Commuting - Best Tube Choice

I searched the forum but haven't found a thread similar to this. I know the concensus is that Tire choice affects flats more than tube choice but what Tube is best as far as quality and flat prevention?

I found a place to get 10 IRC tubes for $26 w/shipping and handleing. Good deal or just asking for more frequent flats. I'm just a little tired of buying $5 tubes ever time I get a flat (3 in about 4 months) 2 of the flats I had were on the rim side...yes I'm going to replace the rim tape and yes they were inflated to the maximum recommended PSI each time. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

I have limited choices on my commuter, that being my folder, what with 20" Presta-valved tubes. The Schwalbe tubes I've been using seem to be pretty good. No tears where the valve meets the tube, and flats have been rare with either the stock Stelvio or with Marathon tires.

On my road bike, I used to use Performance-brand tubes and IMO, they suck. Too many flats. A combo of Continental's basic 700c tube and Vredestein Fortezza SE tires have led to near flatlessness. :)

I once got a dozen generic tubes for next to nothing for Nashbar or Performance. Each one failed within a week or two, some within an hour or two. A leak at the base of the valve. A leak at the top of the valve. A valve that came off when I added air. Ruptures along seams.

So, now I use only Continental tubes. Zero problems with valve failures or seam failures. When you are standing beside the road in the rain fixing a flat, you don't want to be thinking "Well, I did save five bucks by using the "bargain" tubes".

Would you want your surgery done by the low bidder. New Orleans levees were built by the low bidder. Now who actually made Performances' tubes; Kendo? If someone finds out let us know. With a limited sample I have had some trouble with Bontrager tubes. Can someone in a bike shop tell us if tube boxes has a date of manufacture on them? Given the same brand/factory I'd rather get the newer one.

I've used IRC tubes, I believe my rear tube is currently IRC. They work.

I don't pay much attention to tube brand or price. In the last 10k miles I've only bought three new ones. When I rarely do get a puncture I patch it.
I go thru tires faster than tubes.
Al

I like tubes that inflate into the shape of a tire. Round ones work best.

I have no preference. I use whatever I buy. Novara, performance, the brand my LBS sells, etc

I just put new tires on my bike and I went with the Novara tubes to see how they hold out. The old tires, which were a different width had Performace tubes in them. I only used the Performance tubes last fall and did not have a flat due to a tear at base of the valve stem but this was limited use. Before that I had some Trek tubes from a LBS and they were cr@p. Frequent tears at the base of the valve stem. I rewrapped the rims and did all kinds of stuff before I figured out the problem was from junk tubes.

Perfomance makes a set of tubes they label "thorn resistant" which are truly hefty. They are like having a tire inside of another tire, but they weigh about three-four times the weight of a regular tube. You shouldn't get a flat though. I'm planning on running them on my commuter bike this winter.

I had a similar topic here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=216191

Despite what many people will say, yes tube matters. Though I haven't quite found a great tube yet, in my experience, tube choice depends on exactly why you're flatting. If it's frequent punctures, your best bet would be heavier duty tires and tire liners. But if it's just small holes that result from random abrasiveness inside your tire, it's the tube. Yes, keeping them well inflated will help but it's also the tube's fault and different tubes will resist such problems better than others. What you want is a thicker tube but the thicker it is, the heavier it is. Unfortunately, it seems that tube makers either make complete POS or they make thornproof which is ******** too. Thicker tubes shouldn't be used for puncture resistance. The best I can suggest is a minimum .9mm thickness and also it's good to get a tube that's on the large side. There's typically a range of sizes for every tube. Try to make sure it's range is above what you need so that it's thicker when inflated. And when people tell you how the only thing you should worry about is the tire, ignore them. Links to good tubes here are aprreciated too. :)

Not sure exactly what I have in my tires. I'm assuming IRC's. In the 6-7 months I started riding serious (Mar or Feb/06 start) I've clocked 1070+ KM's so far. I've never changed the tubes on the bike when I bought it. I only took the tire off to put a patch on because got a pinch flat from storing the bike 10yrs on the ground. When I change my tires I'll be checking on what tubes I have. I'm guessing 1000+ KM's is a warning time to carry a spare tube now as I tend to go 20 KM regularly but thankfully within bus access (tho the bus frequency is longer on that route at night thus dark and there are some sketchies around the park so not a good place to blow out).

I know for my old MTB the SLIME brand (approx. $4.50 CDN/tube and that's a price guess for 26" I forgot) holds upquite well. The air holds good and long. The fact that it's got runflat self sealing goo inside is a reassuing thought to give you some buffer to run on when your tires flat to get you out of a bad area if you're in there to go to a safe area so you can work on your bike. I agree with the other guy about getting cheap tubes and when you're down on the rode cursing at the cheap tubes. I think I've seen tubes for $2.50 CDN but those cheapies don't even offer you any extra protection like self sealers do.


Zero_Enigma

I'd suggest learning to patch a tube too. A properly done patch is stronger than the tube itself; there's NO reason not to patch. Then your holes will ultimately cost you about 50 cents and about 5 minutes each. Replace tube, patch old one when you get home.
Hint: Do not use "self-adhesive" patches; use rubber cement.

Oh, and YMMV with "slime" - I had it in my bike's tubes when I bought it, and it NEVER worked AT ALL. It wouldn't even stop a leak from a lousy staple from running the tire totally flat. All it did was make a big green mess that I had to clean up before I could patch.

10 for 20...

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/10988-345_SPD2P1_PKG-3-Parts-74-Tubes/Accessories/IRC-Tubes---Set-of-10.htm

i dunno if there are better or worse but these are the same as your likely to get at the LBS for 5 a pop...

they work, i buy them in bulk, and one day i really need to patch the 20/30 i got laying in a big pile in the garage (more mtb than commuter tubes actually).