canklecat

The two instances I've personally experienced with valve stem problems turned out to be due to burrs in both rims cutting the rubber around the Schrader stems. Deburring the rim holes fixed that problem.

The rubber around the Schrader valve stem on the Nashbar sealant filled tube looks a bit lumpy, for lack of a better term. Perhaps the manufacturer uses a thicker rubber overall, including around the stem, and it just looks odd compared with other tubes.

Yeah, I doubt Specialized, Bontrager and other bicycle frame and accessory brands actually make their tubes. But they're not necessarily identical to others sold under various brand names. As with no-name or unknown (to us) Asian Rim optical manufacturers, there are probably manufacturers who will build to spec for any company. They probably have NDAs for their custom made stuff so they can rightfully claim no other brand can offer exactly the same tube, tire, frame, rim, etc.

But this policy seems to be different for China and Taiwan based brands, which do appear to share more components in common due to differences in their business model. This seems particularly noticeable in the many folding bikes that appear identical other than in the selection of components.

CliffordK

My favorite tubes are the ones that don't leak.

I'm also in the cheapest camp. I do find those ridges annoying for patching, but they all seem to have them.

I've started carrying 25/32 tubes for 25mm tires. I don't have super-deep rims, so most of the valves are OK, although some are a bit of a stretch.

Andy_K 

I've gotten Continental tubes that didn't have them, but I haven't been able to figure out a way to identify which ones won't. I thought it was related to their "seamless" claim, but I've gotten some that were supposed to be seamless but had the ridges.

RubeRad

Looks like if you want opinions about why fancy tubes are worth the fancy price, you need to go over to the Road forum. I'm sure there's plenty of weight weenies in there that will go on and on about how cheap, heavy tubes slow them down.

ltxi

Conti for tubes. Mostly for tires also.

dperreno

I used to run almost exclusively Continental and I'd get 2 or three flats each season, but then I noticed that I wasn't getting any flats on the wheel with the cheap Performance (Forte) tube. I changed over to all Forte tubes about 2 years ago and I haven't had a flat since! Plus, the tires hold pressure longer as well - I only pump them up once a week instead of before each ride. I'm sure it is because the rubber is a little thicker than on the Contis.

02Giant 

I run the same...

18-23's in my 25's

FastJake

I have. I don't think I've gotten a bad one yet. I'm in the "cheapest" group as well. If I have to throw away one defective tube out of 20, I'm still way ahead compared to paying $10 or whatever for a "fancy" tube.

KLiNCK

$4.49 USD today at Chain Reaction... pretty cheap for a premium tube.

mconlonx

Whatever tube is in stock in the size/valve style I need. Brand doesn't matter; I assume most are made in the same plants, just with different packaging.

dksix

Normally I wouldn't dismiss something just because it was sold at Walmart, but in this case I bought 2 or 3 tubes and they all sort of just split. Here's a picture I took

I did find a piece of wire stuck through the tire but it wasn't lined up with where the holes were and I had another tube fail after I took the wire out of the tire. I ended up buying new tires and tubes and throwing the other tires and tubes away. It could have been a fluke, could have been something I did wrong or could have been bed tubes, I don't know but haven't had anymore flats since I replaced tires and tubes. What I replaced the Walmart tubes with were cheap Kenda tubes and cheap Continental tires. I think I got them all on Amazon for a little less than $50 shipped (2 tires and 3 tubes), so kinda cheap.

tFUnK

No particular brand is particularly favorable. Apart from the obvious things like valve type and tube size/width, some things to consider are valve length (needs to be deep enough for the rim), removable core (e.g., my pump head is a thread-on and it sometimes pulls out the valve core during removal), and weight (I find that the lighter weight tubes ride nicer and are generally not more prone to punctures ). Since I only ride once or twice a week now, I'm running latex tubes with race tires on the road bike and I enjoy it.

Andy_K 

Way ahead in what sense? Is your time not worth something?

Don't get me wrong. I understand what you're saying, and I certainly don't question your right to prioritize things the way you want to. For instance, I'm willing to tolerate a couple of flat tires a year in order to avoid the sluggish ride of tires that would prevent these flats. I just wouldn't make that choice with a product that costs $2 versus a product that costs $10 when either one is likely to last for several years if they aren't defective. I'm saying this based on the assumption that said defect isn't immediately obvious upon installation. The cost of the product pro-rated over the life of the product makes both of them extremely cheap, so I'm less inclined to tolerate a noticeable defect rate. It doesn't take much added value for a product that I use several times a week to be worth an extra $8.

Looigi

Michelin Aircomp or Specialized Turbo. I get a lot of mileage out of these as I like to patch them as needed, so cost is pretty inconsequential.

Retro Grouch 

Mixed and conflicting reviews are an indication that it probably doesn't matter much.

One thing that I've always found funny is the plethora of reviews complaining of bicycle inner tubes "leaking at the seam". Bicycle inner tubes don't have seams. They are vulcanized in one piece. What looks like a seam is the parting line of the mold.

rydabent

I have found that Bontrager tubes leak down more slowly than other brands.

FastJake

Sure it's worth something, but is it worth $160 to not have to throw away one defective tube when I come across it? Not to me. Even if the flat happens on the road and I have to change it. Flats are a part of life anyway.

I realize the numbers might be a little off here but the point is that defective tubes are such a rare almost-non-issue for me that I'll take the cost savings every time.