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PatchnRide Promises Simple Flat Repair without Removing the Tire – Even on Tubulars

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Pretend for a moment that you’re not an expert flat repair person, and that you barely know how to work a quick release. For that rider, or anyone else who doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of repairing a flat tire, it looks like things could be getting a lot easier in the near future. A new company by the name of patchnride has taken on the flat tire, and is offering the simplest method of getting air back in your tubes without ever having to remove the tire. The secret lies in a clever device that “injects” a patch into the tire. Once inserted, the tire can be reinflated and you’re on your way in about 60 seconds.

See how it works after the break…


Using their leak detector liquid, which is applied with a cloth, remaining air in the tire causes the hole to bubble showing where the leak is. We’re assuming you would want to remove any bits of glass or thorns before proceeding. The patchnride tool uses a single use Patch Pod with versions for specific uses – mountain, road, etc. The tool itself will measure about 5 inches long and weigh 100g , and uses a needle to insert the patch into the tire. Since the patch goes between the tire and the tube, we’re assuming that the patch has adhesive on the tube side, and inflating the tube presses it against the patch, sealing the hole. All of this can be done with the tire still on the rim, meaning it seems like the perfect repair for tubular tires especially during a race. Capable of patching holes up to 3mm in diameter, patchnride can be used multiple times on the same tire as long as the hole isn’t in the same place.

Currently available for pre-order, patchnride won’t be available until this Fall. Your $30 pre-order includes a tool, two Patch Pods and two Leak Detectors plus shipping. No word on how much replacement Patch Pods will cost in the future.

patchnride.com

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38 Comments
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Duncan
9 years ago

Would you trust a guy who can’t buy a correct shouldered courier bag?

Out for a Ride
Out for a Ride
9 years ago

Forget the patch kit, I want that floor pump. One shove and your tire is full!

mike
mike
9 years ago

rad!

Stuck at work
Stuck at work
9 years ago

Too bad this wouldn’t work with pinch flats…

Mick
Mick
9 years ago

This product creates more questions than provides answers.
Not getting a warm fuzzy feeling about the success rate of this product (or the company)

Gunnstein
Gunnstein
9 years ago

Count me interested. Not that I get flats often, but when I do it is usually cold, wet, dark, or all of the above. Needs independent reviews…

j
j
9 years ago

wow

can’t even begin to question how long this thing might work, if even at all.
Hey add CO2, so it inflates it too!

As a professional, and as a rider this looks sketchy.

MS
MS
9 years ago

I don’t know about the product, but it’s one of the best-done Kickstarter videos that I’ve seen. It’s struck that rare balance of information, humor and humility.

lmwong
lmwong
9 years ago

Huh, so this is what the Translogic guy is doing now…interesting.

Jorge
Jorge
9 years ago

This looks WAY too good to be true. I’m not liking the whole making the hole bigger for the tool pin to go in and inject the patch…way to ruin a tire. I don’t know, looks promising, something that “easy” would be great for long road rides. Hope this works.

Weston
Weston
9 years ago

@duncan, I didn’t notice at first, but now I can’t stop seeing that messenger bag strap. That’s all I see now!

scott
scott
9 years ago

@duncan I was wondering if had had a shunt or a drain in from an accident, and needed rib padding.

The Conductor
The Conductor
9 years ago

Yes, it creates more questions:

If you do not have the basic skill to fix a flat traditionally, how is grommy user supposed to master this without adding a new hole in the tube if you don’t “pinch” correctly?

Will patch stick to tire talc?

How long before a kid injects his buddy in the arm for “fun?”

Will video guy get up the nerve to ride in the street and not the sidewalk?

Will his coffee shop roommate teach him how to properly use a shoulder strap?

Will it work on a beach ball, or an inflatable mattress? If so, it may have a future…

Fattylocks
Fattylocks
9 years ago

What bag? I saw a nice Serotta. Tooling down the sidewalk with keds.

wheelz
wheelz
9 years ago

The majority of the leaks on my road bike are slow leaks caused by tiny thorns or a peice of wire. I agree with Jorge above that making the whole bigger seems like a good way to ruin an expensive tire. On my mountain bike, main problem is pinch flats, so this would not help there either.

