A customer asked why I won't patch a tire with a plug from inside, and it made me rethink my whole pitch
Had a guy come into the shop on Saturday with a rear tire on his commuter that had a screw in it, and he asked why we could not just jam a plug in from the inside and call it a day. I started giving him my usual speech about how a proper patch and glue is the only repair I trust, and he stops me and says he has been doing inside plugs on his own bikes for 12 years with zero problems, and he rides 4,000 miles a year. That kind of stopped me cold, because I have been repeating the same line since I started at the shop in 2019 without ever really testing it. So I pulled a couple of dead casings out of the bin and messed around with the plug tool he had in his bag, and honestly the thing seated better than I expected. I am not saying I would send a customer out the door with one on a 60 mph descent, but for a commuter rolling 15 mph on flat streets it made me wonder if I have been overselling the patch job. Now I am second guessing how I explain repairs to folks instead of just going with what my old boss drilled into me. Any of you ever switch your stance on a repair method after a customer pushed back on it?