Park ToolTB-2 Emergency Tire Boot (Pack of 3)

I have no had to used these yet but do carry them just in case.

I purchased these well over 2 years ago and carry one in my repair kit along with some cash and bandaids. I ran over glass that sliced my road bike tire and tube. Continental GP 5000 with 90/lbs of air pressure. I pressed the patch in place, pumped the new tube and so far ( fingers crossed) it works. I've put another 60 miles in since the repair a few days ago. All seems good.Eventually, I'll get a new tire and move the damaged one to my winter trainer.The patch works. Highly suggested.

Be aware that these patches are for inside your tires, not the outer surface of your tubes, in situations where you can actually see the tube through a hole in the tire. If you're looking for glueless / pre-glued patches for your tubes, I recommend Park Tool brand for that as well though several other brands also make good pre-glued patches.These patches are a great solution even in the worst of cases where the tire has such a large gash in it that there would otherwise be no way to inflate the tire without the tube bubbling out of the cut and exploding. The patches themselves are tough enough to hold up to debris (even glass) getting in the cut, and there is effectively no expansion out of the tire--whereas the old solution of using a dollar bill isn't nearly as good or durable.They are rather thick--at least as thick as a tire sidewall--yet using one doesn't leave a big bump the way many glue-on tube patches do.SIZE: I thought I would buy these three patches and try them out and then buy more immediately if they did, but each of the three is so large that you can cut several patches out of them--as suggested on the packaging. In fact, one whole patch is actually too big for a road tire, and really wouldn't be necessary in a mountain bike tire--unless it was a big three incher and the cut was reeeeeeeally bad.CON: The only source of disappointment with this product is that the glue is only about as adhesive as that of a Post-it Note, perhaps not even that strong. The glue doesn't even hold the patch in place while you're installing the tube. However, the solution is not to glue it in place; just slip it in between the tube and the tire when you have the tube partially inflated and installed, then put the tire back on the rim and inflate to normal pressure.Note that I haven't tried this on a mountain bike tire with low pressure yet, but have never personally had a mountain bike tire (2 inches in width or greater) with a hole that big in it.BOTTOM LINE: Some riders pay $50 or more per tire, and when one gets a gash in it, even if the tire is brand new, that usually means putting it in the trash right away and spending another $50 or more. That's exactly what happened to me, but I didn't throw away the first tire thank goodness before buying these patches.My replacement tire also got rather cut up over time to the point that I actually had to patch the tire itself in a couple of places. But with these patches I was able to reinstall the first tire which was otherwise completely new. And though I can actually see the patch through the gash in the road tire, it doesn't bubble out and I'm completely confident I could ride it like that for the remaining life of the tire.I now carry one of these patches with me on every ride--just in case.

I have used the tire boot a number of times to fix tread areas, in particular for nail punctures. However the best usage was when I came across a biker who's sidewall had failed. There was a big gash in the sidewall at the rim, about an inch, caused by her riding with a flat tire. She had a spare tube. I applied the tire boot, but given the length of the slit and that it was at the side wall, I figured the pressure from pumping the tire would apply a tensile force on the patch and cause it to slip, and fail. So I added two large tie straps I had around the tire and rim, to give it some hoop strength. She then successfully rode back to the nearest bike shop about 4 miles away.

Haven't had to use it yet - but it seems more than adequate for the purpose. Based on an article on bicycle emergencies I once read, I always used to keep the mylar wrapper from a granola bar in the bag for this purpose. The only time I ever had to try it, it didn't work. Tube pushed right out. I guess there is a limit on how big a cut that works on.I have tried patching a couple of tires with tube patches. Again, there is a limit on how well that works. I have two practically brand new Michellins that got holes in the side walls of the tires. One hole was bigger than the other. Using a tube patch on the small hole (like a pinhole only bigger) worked extremely well. The other hole was more of an opening - maybe 1-2mm. I can see a little bulge of the patch trying to stick through.These patches are thicker than tube patches and have adhesive on one side. I haven't tried patching that second tire with these yet. Wisconsin here - bike season is about over. I'll update this when I have done this. My guess is this patch is thick enough that you could ride it home even if it were exposed a bit.I once had to do an emergency stop for a dump truck (his right of way - my bad). I was in the aerobars and I grabbed the left brake and skidded the tire until it popped. The actual hole was about 1/4" x 3/4" - and of course, thin material all around it. Too much for a mylar wrapper. If I had brought one of these, I probably could have at least made it home. If I ever have to use it in a real emergency, I'll up date this litany. In the mean time, they patches give me extra confidence that I can handle most situations I run into on the road.

Great value, good to have incase of a tear in your tire

Thankfully haven’t had to use yet, but these lightweight and compact boots look as if they’re work

I bought these TB-2s 2 years ago. After two years in my blowout bag it was little crumpled, had picked up some dust around the edges, and still worked perfectly. I had a cut in my tire with the tube bulging out which resulted in a instant flat. I was able to patch the tube and place the TB-2 on the inside of my tire without completely removing the tire. I was patched up and back on the road in just a couple of minutes. I was worried the glue wasn't strong enough but the tire pressure held it firmly in place and I was able to make it 7 miles back home. There was no sign of wear at the patch when I got home so I'm convinced it would have held for several more miles. I'll never ride without one of these again.