Had a chat with a retired mechanic about patching vs plugging tubes

Was in the shop yesterday and this old guy came in with a classic 3-speed cruiser. He saw my jar of glue and patches and said i was doing it wrong. Said he's been using the sticky string plugs for 40 years and never had a failure. I always thought plugs were just a roadside temporary fix but he showed me his bike he did 2000 miles on a plug. Made me wonder if im overthinking this whole thing. Has anyone else switched from patches to plugs for a permanent fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tessa1mo ago

Swapped over to plugs on my old Raleigh about three years ago after getting tired of tubes shifting under patches (such a pain, right?). Did a 300-mile tour last summer with zero issues from a plug that's still holding strong. I think as long as you rough the hole up and push the plug in deep, it bonds way better than most people give it credit for.

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the_drew1mo agoMost Upvoted

Have you seen that video going around where a guy tested plugs against glue patches with a pressure gauge? I think he found plugs actually held higher pressure over time. I switched to plugs two years ago and never looked back. The key for me was really taking my time with the prep work. That 300 mile tour you did is solid proof they can handle real distance, right?

the_anthony29d ago

Does anybody else ever end up making a whole afternoon out of fixing a flat? I swear last time I had to plug a tire, I found an old Grateful Dead tape in my garage that I hadn't listened to in years and just sat there blasting it while I worked. Before I knew it, I'd drank two sodas and started organizing all my camping gear just to put off putting the wheel back on. The plug itself took maybe four minutes, but the whole ordeal ate up three hours because I got distracted by dusting off my old spokeshave. Still, that plug has held strong through a couple of gravel rides since then, so I guess the procrastination paid off.