tire boots Fix it, repair it, how do I do it, what's the best part to use, and now: how do I get there?

[fatasian]

so for the few of you that were there thursday night, you might remember me hitting a huge pot hole with my rear tire, flats ensued. three patches later i have discovered a small rip in the side wall of what is otherwise a brand new tire. have any of you ever used tire boots as a long term solution or is the tire toast?

side note-i rode by the pothole last night on my ride, it would have swallowed my front end whole. thank god i missed it.

[n_claw]

Sew it up with dental floss, old innertube, and hope. pray to god it doesn't bust on you again!

But in all seriousness--riding on a sewn-up tire was nervewracking, added too much rolling resistance, and I would not recommend. But it did get me to the next bike shop :)

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[key lime]

A new tire can be had for as little as $15
I've had a vittorio zaffiro (700-25) on the rear that, by maintaining at least 70% inflated hasn't gone flat in months. I think they're $18-20. I like this tire, it's <a href="http://www.hellashriners.org/">hella</a> grippy.
I don't think most of us spend any more than

Uless you're completely destitute, it seems like a pretty small investment to avoid a lot of time spent worrying that your tire will pop again and then time spent kicking yourself by the roadside when it does.

[fatasian]

[SeditiousCanary]

[fatasian]

doh! that sounds like a great idea, too bad the tire is on its way to the landfill.

[derrickito]

good thing to do with a fucked tire is to cut it into several inch long sections and use it for a future tire boot.

[Chip McShoulder]

I used duct tape on the inside of a tire once. I was in a similar situation: I had just bought the tire, hit a rock and ripped a hole open. Based on some kind of twisted logic, I couldn't bring myself to buy a new tire until I'd gotten my money's worth out of that one. The tape held for a few hundred more miles with no problems (until my paranoia conquered my thriftiness).

But really, just get a new tire.

Fun fact: If you're out riding, and want a just-get-me-home fix, a mylar wrapper (i.e. clif bar) or dollar bill work very well.

[joeball]

[eärendil]

[joby]