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Quite a few years ago I tried some glueless patches for repairing my punctured tubes while out on the road, and found that they rarely stayed on for very long. I know that technology has advanced a lot since then, and I am wondering if I should now try them again? Do they work?

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  • Like others have said, they are only to get you home. Then replace it with a permanent patch.
    – dufus
    Dec 21, 2011 at 22:21
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    I use em to patch holes in my soft-leather moccasins, which I never wear unless the weather is dry, but I wouldn't use 'em on my bikes 'cause they don't hold for very long.
    – user4747
    Aug 9, 2012 at 18:46
  • how about a glueless and patchless! howcast.com/videos/… :D
    – gcb
    Aug 12, 2012 at 22:56
  • It's a temporary patch to get you home.
    – user13943
    Oct 1, 2014 at 4:15

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They work ok - if you are just riding around town, they would probably be fine. If you are on a ride out in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't count on these. The ones with glue work significantly better, to the point where I wouldn't buy the glue-less ones.

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    I've used glueless patches on my road bike (racing type bike) and my mtb (that I also use for occasional downhill at the local parks) and never had any issues. What kind of problems did you have?
    – dee-see
    Oct 20, 2010 at 4:13
  • When I had used the glueless patches, the patches had slipped off a few times. While it wasn't the majority of the time, it was enough to make me feel uncomfortable riding with them as my primary tube when I would ride pretty isolated trails. I'm not saying they don't work, just they aren't as reliable.
    – Geoff
    Oct 24, 2010 at 8:51
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    I don't understand how the patches can slip. The pressure of the tube against the inside of the tire should keep it firmly pressed on. I've also never had problems with glueless patches, FWIW.
    – Stephen Touset
    Dec 23, 2011 at 2:03
  • Perhaps there are better and worse brands of glueless patches. (by the way I do not trust them, too)
    – heltonbiker
    Mar 24, 2012 at 18:53
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    Sustained heat, such as from leaving a bike in a bike rack in the summer, can cause the glue on clueless patches to come loose. I wish I could get rid of my leftovers, but I don't have any enemies.
    – amcnabb
    Jun 2, 2012 at 3:29
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I've use glueless patches for a number of tube repairs and have found them to be just as durable as the glued patches.

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    Since they are getting mixed reviews could you tell us which brand of glueless patches you are using? It would be nice to know the good ones by name :-)
    – dlu
    Oct 8, 2015 at 2:48
  • @dlu he hasn't been seen for a while, don't hold your breath ...
    – andy256
    Oct 8, 2015 at 6:39
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Slime scabs suck as a permanent repair. I think they would be fine for a temporary repair, because that is about how long they last. Self vulcanizing cement and regular patches are still the best way to go. I still have some scabs, but will only use them in an emergency, or when I patch my ex girlfriends tubes.

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    They are already your EXgfs... why turn them into formal enemies? :P
    – Jahaziel
    Aug 10, 2012 at 15:15
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I have used the stick on patches. The durability is conditional with proper installation. 1-scuff the tube 2-try and have the tube the same size as the inside of the tire. 3-after placing the patch on the tube take a smooth object and rub air out from under the patch. This is the most important step!

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Glueless patches are to get you home, and glued patches are for the permanent repair once you make it home.

Personally, I carry a spare tube and glueless patches, and at home I have a nice glue kit. The glue kits actually bind the patch to the intertube, where the glueless stick on top over the puncture. That being said, I've had glueless patches stay on until I tossed the tube.

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No! Still the same experience as a few years ago. Don't bother wasting your money on them (again). My experience has been that sometimes they don't even get you home before needint to be reapplied. Carry a spare tube and if you get a flat, take it home with you and patch it with a glue patch, or carry one of the small glue patch kits with you if you are flat prone.

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I do carry them with me but I've never patched on the road -- I always carry a fresh tube instead since most of my flats happen in wet conditions. But I've occasionally used "glueless" (they're actually pre-glued) patches from the comfort of home and they've turned out fine.

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I bought some once. Never again. The problem is that if you patch once, then have to patch again, the first patch crinkles when the tube deflates and then develops a leak because the patches don't stretch with the tube.

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I've had no problems with the Park ones that I haven't had with 'proper' ones and haven't felt the need to replace them when I get in. Like regular ones, my experience is that if it's on, it's on and if it's still good after 24 hours then it'll last as long as the tube. I've had some issues with getting them to stick in the rain but I think that probably applies to all patches.

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I use the Park GP-2 patch kit and have found them extremely durable, lasting the lifetime of the tube. This is with 28-32mm tires and pressures up to 90 PSI or so.

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  • I've found that the Park GP-2 patches on a 25mm tyre at 100PSI last a couple of months and then leak.
    – David Richerby
    Jan 9, 2019 at 16:03

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