  Do not use vulcanizing solution, you have to use rubber cement.  The Rema Tip Top blue tube is cement, the normal green tube is vulcanizing... The issue is not UHD, it is that butyl will not vulcanize, it must be patched with the cement as adhesive.

[Xpat]

How do you patch UHD tube? I would really like to know - I, and other people I know, have tried many times and the patch always comes off within few dozen km. Is there a trick I am missing (I always wait at least 10 minutes after I apply the glue before I stick it on)?

I use HD/UHD tubes as standard for my trips, but carry normal tubes as back-up. They are much lighter and smaller to pack and I can patch them (which I wasn't able to do yet with HD/UHD), so theoretically should be able to withstand more punctures (as I can fix them).

Very easy.  Do not use vulcanizing solution, you have to use rubber cement.  The Rema Tip Top blue tube is cement, the normal green tube is vulcanizing... The issue is not UHD, it is that butyl will not vulcanize, it must be patched with the cement as adhesive.

Great, thank you Bill. Can I use the rubber cement also for normal tubes or do I need to carry separate solution for that? And I assume I can use normal bike tube repair patches with the cement - is that correct?

Thanks again.

[Zanie]

I have had 4 punctures in the past 6 months. Only one of them (thorn) could have been prevented by a heavy duty tube. The others were unavoidable (nail, wire and branch). I used to be terrified of getting a puncture. This is no longer the case, as I have learnt to fix them myself.

Next time you need to install new tyres, do yourself a favour and try to DIY (or at least remove the wheels and tyres yourself; taking the wheels to a tyre fitment place and then replacing the wheels yourself). It is a kinder way to learn than out in the bundus.

[Tampan]

I've never tried it, in fact never thought of it, but that idea about splitting an old tube and using it as a liner over the new one sounds interesting.

Any comments/experiences?

Repairing the first flat on my XRL, I found that the previous owner had split a second tube in hlaf and used that as a liner. So, I just continued using it.
I've been thinking some more about my head shake problem after reading this thread though, especially the handling problems that these thick tubes might cause. Mine started when I put on the new tyres, but on that same day, I also started using the thick tubes. Together with the liner and slime, I probably went somewhat overboard.
Think I'm going to swap the front tube out with a normal one and see whether that makes a difference.

[Bill the Bong]

How do you patch UHD tube? I would really like to know - I, and other people I know, have tried many times and the patch always comes off within few dozen km. Is there a trick I am missing (I always wait at least 10 minutes after I apply the glue before I stick it on)?

I use HD/UHD tubes as standard for my trips, but carry normal tubes as back-up. They are much lighter and smaller to pack and I can patch them (which I wasn't able to do yet with HD/UHD), so theoretically should be able to withstand more punctures (as I can fix them).

Very easy.  Do not use vulcanizing solution, you have to use rubber cement.  The Rema Tip Top blue tube is cement, the normal green tube is vulcanizing... The issue is not UHD, it is that butyl will not vulcanize, it must be patched with the cement as adhesive.

Great, thank you Bill. Can I use the rubber cement also for normal tubes or do I need to carry separate solution for that? And I assume I can use normal bike tube repair patches with the cement - is that correct?

Thanks again.

The cement works on everything, however vulcanizing fluid works better on natural rubber.  But natural rubber is now so scarce and expensive that you will struggle more and more to find it.  I buy a whole box of small Rema Tip Top patches at a time.  I also buy the smallest tubes of rubber cement at our local Co-op.  They are only R7 a tube.  That way I can use a tube once or twice then toss it.  The Rema Blue cement is better, but is R42 a tube.  By the time you have used a 1/4, the tube has dried up.

[Kenzogs]

@Tampan - have you balanced your front wheel. I had repeated headshake to varying degrees despite a few tyre/tube combinations. Now I always balance my wheel when I have fitted new tubes or tyres and have not experienced headshake since then. I know it is probaly addressing a symptom but it works.

[Serfie]

Serfie, the fact you've had one nail in your tyre after 3000km has no bearing on the tube you used. Tell us how many nails you've pulled out your tyre without having a puncture, with or without UHD.

There have been a few discussions on the sikaflex conversion - read them. It's not 'proper' by any stretch of the imagination but you may find it worth the risk.

 ----------------------------------------------------

Tubes/tyres/rims/pressures/use --- these are all related -- you can't consider one without the others.

I've had punctures in all types of tubes and even had a UHD split itself - an inch long tear with no damage elsewhere - why?how? I don't know - replaced it and moved on.


Cracker, I suppose I have been fortunate all along, apart from the nail in the rear tyre of the KLR resulting in just a slow puncture, I have honestly had no other punctures in all of 30 000km of travelling on mainly gravel roads...

