wroomwroomoops

Good point, but perhaps since I live in a region with typically low relative humidity (typically around 40% or less) and the air is not contaminated, corrosion of metals is not a problem I experience, for items that are not kept outside, left to the mercy of the elements.

Rick Imby

The two main Asian tube manufacturers Duro and Kenda pressure test their tubes before deflating them and folding them up. In 30+ years of selling thousands of tubes per year, we never got a bad batch of tubes.

Here are links to a couple of Defective Bicycle Tube Articles.

Another Bicycle Tube Article from Down under.

10 Wheels

Yes...I have had about 12 defective tubes

longbeachgary

I always have a decent size stockpile of tubes (and tires). Not so much that they're going to go up in price but whenever I have a string of bad luck with flats, I go through a lot of them. The only time a tube fails right off, for me it's operator error. It's also rare that I patch a tube because I'm so bad at it.

You can always return tubes bought at Performance Bike no matter how long you've had them. They often have buy 3 get one free plus their buyer's club rebate.

CliffordK

I had a 24" (520) tube that had a crease in the side leading to it getting a flat. I don't know if it was due to long shelf-life, or a defect in manufacture.

But, as others have mentioned, I don't loose sleep over the idea of tube defects.

When I place a mail order for bike parts, I often add tubes to the order. I just snagged a couple of tubes from Ribble for $1.26 each, although they are a bit odd, and not fully flat when packed. I haven't tried one out yet.

drlogik 

In all my years of working in bike shops as a younger man I never came across a tube with a hole in it. I did encounter a few with faulty Schraeder valves though. If you want to buy a bunch of tubes and store them for when you need them, be sure to store them in your wine cellar, stacked neatly with thin cedar wood planks between each tube.

Just kidding about the storage method but recently I did get a bad batch of tubes from a big box camping store. I had 5 tubes develop holes/leaks at the seams in different places on each tube. Changed to different tubes and the leaks stopped.

catgita

Nope, I don't buy it. I have had several tubes develop leaks around the valve stem, either directly at the stem (not in many decades), or around the boot. There definitely was not any unusual stress on the stem. If it can't take the usual stresses (like with a dead straight and free to move stem), that is a defect. Recently had a Shwalbe ($$$) tube show a string of bubbles around the stem boot in a dunk test.

I quit using cheap tubes because the valve plungers would snap in two (and purchased a mini pump with a hose). A problem I never had in 150k miles, but then had 4 times in one month, while using pumps I had used for years. Probably a bad batch, but still.

Frankly, I would not take the word of a bike shop that tubes are NEVER defective. It is called denial. Sh.. happens, test your spare, and toss the bad ones.

BTW. Why would tube prices be going up significantly?

AnkleWork

I saw a defective tube more than five years ago.

Siu Blue Wind

An interesting bump to a five year old thread. Is this your website?

Vintage_Cyclist

I've had 2 Kenda tubes with leaky presta valves this summer. Right into the trash they went.

Rick Imby

I agree with your ---(like with a dead straight and free to move stem)--- line. It is just so very rare when a tube is truly defective. How come when installed by the bike shop tubes don't have the "defective" issue? I am certain that once in a blue moon you will find a defective tube but as I stated earlier---both Kenda and Duro pretest all tubes under pressure.

Rick Imby

I replied to this thread as it comes up in a Google search for Defective tires.

Thanks

catgita

I also don't buy the idea that shop installed tubes don't have problems. I am far from the first to complain of tires coming unseated, bumps and dips, and flats by the time I got home. How would you know if the tube was defective or not? Pretesting outside of a tire is no guarantee. All those I suspected of defects were pretested.

Rick Imby

If the tire comes unseated that is the installation or tire defect---not the tube.

Flats by penatrant--glass or thorns can happen at any time, again not a tube defect.

The tubes are pretested under pressure---they have great systems to detect problem tubes... I am certain there are a few bad tubes but nowhere near the number claimed by customer claimed defectives.

