Bicycle Mechanics - Do they make a decent tube anymore ?..

I am getting back into bike rideing after many years... I am having a heck of a time trying to find decent tubes for a 709c X 38 rim... I"m using thorn resistant tubes and they seem to have a problem with the rubber coming apart aounnd the valve stem... I am on my third tube in about as many weeks.. Originally I had a brand on the tubes I had never heard of.. The last ones had a well known manufacturers name on them .... My LBS guy says it doesn't really matter what name is on them they all come from the same place.basically.... Does this mean it is no longer possible to by a quality'dependable tube ???.

Check for a rough edge around the valve hole in your rim. You can also use a little medical tape to assist the rim tape in that area if need be.

The area around the valve hole AND check your rimstrip. This sounds like a bigger issue than tubes.

Also, what pressure are you running? Too ow can be a problem.

Do you use that little nut that comes with some tubes? It can help stop the tube from creeping around inside the tire and cutting the valve stem at the hole in the rim (CAUTION: if you tighten it too tight, it can also pull the valve stem too much and speed up the process. Just snug it gently and it may help you problem).

The hole in the rim does not appear to be the problem... I have checked it and the LBS has checked it and it looks fine... It would appear the rubber is lifting off the metal part of the valve stem...
These are Shrader valve stems, no nut with with them
Tires call for 75 to 100 pounds pressure... I an runnin 85 pounds in them and they feel rock hard...
Does anyone know if these tubes are indeed all coming from the same place with different brand names stamped on them .... Is there a brand you guys with experiance prefer/find works better then most ?... I don't mind paying for a quality item if I am getting the quality.. It appears though I am paying top dollar for brand names that aren't any different then the cheapies....
Thanks

I think Kenda does make a lot of the tubes sold under their own name and as other brands.

Drop by your local Wal-mart and purchase Bell brand Airtight 27-1 1/4 tubes. Don’t make a mistake and purchase the cheaper standard 27 X 1 1/4 bicycle tubes also on the shelf. They will fit perfectly in your 700 X 38 tires and have Shrader valves. These tubes are tough and hold air much better than standard bicycle tubes. The only downside is there weight, they weigh three times more than standard bicycle tubes simply because there three times thicker. I use them on my touring bike and have worn out three pairs of tires having traveled over 3,000 miles and have never had a flat. They only lose about 5 lbs of air in about 2 weeks where as standard bicycle tubes will lose that same 5 lbs in a couple of days.

No Charade-r valves for me. Presta man here. No valve separation problems.

Drop by your local Wal-mart and purchase Bell brand Airtight 27-1 1/4 tubes. Don’t make a mistake and purchase the cheaper standard 27 X 1 1/4 bicycle tubes also on the shelf. They will fit perfectly in your 700 X 38 tires and have Shrader valves. These tubes are tough and hold air much better than standard bicycle tubes. The only downside is there weight, they weigh three times more than standard bicycle tubes simply because there three times thicker. I use them on my touring bike and have worn out three pairs of tires having traveled over 3,000 miles and have never had a flat. They only lose about 5 lbs of air in about 2 weeks where as standard bicycle tubes will lose that same 5 lbs in a couple of days.

Thanks, will check those out at our local Wal Mart... Weight is no biggie... Just in it for fun... I know where I can save an easy 59 pounds if I wanted too :-)

No Charade-r valves for me. Presta man here. No valve separation problems.

Wish I could say that. I have had issues with the tube pulling away from the bottom of the valve stem several times with Presta valves, never had a problem with Schrader. Seem like they are less tolerant to being wiggled around, especially if pumping them with a small frame pump. Or that's just my experience.

There are several factories that make tubes under different brand names BUT (and this is important) they are usually made with materials and processes that are specified by the brand. This is not true in all cases,however, and some tubes are exactly the same with a different label.

I know this does not help at all when deciding which tube to buy as the end user, because you have no way of knowing, but I thought I might simply answer your original question.

That makes sense...
What I am trying to figure out is if I buy say a top priced Specialized tube am I getting the same tube I buy at say Kmart for a lot less... Is the only difference the packaging...

Maybe tubes DO come from one factory. Who knows? I was having two flats per week that were due to tube failures. Sometimes a seam. Sometimes a failure where the valve is attached to the tube. Sometimes the valve itself.

I switched to Continental tubes. Not a single tube-related flat in two years. (Knock on wood...knock on more wood...)

So, I'm gonna pay the extra buck and ONLY use Continental tubes.

Same here.

I switched to Conti's after having a number of valve issues with cheaper tubes. Not a single problem since.

Just ordered some Michelin tubes to try out.

I can state with confidence that all tubes do NOT come from the same factory. They come from a handful of factories...

Have a look on the box and see where it is made. The Taiwan manufacturers are generally pretty good. Not so for China or India.

Tubes made in Germany or France or essentially the same as those coming out of Taiwan factories but higher in cost due to labour costs.

I can state with confidence that all tubes do NOT come from the same factory. They come from a handful of factories...

Have a look on the box and see where it is made. The Taiwan manufacturers are generally pretty good. Not so for China or India.

Tubes made in Germany or France or essentially the same as those coming out of Taiwan factories but higher in cost due to labour costs.

The tubes I am having problems with all say "Product of Tiawan" on the box... Interesting it say Product of instead of made in.....

Do the Continental and Compi tubes come from Tiawan also ?...

How about Michilen ?...

Some Continental tubes are made in Taiwan. They are made at a tire factory that produces MANY of the big, name brand tires that are on your dealers shelves. The Conti guys in Germany are VERY concerned about quality and, over a period of 2 years, with tons of Quality Control testing, they were finally won over buy this Taiwanese manufacturer. In short, these guys do a very good job.

Having said that, inherent in the industrial process are defective products. It happens to everyone in every industry. The difference between a good factory and a bad one is what percent of the production is defective. Even the best have defective products.

How is this relevant to you? Perhaps your dealer got some of a bad lot in their shipment. Maybe the next 3 tubes on the shelf were perfectly fine. It is possible. It does happen. Although I find it unlikely. What I suspect is that there is some other issue here.

You mentioned that you checked the valve hole in the rim. Did you also check you rimstrip? Some rimstrips (especially the yellow strappy kind that look like the straps used to bind newspapers or boxes) can have sharp edges. These usually come from the factory as original equipment (OE) on a bike. I have seen these cut valve stems before.

If you are buying from the same place, try another store. You may be buying tubes from the same bad batch over and over.

I've had excellent luck with Nashbar brand tubes, I've used them for years on most of my family's bikes. They come in a white box with yellow labels, available in all sizes. I don't remember ever having a flat with one of those that was caused by a faulty tube-