Customer Reviews

Park Tool GP-2 Super Patch Kit

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Up until today, my only experience with these patches was with my commuter/mountain bike - I found the patches would repair the tube pretty much indefinitely, until the tube just plain wore out (which it did). I biked hundreds of miles with these patches on my MTB tubes and I think they are awesome. The other day I used one (the patch was several years old, being carried around in my gear bag, BTW) on my road bike for the first time - it held 120psi for the remainder of my ride, and three days later, the tube still has 120 psi. These patches work great and they are just a darn good invention!
Update 10/9/2010: the patch is still holding 120psi on my road bike (of course I pump it once a week, but i pump the tire that doesn't have a patch, too - 120psi doesn't stick around too long!) The point I'm trying to make is that these really work and if yours aren't holding, I'm suggesting user error. Rough up the tube around the hole with the little piece of sandpaper, DON'T touch the sticky side of the patch with your fingers, press firmly onto the tube, pump it to max recommended pressure.
4/12/11 Still holding 120psi - even had to get new tires, re-use the patched tube, and still holding up. I LOVE these patches! I keep spare packs to give to other cyclists on the roads. Got a blow-out hole on my MTB tube last week and used one of these and, even though it eventually went flat (it was a huge hole - old tube) I made it off the trail without having to walk the bike.
5/6/11 So maybe Park made some bad batches? I got a flat the other day and opened a new pack of patches and three of them did NOT stick. I had a spare pack with me and they worked fine.

I have tried these on both mountain bike 26 inch tires and the high inflation 700 cc road tires. I closely followed the directions (these were not roadside repairs) and I found these are not permanent repairs for punctures. They will get you home on a mountain bike tube but you will end up repairing the tube again because the patch will leak. On road tires, I found the patches would not hold up a day and some punctures leaked right away. At best, they might be an emergency roadside repair, but I have found the glue patches do provide permanent repairs even roadside. Why take a chance, use patches that will get you home and why do it twice? I have many Park Tool products and they have been uniformly great except this patch.

I first encountered this product when I was repairing a flat tire on the side of the road. I had intended to simply replace the tube with the emergency spare I used to carry on longer rides, but a cyclist passing me by gave me this kit and I couldn't BELIEVE how well it worked. Quick and no mess. I can't stand glue on patches; they are bulky because they have to contain the tube of cement, and you have to spread the cement Just So to get it to the right thickness, then let it cure to tackiness just the right length of time... and then hope it's a good seal. I've opened "new" glue tubes to find them dried out. I've placed the patch on the cement to find it slides off. I've found that even though the repair looked good the glue patches have leaked. They've failed on me too many times and I hate them. Even if I liked them they are too big and bulky, and even though a kit may contain more than one patch, it's really ONLY good for one, because once you open the tube of cement you can't be confident it will still be usable the next time you get a flat.
But the Super Patch Kit is a whole different story. This product approaches perfection.
Just find the cause of the flat. REMOVE IT from the tire's rubber. It's usually a thorn or piece of broken glass. If you don't remove it you will get another flat from the same cause.
Rough up the area of the tube around the hole and simply peel and stick the patch on. No waiting. No curing. No mess. No glue on your fingers. I've even omitted the "roughing up" step and STILL gotten excellent results, as long as the puncture isn't too close to the seam and as long as the tube is clean and dry.

The Super Patch Kit is tiny!
It needs and has no glue!
It contains six patches, the last just as good as the first! (If you want to carry around six normal patch kits it's going to take around 50 times the space of one six patch Super Patch Kit.)
The patches come in a tiny plastic container that keeps them nice.
The Super Patch Kit has a piece of sand paper perfect for roughing up the rubber.

I can't say enough good things about this product. It can save your life. It's so tiny and light you'll never be reluctant to carry it, so you will be sure to have it when you need it. They're so cheap it is no trouble at all to carry even a spare kit to share with cyclists having trouble on the road!

If I could improve the product even more, I don't even know what I would do. Maybe use the patches' backing paper to list important survival info or facts?
This product is perfect.
Purchase four or five. They are worth it and they WILL come in handy. Put together your emergency roadside kit in a little zipper pouch. Then just grab it before you head out (or keep it in your Camelbak.) All you need is a pump, an "Alien" bike multi tool, and the Park Super Patch Kit. I've biked THOUSANDS of miles and this kit is all you should ever need for a quick repair to get you to the nearest bike shop, bus stop, or your house.
The patches will outlast the innertube itself.