Having worked in the industry, we get a couple of flat tires a year that come back right after we install a new tube---we fix 1000+ flats a year.

But customer fixed flats have an amazing number and percentage of "Defective Tubes" See it blew out on the seam... See the valve stem ripped out of the tube...

There is a pretty simple solution now---just get rid of the tube and go with Stans... awesome stuff.

Rick Imby

@catgita

On tube prices, they should actually be going down. With the strength of the US dollar prices on 2017 bikes and accessories will be coming down some.

Tubes are often all lumped into one price category by shops for simplicity. The long presta valve tubes and the bigger tubes (29er, 27.5) mountain bike tubes cost the dealers significantly more at wholesale.

dwmckee

If you are worried about it and they are so cheap, just buy an extra one or two. I have never had a defective one out of box at our shop, but over the years I have damaged a few when installing.

Rick Imby

So on another note. Of the thousand bikes assembled by my shop last year I don't think we replaced any tubes. It is extremely rare for new bikes to come with "defective" tubes. These tubes are installed at the factory and I am certain they are not replaced if "defective" because the bike is in the box within a couple minutes time between the tires being put on and the bike being boxed. I have been through 4 different bicycle factories. It is pretty cool the way everything goes together.

The real percentage of defective tubes is very very low.

andr0id

I buy Forte tubes in bulk and toss them into a bin in the back of my car. I very rarely have had one that is bad out of the box.


Most of the time, "bad tube" is really a euphemism for "I pinched it or forked it up installing it."

Rick Imby

We are on the same page andr0id

Retro Grouch 

Other than around the valve stem, where are the "seams" on a bicycle inner tube?

Richard8655

Yes, I bought a few inner tubes at my LBS not long ago. After a few rides, the tire began making noises while on a ride and I noticed a bulge in one spot. Got home, took apart the tire, and saw a section of the inner tube rubber was weak and bulging. This was a Specialized inner tube, no less.

After reading reviews, I'm only buying Schwalbe inner tubes now for the quality. Never a problem, with the added bonus of holding pressure better and longer with less frequent need to bring up to level.

dglevy

Is anyone aware of any SYSTEMATIC studies of tire tubes? I just can't figure this one out. I've had all kinds of tubes fail on me. The most common problem has been the valve seat. (I think some people call that the valve boot.) It happened with two Bontrager tubes but I've had it happen with other brands, too. I think that I may have caused some of the failures by tightening the valve locknut too tight up against the rim, but I've seen at least one more valve seat failure since then. I'm wondering whether it's better to not use that locknut at all. The Michelin tubes don't even have a threaded valve stem, so it doesn't appear to be necessary.

Hoopdriver

Nope! I commuted to work on foot for close to 15 years and was replacing shoes every 6 months. Was costing me more than the gas I would have bought had I drove.

Iride01 

As much as I hate responding in threads that I'd think should be kept as dead threads, I'm going to add my two cents as I feel I've got something to add to the conversation you started that is only related to the OP by the terms "tube" and "failures".

I've had presta stems pull out of tubes too. I don't think it was the tubes fault. I think it was my hose end on the pump that took too much effort to put it on and way too much effort to pull it off. The latching mechanism on it didn't work correctly and I put up with it for years not realizing the slowly increasing effort in putting on and off until I started pulling out the stems as well. After replacing the hose and hose end, I realize how much unnecessary force I was actually subjecting the stems to as I pulled the hose off. The nut on the stem does prevent you from harming the tube/stem juncture when putting it on. So I do leave my nuts on the stem. I can see where overtightening them might be an issue for any that have threads cut all the way down them below the rim surface.

Maybe your experience is completely unrelated, but consider if it's possibly happening. As I said, I didn't realize till too late the hose end was too hard to remove compared to what it should be.

cny-bikeman

Unless the OP goes through a LOT of tubes, is willing to buy several years' supply (5, 8, 10?) and his income does not keep pace with inflation the cost savings are negligible.