DebbieDowners
DebbieDowners
9 years ago

Man, listen to you guys! For many people, this will work just fine. If you are just simply too hip (really, all the comments about his bag? Get over yourselves sheesh), or too pro, or your typical flat causing mechanism is too small, then cool, don’t buy the product.

I see something that stands to benefit the AVERAGE rider, who patronizes bike shops for gadgets, who cruises around and gets nails in their tires, and who isn’t a pro mechanic and would otherwise have to go to the bike shop to try and fix that flat.

True, it probably wont work for pinch-flats, so that is a good argument.

MattS
9 years ago

This product comes close to being something I’d be keen on purchasing: an option for patching my TUBELESS tires while they are still mounted. This is an actual problem all tubeless users face: a hole in the tire too big for sealant to plug. On mtb tires, any real loss of air I’ve ever had has been too much for my sealant. For the road tires, the small stuff gets covered, but 2-3mm cuts don’t tend to seal with 80 or more psi in the tire. I want an umbrella-like thingy I can stick in and ‘deploy’ against the tire casing. The sealant can do the rest. Anyone who uses tubeless tires with sealant will likely agree that sticking tubes in during rides sucks; it’s really messy, and tubeless road tires don’t like to seat so well with tubes in them.

Tom
Tom
9 years ago

I’d say 70-90% of flats that I fix at the shop are pinch flats. Can’t see this working with pinch flats, or any other puncture that’s not through the top of the tread.

TBH – fixing a flat tyre is not hard. Using tyre levers, a new tube and some elbow grease is more economical and for someone who’s done a couple, probably faster and with a higher success rate with little potential for re-do’s down the line.

bob
bob
9 years ago

Thanks for tossing the nail on the ground dude.

Timmbo
9 years ago

ummmm… im afraid IT IS THE COOLEST JOB IN THE WORLD!!!

Ajax
Ajax
9 years ago

Have you clones never ever gotten a flat tire in your car?!

This is how the mechanics at the gas stations patch a car tire that has a nail in it. Stop acting like this is ground breaking!

Mick
Mick
9 years ago

@ MattS…from what I see, it won’t work with tubeless…(not to be confused with tubular)…The patch goes inbetween the tire casing & tube…The tube is required for the product to work properly.

M68k
M68k
9 years ago

Eventhough I’ve good experiences with tubulars and sealant, it might be an interesting alternative, which is more like the tube repair of the old days with thread and needle, just easier without thread and needle.
But I am wondering if it is really possible to separate tube and tire by pressing the tire.
And how reliable will the tire be at the point of insertion afterwards.

saddlesniffer
saddlesniffer
9 years ago

Because every flat that I have ever had I could totally see what caused it sticking out of my tire. Oh and wear your bag right…

Mark
Mark
9 years ago

Injecting latex into the right spot instead of filling the tube with heaps of latex to fix a hole. What a terrific idea.
Just a shame to have to read all the bleating, groaning, whining, depressingly uber negative posts about it.

Hotep
Hotep
9 years ago

Wow….The BR ninnies are testy today. I’d buy it just to see if the damn thing really worked. Seems pretty straightforward to me. Ajax is right. This is how your auto tires are fixed at the shop.

Pacific
Pacific
9 years ago

Cherry Serotta.

Dave B
Dave B
9 years ago

Yes, this is about how a flat car tire is fixed but car tires are tubeless and locating the hole in the tire is always the actual hole. That’s not true for tube-type bike tires where the leak in the tube may not be detectable from the tire exterior.

Scotty
Scotty
9 years ago

Correct way to fix a car tire is by dismounting the tire and adding a patch from the inside. I haven’t seen a tire shop use plugs in over 20 years.

As a former bike mechanic, I see a few issues with this. What do you do if you hit a patch of thorns? I’ve had both tires completely covered with thorns on a ride, which is why I always carry 2 tubes.

Someone already asked if it will stick to talc.

Finding where the puncture is sometimes pretty hard. I’ve fixed many flats where it was a really small steel wire. Can’t see it. Only way is to run a tissue on the inside of the tire to see where it snags.

