I get small nicks and cuts on occasion (+/- 1/16th") in my tires and would like to glue / fill them to strengthen / protect any weakness. What glue do you think would be best…Super Glue, 3M Multi-Purpose Adhesive or Rubber Cement (same as used to apply patches to tubes)? Thanks
IME this may not do anything at all, but it’s worth a try if it’ll give you piece of mind. If you’re doing it for durability’s sake, you want a filler that’s flexible and strong, like the original rubber itself. I’ve tried repairing cuts in the tread of tubulars and clinchers with superglue because I’m super freakin cheap, with mixed results. The super glue on the tubular just wore off, but that was more of a surface cut in the tread than a deep cut into the tire plies. I’m beginning to think that the best solution would be to put a small piece of duct tape on the inside of the tire in the vicinity of the hole. This would only really be necessary if the hole goes all the way through the tire, and would only prevent the tire from somehow getting pushed toward/out of a small hole in your tire. A 1/16th cut that doesn’t go through the fabric layer is not even worse messing with–the rubber doesn’t do a whole lot for the tire from a structural standpoint, and the structural damage from a cut that small has to be minimal, so filling in a hole in the rubber with adhesive shouldn’t theoretically improve or detract from the structural properties of the tire. I can’t see rubber cement adding a whole lot of durability to the tread either.
That said, I had a hole in my tire that went all the way through, about the size you’re describing when the tire isn’t pumped up, and I did successfully “patch” it with super glue and duct tape. I’m not sure it did anything more than give me piece of mind, but I got many many more miles out of that tire before general wear to other parts of the tire led me to “retire” it. It may be my patch job worked, it may be there was nothing wrong with the tire to begin with. Either way it was rideable afterward.
Maybe shoe goo? Haven’t tried it but it’s designed for that type of job (high fill high adhesion).
I use superglue on my tubulars (race wheels have tangentes), about once a month, for the nicks/cuts you describe. It works pretty well.
I’ve used wetsuit repair cement with success.
YMMV.
Little nicks and slices in the outside of the tire are normal. There is not much you can do about them. The higher end tires tend to use softer rubber compounds on the outer layers for better all-around performance. However, I tend to use these tires( Vittoria EVO CX) all the time, and on lousy roads and they work just fine. You should check the tires after/before every ride and if you find a small shard of glass in one of the nicks and slices you should carefully dig it out with a pin - otherwise it may work it’s way deeper in the tire and through the casing while riding causing a flat.
If the casing has been punctured and broken, this is cause for more concern/action. If the cut is of a certain size you’ll need to boot the tire from the inside with something - I find gel wrappers work well for this. In fact I have a PowerGel wrapper working as a boot in a brand new Vittoria EVO CX that on it’s maiden ride, was punctured straight through by a 1 in. metal screw!!( This was not the tires fault. Any tire would have succumbed to this) Seems to be working fine. Did not want to give up on an expensive and very good tire after just one ride.
could you use vulcanizing glue. I know they sell it at trisports.
Long ago, I sewed the sidewall of a new clincher tire with good success. I don’t know what got it, but something blew out the side wall after less than 20 miles. It was an old michelin high lite supercomp hd and I still have it somewhere. found a new one still in the box a few weeks ago when cleaning up
prob nothing to worry about though
good luck
Yes, these are definitely surface nicks and not in the structure of the tire. Mostly on my rather new (only for racing) Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tires. Lots of times the nick will actually be a little “flap” of rubber so I figure gluing it down is better than leaving it and the opening exposed. I did have a larger cut (+/- 1/2") that was deeper but not visible from the inside. I used a Park Tools “boot” http://www.parktool.com/product/emergency-tire-boot-tb-2 on the inside and Super Glue on the outside (deflated tires to get good contact on the edges of the cut) and rode the tire until the tread wore out in general. Not sure if the patch was the reason but it certainly didn’t hurt. The Shoe Goo is an interesting idea, I’ve used it on expensive hiking boots. Thanks for the responses.