After all the reviews I read I was kind of sketchy about these patches. I very rarely get flats and when I did for the first time a couple weeks ago I pulled them out of my pocket and had a go in a parking lot. I roughed the tube up the same amount I would've for glue-ons, poured some water on it, dried that off, then stuck the patch on. It works perfectly. Oddly enough about three days later I got another flat on the same tube, did the same thing, and this ones holding as well. The patch already on there stretched and held on with the tube I was finding the hole in and is still all good. I think you've all been doing something wrong because these are fantastic. Luckily I'm in a city with a gas station every other block, and all I feel I need to carry around is this patch kit and a lever, and I feel plenty safe.

I've been using these patches for a few years. Simply sand the tube until you hit black rubber, apply the patch, then pinch it down hard with your fingers. I've had a few fail after several months but they've always gotten me home. They're lighter, faster, and more reliable than vulcanizing patches while on the road or a trail.

As with all patches, using a small tube in a large tire may result in part of the patch seal breaking loose during inflation. Inflate the tube to match the tire size before patching.

I tried several brands of patches all with the same disappointing result. Either an instant failure gone flat before home or flat the next day. as others said they can be , messy too waiting for it to dry people in cars passing you mouthing R U OK ? or other cyclists need help? nope waiting for water to boil here :)

So I have just replaced tubes moaned a little then threw it in the trash. These were given to me to try over a year ago. SO yesterday I had a flat, tried the patch at home and was shocked.

I was shocked at how simple and uncomplicated these were to put on and they,I kid you not; STICK TO THE TUBE. $6.25 for six patches or $6.25 for a new tube. Now I can at least change out a tube on the road but repair it when I get home or worst case scenario, ( which has morphed into something easy and dependable) fix on the road with these patches. I being a creature of habit have not yet taken one of my spare tubes out of my seat pack. I feel confident enough in these patches to do so, the next time I need a tube I'll leave it out of the bag. making for that much less weight.

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I used it for mountain bike tubes. Keep the area dry and clean. Apply it like a stamp and it is good to go. Never failed me. This is my #1 choice.

I'm with the reviewer that asked what's wrong with the rest of you. I consider these a permanent patch. I've used them for years at the roadside and they've held air for thousands and thousands of miles. I retire tubes from dry rot or valve stem pullout before the patches fail. These are not wimpy low-pressure comfort bike tires either, they're at least 120psi or more. The negative reviewers must be doing something wrong.

Very good idea with this new style of patch. A lot of the mess with glues is gone, and the simplicity of it is great. Tiny package, so I was worried about it at first, but, all the patches were there and the little sandpaper as well. I like it, and glad I tried it.

I'm happy for those who were completely satisfied by the Park Tool Super Patch Kit. I bought this because of its promise of mess-free, quick repair, and back on the trail soon. But in my 8 instances of flats, this patch kit didn't hold up. I'm talking about a 700c x 25 road tire. It would hold the 100psi pressure, but after a couple of hours, there's no air on the tube. There were also a couple of occasions when after applying this patch and waiting for about 30 minutes, I put it back into my tire, started pumping air and then when the pressure reached 100psi......PFFFFFFFFTTTTT!!! Tube burst on the patched area and upon close inspection the patch wasn't able to handle the very high pressure.

I think this patch kit is good to use just to get to one's destination, but not with maximum pressure on their tires; just enough psi to get rolling (say 50psi). But it's better to replace the tire afterwards.

EDIT (05/15/12): It was a good thing I did not throw one of my punctured tubes which I repaired with this patch kit 2 months ago. I revisited the work I've done, pumped some air again, and to my surprise there's no more leak. I'm still wary about this so I'll probably test it sometime soon on my tire and see if it can still hold the 100+ psi without bursting again. If it holds, then I know now based on experience that this patch kit actually works; but only if you give it ample time for the glue to cure and stick to the tube thereby sealing the puncture. What I did before was typical of any cyclist who got a flat tire while on the road: Sand the punctured area, wait for a few minutes (15 minutes tops) while pressing on the patch kit, tire back to the bike then off I go. Now it seems it needs more time (hours perhaps) before it can make a good seal. Well, any stranded cyclist doesn't have that luxury on the road, to be honest.

I'm upgrading my rating from 2 to 3 Stars because of my recent finding. But I still stand by my understanding that it needs hours of time to cure before it can be re-used. So my advice for those who will get a flat while riding is to get your new replacement tube and use that instead. Then when you get home, that's the time you repair the punctured tube with this kit and leave it for hours or days before coming back and inspecting it. Don't forget to put on weights so the patch would not dislodge.

FINAL EDIT (05/16/012): As stated earlier, I will test the patched tube by mounting it in my tire and find out if it can hold pressures of 100psi and up. I just did it right before updating this review, and sadly air still leaked through the same hole that was patched up by this product. I am now making my final rating, going down once more from 3 to 2 STARS because of this most recent finding. I have lost confidence in using this product, and I definitely would not risk my own safety by having a blow out while riding on my bike.

I DO NOT recommend this product.