I tried glueless patches a few years back after recommendation by the mechanic at my LBS.
They worked, but I didn't see that there was much gain in time over the traditional glue and patch system, which has always worked very well for me.
I used to patch tubes until it was "patches on patches", nowadays I discard tubes after a few patches.
Anyway, I have far fewer punctures nowadays, the tyres (mostly Schwalbe) are more puncture resistant than those I used 20-30 years ago (mostly Michelin). Probably just the evolution of bicycle tyre technology rather than anytthing to do with the brands.
When I do get a puncture (most often on one of my Bromptons with lightweight Kojak tyres) I have 4 different ways of dealing with it :
- if slow puncture close to home, pump, ride, pump, ride, and repair comfortably at home.
- if not a slow puncture or a long way from home :
(i) if rain or cold or inner tube badly damaged, remove wheel, remove tyre, replace inner tube. Preferably in a bus shelter or similar if I can find one.
(ii) if rear wheel, remove most of one side of the tyre WITHOUT removing the wheel, patch with traditional glue patches, refit tyre. Saves mucking about with the chain. On a bike with a Chainglider I actually find it easier to deal with a rear wheel tyre or tube replacement, as the front part of the Chainglider keeps the chain tidy, but I haven't yet had a roadside puncture on any of my 3 Chainglider equipped bikes.
(iii) if front wheel, remove wheel, remove tyre, patch with traditional glue patches, refit tyre.
In all cases, before patching or changing the tube I check the inside of the tyre, visually and/or by touch, to remove the thorn, glass fragment or metal fragment if it is still there. This is obviously less thorough when I patch a rear inner tube without removing the wheel, but has worked OK for me so far.
