Which tubes?

Chuck said:

I just bought some new tires for the upcoming season, 700x25c Michelin
Carbon's to be exact. I'm wondering, what kind/brand/style of tubes should
I purchase for these? I mean, is there a difference in durability between
the different brands and weights of tubes?

What about the so-called "self-sealing" tubes like Nashbar and Slime? Do
they actually work? Is it worth the weight penalty?

(Sheldon, are you listening? Got an opinion? I went with the 25c's based
on your input.)

Get the ones with the least obvious seams. They'll be easier to repair.
Personally I'd avoid latex tubes as they're a PITA to fit and keep
inflated.

Chuck said:

I just bought some new tires for the upcoming season, 700x25c Michelin
Carbon's to be exact. I'm wondering, what kind/brand/style of tubes
should
I purchase for these? I mean, is there a difference in durability between
the different brands and weights of tubes?

Get a tube designed for that size tire. Undersized tubes will work, but
being more stretched, they will puncture easier, and loose air faster.

Avoid "ultra-light" tubes if you're concerned about flats. The heavier the
tube, the better the flat resistance. Thorn-resistant tubes are very heavy,
but least likely to flat.

Quoted message said:

What about the so-called "self-sealing" tubes like Nashbar and Slime?

I'd avoid them.

Art Harris

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:12:40 GMT, "Chuck" <[email hidden]>

may have said:

I just bought some new tires for the upcoming season, 700x25c Michelin
Carbon's to be exact. I'm wondering, what kind/brand/style of tubes should
I purchase for these? I mean, is there a difference in durability between
the different brands and weights of tubes?

What about the so-called "self-sealing" tubes like Nashbar and Slime? Do
they actually work? Is it worth the weight penalty?

Adding to the good advice given already (avoid latex and ultralight,
try for smooth outer surface, slime is questionable) I'll expand on
the Slime question.

Slime *can* work, but there are several issues with it.

First, on a road tire, the amount of leakage that has to take place
before the tire loses too much pressure is fairly small. Even when
properly inflated, the skinny roadie tires are more liable to collect
snakebites than fatter tires would be. Since slime seals punctures
best when they're in the tread area, it may not seal a snakebite
puncture fast enough, in which case you're running on a tire that's
underinflated...and likely to collect additional snakebites before you
notice. Slime (and its competitors) work best on tires with a lower
pressure and a larger enclosed volume, where a short, small leak is
not going to make a big difference.

Second, Slime's fibrous component can foul the valve on a Presta with
distressing ease. The Slime compound can glue a Presta shut. I
haven't had either problem with Schraders, but I've heard of it
happening there as well.

Third, Slime makes the tube harder to patch when the time comes to
actually fix the puncture. The Slime has to be cleaned off the
surface of the tube where it has (inevitably) leaked and spread,
adding significantly to the work and the likelihood of the patch not
sticking.

If you ride where tread punctures are a frequent issue, and the
trade-offs of mandatory tube-swap/patch delay vs possible
low-inflation running mitigate in favor of preferring to deal with the
latter, then Slime may still be right for you, but I personally don't
like to use it on a roadie or narrow-tire cruiser...and I'm not
particularly thrilled with it on a bike with fat tires, though there
are places where it's handy.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Werehatrack said:

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:12:40 GMT, "Chuck" <[email hidden]>

may have said:

I just bought some new tires for the upcoming season, 700x25c Michelin
Carbon's to be exact. I'm wondering, what kind/brand/style of tubes should
I purchase for these?

Adding to the good advice given already (avoid latex and ultralight,
try for smooth outer surface, slime is questionable) I'll expand on
the Slime question.

I think the advice **as given** is good: "Avoid "ultra-light" tubes if
you're concerned about flats." Note the "if."

I've had relatively few problems in my area on my dry-conditions bike,
700x23 tires, and ultralight tubes. Other riders and those in other
areas may not be so lucky. For my "rain" bike, I'm avoiding
ultralights, since flats are more of a problem in wet conditions, and
have been more of a problem on that bike.

Mark "adjust for local conditions" Janeba

Chuck said:

I just bought some new tires for the upcoming season, 700x25c Michelin
Carbon's to be exact. I'm wondering, what kind/brand/style of tubes
should I purchase for these? I mean, is there a difference in
durability between the different brands and weights of tubes?

Ultralight butyl tubes are more prone to developing splits or tiny holes
from long-term abrasion, otherwise I've not noticed any difference in
durability or puncture resistance between them and standard tubes. UL's
also require topping-up more often.

Michelin tubes are reliable and have minimal seams. Could fit 18-23 UL
for minimal weight but standard-weight 25-32 will be more practical.

Quoted message said:

What about the so-called "self-sealing" tubes like Nashbar and Slime?
Do they actually work?

Sometimes (I tried the WrenchForce ones).

Quoted message said:

Is it worth the weight penalty?

Not for nice lightweight tyres & bikes.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Ultralight butyl tubes are more prone to developing splits or tiny
holes from long-term abrasion,

I have not had this happen.

Quoted message said:

otherwise I've not noticed any
difference in durability or puncture resistance between them and
standard tubes. UL's also require topping-up more often.

This has been my experience too. I have several tubes in normal rotation, and
the ones that are 2-3 times as thick get flats at the same rate as the thinnest
ones.

Quoted message said:

Michelin tubes are reliable and have minimal seams. Could fit 18-23
UL for minimal weight but standard-weight 25-32 will be more
practical.

Too-big tubes make it harder to mount the tire without pinching the tube between
tire and rim. I tend to err on the small side. The only downside to that is
having to add air more often. A more stretched tube loses air faster.

Of all the tubes I have, the Michelin do seem best -- with fewer, smaller seams,
and stems that make a better seal with the pump head.

Matt O.

Matt O'Toole said:

Quoted message said:

Ultralight butyl tubes are more prone to developing splits or tiny
holes from long-term abrasion,

I have not had this happen.

Happened several times to mine (after much use), perhaps caused by old
cuts in tyres.

~PB