Unpatchable hole on rim side Well, I am new to road biking and I got my first flat yesterday. I was going to go for a ride and the front tire was completely flat, so I popped it off and went to patch it. I found the hole, it was on the rim-side, and I noticed that the rim tape had slipped off a little and the spoke hole was slightly exposed, so I pushed the tape back to position, patched the hole, and pumped the tire back up.

As I was pumping it up the patch blew out. So I went back and tried to stick another patch on, and it blew out too. I ended up going through about six patches before I got one that 'worked.' I let it sit a couple hours and it was holding pressure just fine. After about 4 hours I was going to go for a bike ride and it was completely flat again.

I took the tube off again and there was a wrinkle that formed in the patch where the air is coming out. I checked the rim tape and it was fine, none of the spoke hole where sticking out. My current theory is that the tube is conforming to the shape of the rim on the inside, right where the patch is, and forcing the patch to wrinkle and inevitably blow out.

I am completely at a loss as to what to do here. I've patched tires on my mountain bikes many times and have never had this much trouble. I don't want to get a new tube, I have only like 60 miles on this tube. Should I just try slapping another patch over this patch's wrinkle and hope for the best or should I just start from scratch with a new tube and rim tape?

Thanks.
I'm not sure why this question needed four paragraphs to explain, but I'll indulge it. However, I want to point out that the most effective decision is whatever results in a reliable tube using the least amount of time, money, and effort to accomplish. That should be obvious and not need to be pointed out.

That said, I would personally buy a new tube and rim tape. I might even buy a new tire while I'm at it. If a tube keeps going flat, there are only two or three possible explanations.


The patch isn't taking
The rim or something in the tire (e.g. small, short piece of metal)
keeps puncturing the tube
The tire is worn through/weak in a specific area


There is a certain level of convenience in patching a tube. If you're having to patch the same spot on a tube multiple times or keep getting multiple flats on the same tube in a day, or even a week, is it really worth your time to diagnose when you can spend ~$5 on a new tube and rule possibility out (unless you're extremely unlucky and get a defective tube, which has happened to me once)?

If you feel it is really worth your time, you can rule out the first potential cause by pumping up the patched tube outside of the tire, and putting it in a tub full of water. Watch for air bubbles.

You can try ruling out the second by running your finger through the rim and through the inside of the tire, but BE CAREFUL! You can slice your finger open if there's something sharp and big enough poking through.

The latter is something you can only determine through visual inspection. I know one of the most confounding flats I've ever had was caused by a small cut in the tire, big enough for the inflated tube to poke out of, embolize, and eventually blow out.