As anyone who has ever visited my garage will tell you that it looks like a Park Tool Co. display room. Nearly every bike tool I own is made by Park Tool and I believe they make the finest bike tools money can buy. However, even a great company can sometimes produce a product that just doesn’t perform as intended, and in my opinion the Park Tool Tire and Tube Repair Kit is one such under-performing product.
Park Tool Tire and Tube Repair Kit
The Park Tool Tire and Tube Repair Kit (Item #TR-1) consists of three tire levers, six glueless patches and a small piece of sandpaper. The blue tire levers (Item #TL-1) are made of nylon and do not very comfortable in my hands, but the biggest problem is that when you try to take a tire off the rim with these levers it feels like they are made of sandpaper. Unlike many other tire levers, these levers do not glide over tire rims very well.
The tire patches in this kit are also marketed as the Park Tool Super Patch Kit (Item #GP-2). These self adhesive tube patches are easy to apply: just roughen the tube a bit with the included sandpaper, wipe off the dust, then apply the patch. I’ve used these patches several times while on the road and they have always gotten me home safely. However, these patches do not hold nearly as well as those that use a vulcanizing solvent. I need to make it clear: I carry (and use) these patches on all of my bikes, but every time I use one on the road I always replace it with a vulcanized patch as soon as I get home. For this use I prefer the Park Tool Vulcanizing Patch Kit (Item #VP-1).
The Park Tool Tire and Tube Repair Kit retails for under $6 and can be found at just about any bike shop in America. In case you are wondering, my favorite compact tire levers are the ones found in the Genuine Innovations Tire Repair Wallet (reviewed here last June).
trekmp
September 19, 2012 at 8:46 AM
Funny my experience with both of those products was completely opposite. I even email Gen. Infl. About tire levers. I had 2 separate sets of tire levers snap on me when changing tires for different folks on our group rides. Hard for me to recommend them.
I usually use bontrager tire levers. Have you used/reviewed those?
Benjamin Gruber Trek Bicycle Store-Mt. Pleasant 1180 Oakland Market Road Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
Sent from my iPhone
All Seasons Cyclist
September 19, 2012 at 10:29 AM
I guess it is possible we both got bad batches of one product or another. I have not tried the Bontrager tire levers, but I do have another brand I am trying out right now — I won’t mention the name until I’ve had a chance to use it on a few more tires — but it appears to be easier to use than anything else I’ve tied (the guys at the local bike shop love it, and that speaks volumes to me).
timscyclingblog
September 23, 2012 at 8:48 AM
I’ve never broken a tyre lever and my cheap black plastic ones in my 99p repair kit work fine, of course I judge the flex and take care not to over-flex them else they will snap.
irishkatie
September 19, 2012 at 9:12 AM
*does the happy dance because I can fix my own tires*
LOL…you would be amazed how many stop when I have a flat (because I am female? ohh, I sound so jaded! And to be truthful, I have had only 1 flat when out riding).
The tire levers I have are black, and curved slightly so that when you slip the tongue between the tire and rim it’s not so hard to make the hooky end bend to the spoke.
I have carry a little patch kit too (the one mine is in is in a little aqua-ish coloured box .. sorry, I really should go and find the brand for you). But I have not used the patch kit. I carry a spare tube with me … and that is how I fixed my flat tire that one day.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 19, 2012 at 10:37 AM
Katie, I am very happy you can change your own tires — a lot of cyclists can’t. And yes, being female does make men offer to help rather quickly. However, when I see ANY cyclist stuck on the side of the road I always stop and offer assistance. I live in an area with a lot of folks with “undocumented” immigration status and they use their bikes for transportation — usually old, poorly maintained bikes at that. They can barely afford to eat and the thought of spending money on a tire repair kit seems like a real extravagance to them. As a result, I’ve patched more than a few tires for people with whom I could not even speak due to the language barrier. I always carry a spare tube that will fit my bike, but I patch their tubes since they usually have a different size than I use.
irishkatie
September 19, 2012 at 11:40 AM
That is so nice of you to do! yah!
timscyclingblog
September 23, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Glad to hear you’re that way inclined, I find it more convient to DIY a puncture rather than walk many miles home and then still have to find someone to fix it for me.
Also, there’s a 50% chance I’d notice you struggling anyway, I stop for anyone on a normal bike, 50% chance I’ll stop for a roadie, mainly just to be smug about their flimsy bikes as my kit won’t fit theirs anyway.
So 50% chance, 25% if you are a roadie.
If you are a car driver, 0% chance unless I have to move you out the way (only once so far), flashing a bit of leg might make me think about stopping, but I’ll see the car and then speed up again.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 24, 2012 at 12:17 AM
I am not sure what chance there would be of you helping me. I am a roadie about 60% of the time, a mountain biker about 25% of the time, and a fool riding out on the snow the other 15% of the time.
AndrewGills
September 19, 2012 at 2:29 PM
I am so going back through your blog to read more about bike tools. I want to learn to do my own maintenance (which would mean my bike actually got maintained).
I saw Park tools online last night but didn’t know whether they were any good. Now I remember where to come for reviews.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 19, 2012 at 2:42 PM
If you want to repair your own bike you really need to buy a copy of the “Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair.” It was written by Calvin Jones, the bike repair guru from Park Tools.
AndrewGills
September 19, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Awesome. Thanks for the tip. I’ve also found some podcasts because books for mechanical stuff sometimes confuse me (I’m a lawyer by qualification so am very unmechanical). So I think I’ll get a copy of the book and use it in combination with YouTube to really kick me along. The Factory Direct Bikes clips are showing me how simple things are.
Task number one will be to replace my chain and rear cassette because they are pretty cactus. My brake pads also need replacing. While I know how to replace them, I don’t know how to adjust the brakes properly so that will be next on my list. Oh, and of course, adjusting deraileurs will help too.
It’s quite exciting really … I bet I’ll enjoy cycling a lot more with a bike that runs smoothly.
Cherry
September 19, 2012 at 5:55 PM
oh darn, those are the levers I own haha!
All Seasons Cyclist
September 19, 2012 at 6:01 PM
Cherry, they might work for you — they just didn’t do as good of a job as some of the other tire levers I own.
dw64 (or Masaaki or Masa)
September 20, 2012 at 7:12 AM
I am a fan of flat tire levers because they are easier to carry. I am right now using shwalbe’s (http://www.schwalbetires.com/accessories/helpful_tools/lever) and satisfied with them. I never used these ones but as I judge from the pictures, they look good, too. Next time I broke mine or lost them, I want to try these.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 20, 2012 at 4:43 PM
I’ve not tried the Schwalbe tire levers (mainly because the local bike shop doesn’t carry them). However, Schwalbe makes some great winter tires!
timscyclingblog
September 23, 2012 at 8:58 AM
a.k.a. the only ones I can find in the UK
Diane
September 21, 2012 at 6:12 AM
i love the compact patch kit. i take that, as well as the emergency tire boot (also a nifty package!) when i go travel
All Seasons Cyclist
September 21, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Diane, I always carry a Park Tool Tire Boot with me as well — I reviewed them last year — only had to use them a few times, but they certainly are worth taking with you.