Hi guys

When my pops was riding the 13evo300 he kept saying the rear xlight keeps going flat. Now that im on the bike and have a bit more time than pops I pumped the tire up to 2 bar and sprayed soapy water on it to look for the leak. It turned out to be leaking from a smallish side wall cut, veeeery slowly. Due to the cost of a new one, i was keen to try fix the cut. Luckily a bright spark I work with came up with a good idea. Good enough to share.

1- find a old car tire and using a angle grinder with a sanding disk, grind the tire down and collect the fine rubber powder. This will be your binder.

2- somehow hold the cut open. I placed the rear tire/bike on a rock with the valve out. This forced the cut open and also compresses the tire while the gum dries. When its dry and the rock or whatever is removed the cut will close and compress the dried gum but will still allow for some flex.

3- mix the rubber dust with normal patch solution untill it looks like a black booger after a dusty trial.

4- use a screw driver or your figer to get this stuff as deap as possible into the cut.

5- leave to dry for 24 hours just to be sure.

Now the good part.........ive done it but not sure if it works . It dries like super strong flexible rubber so im convinced it will work. Will inflate tomorrow and let you know.

NOTE: this will/should only work with a very slow leak. If it doesnt, the rear is getting that slime stuff.

Well this is what it looks like now after it dries. Will update how well it works.

Sounds like you've found the x-lites big downfall, very easily damaged sidewalls. Lots of reports of the same thing happening which doesn't occur on the x11

Interesting idea on a repair, will be interested in the results

I fixed two similar side wall cuts with this: http://www.notubes.c...-Quart-P51.aspx

(It's not as sticky as the slime stuff, easyer to remove from the rim)

But I don't know if you can get a hold of it. Bij U in zuid afrika :-)

It's well known by mountainbikers

Edited October 18, 201312 yr by guys

Stuff in dog turds ive had a cut in the sidewall with 3 dog turds in it for months and it holds pressure just fine

Stuff in dog turds ive had a cut in the sidewall with 3 dog turds in it for months and it holds pressure just fine

dirty git i hope you washed your hands

Dog turds don't work! You cut too many of the plies in the tyre putting them in. More slime! Check my previous posts and also consider a Dunlop D803 which is much tougher, though less grippy.

Dog turds don't work!

Damn! The lazy *******s!

depending on severity, you can superglue punctures in tyres.

its extremely effective and is a permanent 95% of the time.

I'm liking the ingenuity of buffed rubber and patch adhesive but, for a better and more durable solution try using a PU sealer / adhesive? I've used Tiger Seal (or similar PU adhesives) on tyre cuts, slashes, rip and tears over the years with very good results. In fact this stuff has a multitude of uses from fixing boots, sealing airboxes, sticking handlebar grips, affixing mud flaps etc.

Probably better for your health than attacking old tyres with an angle grinder? Shame it has a limited shelf life!

What is PU sealer? I always hear of funky stuff on forums but stuff differs from continent to continent. I try to look for a south African equivalent but sometimes I can't find one.....or am I missing a simple abbreviation?