BikeHoarder6
BikeHoarder6
9 years ago

Many years ago I was mtb’ing a trail in Palm Desert. I rode right over a little cactus ball. My suspension fork arch knocked-off the catus ball, but the spines remained. I used a Leatherman to pull the spines out. My tire never flatted. My buddies were astounded. Mr. Tuffy tire liners.
They are kinda heavy, but work as advertised.

http://mrtuffy.com/

el puerco
el puerco
9 years ago

It’s a Pet Rock for uninformed cyclists.

I’m impressed with the presenter’s serious tone while lying throughout the presentation. I’m even more impressed with BR taking it seriously when it’s little more than a short con type of grift that the presenter is offering. Naturally this sort of activity is what makes BR the pinnacle of detached, objective reporting on the cycling world — the sheer gullibility and unthinking service as a conduit for the confidence men and women who play in the cycling world.

I am truly impressed.

Monkey Throwing
Monkey Throwing
9 years ago

Do I get to be the first one to point out he wasn’t wearing a helmet?
yeahhhhh. #wintheinternet
Also, the audio from edited clip to edited clip wasn’t mastered at the same volume.
There.
What else can we pick on and not talk about the actual design of the product?

Patch-it!
Patch-it!
9 years ago

PatchnRide – For the incompetent.

Isnt that what the video is saying? It is sweet if it works as fast as it shows, i doubt it though.

DrDarrenKreitman
DrDarrenKreitman
9 years ago

To all the readers (both positive and skeptical), I too was hesitant when I heard about this. I actually know the creator and when he simply said come to my office and do it yourself and give me your opinion, I was blown away. This product has been many years in the making. It is not a made in China 80 cent piece of you know what. Additionally the entire team are avid cyclists and ironman. They really have it all together. So the best thing we can all do is find out more and try it.

Bill
9 years ago

I wouldn’t use it, but I can see it having a niche with people who don’t/can’t/won’t fix a flat. Even if it works on a majority of flats, and that’s a big if, i would still have to carry the same supplies I currently carry to fix the flats that the patchnride doesn’t. Carrying more stuff, especially duplicated supplies, is not something I would be interested in.

Troy
Troy
9 years ago

I saw the tool and patch application in person at stage 2 of the Tour of Utah last week. It is well designed and constructed. The tool first injects a bit of glue through the hole over the punctured area of the tube. Then a small patch is pushed through the tire leaving a little stem of rubber sticking out of the hole. The diameter of the patch left inside the tire is around 1cm if I remember correctly. You press down on the puncture for 15 seconds to adhere the patch to the tube and then inflate. Based on the video alone I would be a skeptic. They should more clearly describe the mechanics of the repair and patch. But after seeing it in person the principle is completely sound. It should work brilliantly for tubular tires specifically where you cannot other wise perform a field repair like can be done with clinchers. I like the smooth ride of my carbon tubulars but previously only used them for racing. With this tool it would be perfectly feasible to use tubulars for training as well because flats would no longer be an issue. Yes you can use sealant in tubulars but this tool should have a greater success for a range of puncture sizes. And pinch flats rarely happen with tubulars so no issue there. But for clincher tires it only makes sense for the mechanically challenged or those unwilling to perform field repairs. For $30 I am going to give it a try for when I ride tubulars outside of racing. If it does not work, c’est la vie, I can buy a few less espressos to make up for it. And if it does work a $10 pod is a lot cheaper than a $100 replacement tubular and the labor of gluing it to the rim.

grasspress
grasspress
9 years ago

hey, surely this product is available in other markets and i’d like to hear from riders already using it? but maybe not. it sounds promising and i ordered one. will let you know how it works out for me. some of the comments here and on other sites have been pretty negative but with lots of ‘ignorance’ in common; kind of like the fox ‘news’ guys. let’s hold off until it’s available in the marketplace and go from there. you don’t need to be a genius to figure out this product is not meant to be a cure-all for all tire/tube problems, but then they don’t advertise they are.

stuart young
stuart young
5 years ago

Where can I buy

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