Mountain Biking - thorn resistant tubes?

im having a slow leak on my tube. its the stock tube on the trek 4300(some japanese name). anyway i cant find that leak to save my life. should i go buy some thorn resistant tubes? are they good? and can i get good tubes at walmart or acadamy sporting goods?:confused:

Originally posted by brandon14295
can i get good tubes at walmart or acadamy sporting goods?:confused: Short and sweet answer NO!!! Never buy bike stuff from anything but a bike shop or a dedicated online bike supply vendor. X-mart stuff is pure garbage.

Thorn resistant tubes are ok but they're heavy. I 'd try some Earthguards or Tuffy strips first . However before running out and buying stuff FIND THE PROBLEM. Buing stuff does nothing if the problem manifests itself again. Check your rim tape (the rubber band looking thing that goes over the spokes on the inside of the rim. Also have you run the tube an inch or so from your lips to find the hole? The lips are sensitive to the air escaping from a hole in the tube, failing that try the bathtub and look for bubbles

Buy the tubes from a reputable source. Specialty bike stores are a good start, as is BicycleTubes.com (http://www.bicycletubes.com/).

Thorn resistant tubes are great if you're having a problem with thorns. Your problem could be a leaky valve or small tear in the valve - if that's the case, thorn resistant tubes will do nothing but add weight.

cool thanks for the info. i did the lips thing, also im in a college dorm and theres no bathtub. the valve has stuck sometimes. but i push it again and it stops. also the shop guys put some green stuff in my tube and it spurts out when i check the pressure.

you have slime tubes. if it's a shraeder tube, it might just be your valve core is not tight enough (happened to my gf's bike). if that's the case i think you can just tighten the valve core. thorns will flat out a tire quicker than a loose valve core in many cases, especially if you can't find the leak on the tube.

I found slime gummed up presta valves so badly that eventually I replaced them.

I hate Slime - One thing to remember about it ALWAYS inflate / deflate with the valve stem as close to the top of the wheel as possible - cuts down on the the dreaded Slime sneeze.