Park Tool VP-1 Vulcanizing Patch Kit (Single) | cycling-tire-repair-kits

Good kit to have in your tool bag.

This kit is a life saver, and I have no complaints with it. It's compact and easy to use, comes with plenty of patches and more than enough glue, and it will dependably patch your tubes if applied correctly. I'll buy another kit when this one runs out. The inside of the case has some handy little instructions, but they're condensed, so watch the official Park Tool video if you're unsure how to use it. The only thing that could potentially be confusing is that the instructions only say to "peel off the backing" but each patch is actually sandwiched between a piece of cellophane-like material and a piece of foil-like material. After sanding and waiting for the glue to dry, what you want to do is peel off the foil piece but leave the clear piece on, then put the now naked side of the patch over the hole and apply pressure for a minute or two. Leave the clear piece there when reinstalling the tube; it won't hurt anything. The Park Tool video also includes this handy tip: mark the location of the hole with an X in chalk or marker or pen or something, because after you sand and apply the glue, it's going to be practically invisible.

"I bought this in 2015, and it saved me multiple times from having to push my bike out of the woods. The patches worked flawlessly, sealing punctures well. I do wish it came with more glue, but I managed just fine. Overall, a must-have for any rider—it does the job when you need it most!"

Yesterday I decided to do a Metric Century (100km/62m). About 40 miles into the ride I had my first flat. I had worn through the tire tread exposing the tube. I used the patch kit on the tire itself from the inside in an attempt to continue riding. The patches stuck likes champs! Too bad the tire tread continue to wear out at an alarming rate. Ten miles later the rear tire was flat again. I was able to swap the front tube and tire to the rear of the bike. I then used the Park Patch kit to repair the new tube that had been punctured. The tube was punctured at the intersection of two seams. The included sandpaper and instructions allowed me to make the repair without wasting any precious time as the sun was setting. I made a tire boot out of the old intertube and the freshly patched intertube went into the front tire. I was then able to finish the last 15 miles without further incident. The repaired tube held so well that I will keep in my panniers for a spare next time. I have added this repair kit to my cart and will make sure that I buy a replacement or two and have it for every trip. The patches do go fast but when you are 25 miles from the house they are worth all the cash in the world.

I recently bought a new bicycle and soon after had a puncture. At first I was skeptical of puncture repair kits because something as small as these patches seemed to be too good to be true to withstand the pressure in the tube. But I decided to give it a try and as I used this vulcanizing patch for the very first time it changed my views on this product. First, the kit box is very compact (about the size of a chewing gum package), which I like because you can put it in a bag or even a pocket and take it with you on a trip with a pair of levers, and you don't have to worry about getting a your tube punctured. With this kit, a puddle of water and a pocket-sized pump it is possible to even fix your tube in a few minutes at a road curb. I am a complete novice at changing tubes, but it took me around 7-10 minutes to fix the tube and be on the bike again. It is very easy to use the kit: once you determine where your puncture is, remove any object that caused it (if applicable), sand the spot around it with a sand paper provided, apply the vulcanizing glue evenly around the spot (about the size of a quarter around the hole), let it dry for up to a minute, and place one of the patches (whichever shape fits best) orange side up and press firmly for a minute or two. That's it - now you should be able to place your tube back onto the wheel and pump it with air. Make sure to sand the punctured spot well so that the area is smooth and even, having no grooves or rubber seams, otherwise these minor bumps can promote air channel formation under the patch when air pressure is applied. Overall, I think it is a pretty useful tool to relieve you from the hassle of buying new tubes all the time. I am not sure whether this vulcanizing kit is good enough to "treat" big holes, but it surely gets you covered for small punctures, such as the ones from a nail, malevolent awl or needle puncture.

I purchased the kit and used it on two different tubes. Both tubes had tiny pinhole punctures. After patching and re-inflating the tire, you could hear a slow leak from the patch area immediately. The tires held air for maybe 20 minutes, then dropped below 30 pounds. People say these are great for getting you out of the woods--a quick fix to get you home--but seriously, it's a complete waste of time if you think you're going to patch your tire on the road and keep going. For that purpose they are worthless. Always carry a spare tube. There is one condition in which these patches work well, and that's if you're able to get the bike home and patch it there. First, if your hole or puncture requires you to place the patch over the ridge in the middle of the tube, you will need to remove the ridge (air creeps out along that ridge to the edge of the patch). Use a disposable (shaving) razor to remove the ridge, then sand the area around the hole thoroughly. Apply glue liberally, let dry until tacky. Then--and this is extremely important--apply the patch, press firmly, use two pieces of wood (I use paint sticks) and a clamp to firmly hold the patch in place. Let it sit, while clamped, for 8 hours or more, remove the clamp and you're good to go. Long story short, you cannot follow the directions on the box and expect positive results. After patching, clamping and letting sit, the patch will typically hold at full pressure just like a normal un-patched tube.

I would like to thank you Amazon and Park Tool as I had to signal the fact my package was not delivered by the transporter despite it was mentioned the contrary on the site; thank you for having sent me another kit! I love it and it really worked on the two tires we had to fix. Very useful to have if you do not want to have to re-buy a tire just for a tiny hole: it is a must kit to have everywhere you ride with your bike. Moreover I think it is a great satisfaction to fix your bike yourself. In this kit you will find 6 patches of different diameter to fix different kind of leaks plus a tube of glue and a tiny, but useful sandpaper to make a good and clean job. everything is packed in a tiny box easy to transport with you as it fits the external pocket of a camel bag. Great and useful, a bikers must!!!!

I've used this kit to patch a couple of thorn punctures in a tube. The kit is tiny, easily fits in my seatbag, and has enough patches and glue for 6 holes (if the glue doesn't mistakenly dry up in the tube). Here's how I do my patches: 1. Use sandpaper to scuff area around hole larger than the patch. Wipe away rubber dust. 2. Apply thin layer of glue to area larger than the patch. I run the mouth of the glue tube over the rubber until I have a thin, wet layer. 3. Allow glue to dry thoroughly! 4. Remove foil from patch. Leave clear plastic film in place. (The actual patch is between the foil and the clear film.) 5. Place patch (the side you just removed the foil from) over the hole. 6. Using a thumb or screwdriver handle or something similar, firmly work the patch into the rubber from the inside to the outer edge (in order to push out air bubbles). The clear plastic film makes the top of the patch slippery for this purpose and keeps you from contaminating the glue on the very edges of the patch before the bond is made. 7. Remove the clear plastic film. Or not. It doesn't need to be there but doesn't hurt anything, and it'll start to come loose as soon as the tube and patch stretch during inflation. 8. When closing the glue tube, point it straight up and try to squeeze all of the air out of it first. Cons: - Unfortunately, the glue only lasted for 3 patches before it hardened up in the tube...even after I removed all the air from the tube between uses. Don't rely on the glue for subsequent patches once you puncture the tube. I'll buy this again when I need more patches, but in the meantime I'm searching for more miniature tubes of glue.

I never experienced any issues with my tubes after using this patch

I wonder how long the glue will last before drying up? Time will tell.