Will get DOC KLR to convert my KLR to the Sylkaflex 'thing' and see how it goes before I do the same on the DR650. He (DOC KLR) says about the conversion that it is something that he should have done a long time ago...   ...time will tell I suppose.

Zanie , thanks for the encouraging words...will see what the future holds...it is quite a possibility that I will make it a goal, now in my retirement years, to master the technical 'whatever' to fix a puncture by the roadside!  

[Hondsekierie]

How do you patch UHD tube? I would really like to know - I, and other people I know, have tried many times and the patch always comes off within few dozen km. Is there a trick I am missing (I always wait at least 10 minutes after I apply the glue before I stick it on)?

I use HD/UHD tubes as standard for my trips, but carry normal tubes as back-up. They are much lighter and smaller to pack and I can patch them (which I wasn't able to do yet with HD/UHD), so theoretically should be able to withstand more punctures (as I can fix them).

Very easy.  Do not use vulcanizing solution, you have to use rubber cement.  The Rema Tip Top blue tube is cement, the normal green tube is vulcanizing... The issue is not UHD, it is that butyl will not vulcanize, it must be patched with the cement as adhesive.

Great, thank you Bill. Can I use the rubber cement also for normal tubes or do I need to carry separate solution for that? And I assume I can use normal bike tube repair patches with the cement - is that correct?

Thanks again.

The cement works on everything, however vulcanizing fluid works better on natural rubber.  But natural rubber is now so scarce and expensive that you will struggle more and more to find it.  I buy a whole box of small Rema Tip Top patches at a time.  I also buy the smallest tubes of rubber cement at our local Co-op.  They are only R7 a tube.  That way I can use a tube once or twice then toss it.  The Rema Blue cement is better, but is R42 a tube.  By the time you have used a 1/4, the tube has dried up.

Most informative post in the last 4 years

Thanks guys

[eberhard]

Ek volg hierdie fred met baie belangstelling. Insiggewende argumente en goed beredeneerde stellings. Verseker beter as vele ander besprekings.

[Tampan]

So, on Friday I removed the HD tube from my XR's front wheel and replaced it with the standard tube. Took the bike for a ride and whaddayaknow, my head shake problems is gone!!!
I rode it up to 120km/hr on the gravel road stretches allowing it and did 140km/hr on the tar, bike ran perfectly without any hint of unstableness or head shake.

Then, yesterday afternoon I decided to go for short ride and less than 20km from home, my front wheel started losing pressure!!!! &@"$!$&@"!!! I slid back and headed back home. Will fix it today and add some slime.

[Serfie]

So...on Saturday I took the wheels of my bike to DOC KLR for his Sylkaflex tubeless conversion. He was busy with 18 other wheels...  

Will collect them in weeks time and then see how it goes...  

[Kortbroek]

On the topic of patches, who remembers these?



I have not seem them on sale anywhere for years but remember using them a lot as a kid on the farm. Worked 100% every time on just about any tube.
They were very simple to use and no problems with your cement/vulcanising solution having dried up etc.

[cocophonix]

Good morning all,
We have been using the "GoodTyre" UHD inner tubes for a few months now without any comebacks or negative feedback. The tubes are avaiolable in both heavy duty (2.5mm and UHD 4mm wall thickness). Both are BUTYL SEAMLESS tubes.

2.5mm @ R210.00 incl VAT
4mm @ R 310.oo incl VAT

regards
SHARWOODS

[BlueBull2007]

Guys, I Have found something better and a lot cheaper than the thick tubes: 2 x normal tubes.

What you do is cut the valve out of your old, punctured tube, and then cut the whole thing open all the way round along the inside diameter, so that you can fold it open and slip it over your new tube. Line up the hole where your valve used to be with the new valve and slip the whole thing into the tyre. Now you have a double tube. 

Putting the tyre back on is easier as well because you don't have to worry as much about pinching the outer "shell" which acts like protective sheath.

Never had a puncture with this setup since.

[Serfie]

I've been using precisely that set-up for the past 4 years on two bikes and also with NO punctures to date...but now I will be going with the Sylkaflex conversion on the KLR...time will tell... 

[zebra - Flying Brick]

So...on Saturday I took the wheels of my bike to DOC KLR for his Sylkaflex tubeless conversion. He was busy with 18 other wheels...  

Will collect them in weeks time and then see how it goes...  

subscribe 

keen to hear of your results - i did it to my G450X, worked very well indeed, but keen to see how others experience is...
Cheers
Chris & Team

[Serfie]

Good to hear some positive feedback Zebra...what is the minimum tyre pressure that you use with Sylkaflex?