Best practice for patching snakebite pinch flats on skinny tubes So, I tend to run 700x23c or 700x25c tires on my commuter bike. Sometimes I'm lazy and forget to check the air pressure and inevitably get a pinch flat when I hit some stationary object, pothole, or big curb.

When I get a snakebike type of pinch flat (2 holes somewhat separated, usually on opposite sides of a ridge in the tube, I find it hard to patch.  

Either I use a small patch without having the small patch only extend past the holes 1mm or 2mm and usually placed over the ridge/seam in the tube, or I use a large patch which is really hard to apply since it is wider than the tube (making it hard to apply glue and appropriate pressure to patch when gluing) but provides coverage for both holes at once.

Park tool GP-2 glueless patches seem to work ok for this situation since they can easily be overlapped without issue.  However, I hear anecdotal evidence that they are not as durable as patches used with vulcanizing fluid.

What is the preferred way to patch these type of tricky flats?
Use the thinnest conventional (tube-of-glue type) patches you can find.  They should be the type with feathered edges.  A little overlap is OK, but trim the edges if there will be a lot.
Better still, swap in your spare tube.
Better still, don't let your tires go flat.


(Avoid using large patches as they won't expand as the tube expands.)