Bontrager [censored] Lite Tubes

rudycyclist said:

Anyone ever use not only these tubes but maybe "racing" tubes? I believe they're just lighter than a normal tube. At my LBS they're about $5 more than a normal tube. Should I put these on my race setup?

Like you said lighter and much more puncture prone, so it depends a lot on the road surface and the course's terrain as far as real amount of accleration and climb as to whether it makes any sense. Personally, if I wanted to be a weight-weenie, I'd much tend to go with something like the Continental Race Supersonics or to split the difference a little in favor of reliability the Conti Race Lite's instead of the house brand.

The risk with an [censored] lite tube (or similar) is that if you get a puncture, it will tend of explode rather than "go flat" due to the width of the rubber. I'm not sure I agree with Supegrill, a tube isn't there to protect you from a puncture. That's the tire's job. If something gets through the tire, it will inevitably puncture. So I think it's more of a question of what happens to the tube once something gets through the tire.

I know that some people will put this sort of tube on the front wheel and a slightly heavier tube on the rear, where flats are much more common. That way if you get an explosive puncture, it won't be on the front where you'll likely hit the deck. Rear puncture's as we all know are much less scary.

Personally, I use the Conti Race Light's, as the weight saving is marginal and I'd prefer not to be blown off the road 😄 .

One piece of advice...if you are going to run super thin tubes, use a reputable brand (like Conti or Bonty)...cheaper maufacturers will struggle to achieve a uniform rubber width at such super-thin levels, hence the tube may bulge or swell unevenly.

rudycyclist said:

Anyone ever use not only these tubes but maybe "racing" tubes? I believe they're just lighter than a normal tube. At my LBS they're about $5 more than a normal tube. Should I put these on my race setup?

I have about 1,500 miles on a set that I installed this year. I'm a big guy, I ride on [censored] roads and I sometimes get lazy about tire pressure (although not too lazy). No flats to date (knock..knock..). Last year I rode a set of Hutchinson Light Tubes (I forget the model, but they weighed only 65 grams). I rode 4,000+ miles without a flat. Those tubes are on my b-bike now, and they're still fine. I ride year round in all kinds of weather. My tire of choice is the Hutchinson Fusion Comp.

PeterF said:

I have about 1,500 miles on a set that I installed this year. I'm a big guy, I ride on [censored] roads and I sometimes get lazy about tire pressure (although not too lazy). No flats to date (knock..knock..). Last year I rode a set of Hutchinson Light Tubes (I forget the model, but they weighed only 65 grams). I rode 4,000+ miles without a flat. Those tubes are on my b-bike now, and they're still fine. I ride year round in all kinds of weather. My tire of choice is the Hutchinson Fusion Comp.

I think this is an advertisement for your tires, not the tubes. That's a good track record. I use Conti GP4000's haven't had a flat in a few thousand kms. But I'm pretty careful with tire pressure.

rudycyclist said:

Anyone ever use not only these tubes but maybe "racing" tubes? I believe they're just lighter than a normal tube. At my LBS they're about $5 more than a normal tube. Should I put these on my race setup?

Hi

I used the lightweight butyl Vittoria tubes (55g) for a while, with Conti GP 4000's found that at pressure of 110-120 the ride was quite harsh (subjective), swapped back to Vittoria Latex (65g) at the same pressure and I feel there is a major difference in compliance and comfort, difficult to describe but it feels like the tire is at a lower pressure and has more grip. Only issue is having to top up the latex tubes before every ride.

Walrus said:

I think this is an advertisement for your tires, not the tubes. That's a good track record. I use Conti GP4000's haven't had a flat in a few thousand kms. But I'm pretty careful with tire pressure.

Yeah, I threw that in because I think the tires are doing the job really. I did put the ultralight Hutchinson tubes on my b-bike which has Vredestein Fortezza SE's on them. I run 125-130psi (I could go to 145 psi), but still no flats. Now watch tomorrow I'll have have two punctures with only one tube and co2 cartridge in my pocket...
:eek::eek: