Wondering if there are leak-proof tubes
11-17-11, 10:21 AM
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Wondering if there are leak-proof tubes
It doesn't bother me too much to have to pump up my tires weekly. However, I don't have to pump my car's tires every week.
I use Bontrager tubes that IMHO are very quality tubes and since I am a flyweight person the pressures are 55psi out back and 45psi out front on my 28mm Continental Gatorskin.
Is there tubes that retain its air well enough that I can pump my tires, let's say, every two weeks.
I use Bontrager tubes that IMHO are very quality tubes and since I am a flyweight person the pressures are 55psi out back and 45psi out front on my 28mm Continental Gatorskin.
Is there tubes that retain its air well enough that I can pump my tires, let's say, every two weeks.
11-17-11, 10:27 AM
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No, they all leak to some degree.
The best you can hope for is that they don't leak really fast when you're going downhill at 30mph.
The best you can hope for is that they don't leak really fast when you're going downhill at 30mph.
11-17-11, 10:44 AM
#3
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The heavier/thicker the tube, the slower it will leak air. The tradeoff is weight and rolling resistance.
11-17-11, 11:35 AM
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It doesn't bother me too much to have to pump up my tires weekly. However, I don't have to pump my car's tires every week.
I use Bontrager tubes that IMHO are very quality tubes and since I am a flyweight person the pressures are 55psi out back and 45psi out front on my 28mm Continental Gatorskin.
Is there tubes that retain its air well enough that I can pump my tires, let's say, every two weeks.
I use Bontrager tubes that IMHO are very quality tubes and since I am a flyweight person the pressures are 55psi out back and 45psi out front on my 28mm Continental Gatorskin.
Is there tubes that retain its air well enough that I can pump my tires, let's say, every two weeks.
11-17-11, 12:44 PM
#5
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Captive air tires, a solid plastic foam, never need inflating,
but they are not an easy roll.
Just buy a Floor pump, and use it daily.. to keep the rolling resistance low.
but they are not an easy roll.
Just buy a Floor pump, and use it daily.. to keep the rolling resistance low.
11-17-11, 01:03 PM
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the less pressure in a tire the slower it leaks. my 80psi 1x1/4's leak much slower than my 110 psi 7/8's tires do. get some fatties.
11-17-11, 01:25 PM
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Also, you must be pretty light! If going by Frank Berto's numbers, your pressures would put you at 140 lbs or so, including the bike!
Like woodway said, thicker tubes will do a better job of holding air, but they'll really deaden the ride. Try filling up your tires a little extra, so you can go a little longer between refills. That's what I do, and if the tires feel low based on a quick pinch-test, then I'll go ahead and pump them up.
- Scott
Like woodway said, thicker tubes will do a better job of holding air, but they'll really deaden the ride. Try filling up your tires a little extra, so you can go a little longer between refills. That's what I do, and if the tires feel low based on a quick pinch-test, then I'll go ahead and pump them up.
- Scott
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11-17-11, 01:41 PM
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Also, you must be pretty light! If going by Frank Berto's numbers, your pressures would put you at 140 lbs or so, including the bike!
Like woodway said, thicker tubes will do a better job of holding air, but they'll really deaden the ride. Try filling up your tires a little extra, so you can go a little longer between refills. That's what I do, and if the tires feel low based on a quick pinch-test, then I'll go ahead and pump them up.
- Scott
Like woodway said, thicker tubes will do a better job of holding air, but they'll really deaden the ride. Try filling up your tires a little extra, so you can go a little longer between refills. That's what I do, and if the tires feel low based on a quick pinch-test, then I'll go ahead and pump them up.
- Scott
I ran with those pressures I mentioned for couple of years and never had a pinch flat. The combined bike/person/typical load weight is about 165lbs, which is about 10lbs more than the weight I used for calculation back then, as I have put on more stuff on myself and the bike. Also, I ran lower pressure than recommended to have a better ride and sacrifice some performance.
The tubes I use are pretty thick. It was designed to use for tires 28mm+ in size and I run on 28mm tires.
Last edited by earthworm94; 11-17-11 at 02:51 PM.
11-17-11, 02:51 PM
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I was thinking about this topic the other day and wondering if the tire makes any difference in how quickly a tire deflates- but I can't think of how that would make any difference. Whatever the case, the tubes that came with my Windsor Cyclo from Bikesdirect are way better than any other tire I've had before in terms of staying inflated. After two weeks of daily commuting at about 85-90 psi they are still usually at about 80 (which is about where I like them). I can go three weeks between needing to inflate, and even then I could probably go a little longer. I don't know what kind of tubes they are but next time I remove the tires I'm going to make a note and buy more of them.
11-17-11, 03:13 PM
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11-17-11, 04:10 PM
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High quality tubes will retain air and maintain pressure better than cheap tubes. Thickness isn't necessarily the determinant here, but quality of materials. Schwalbe and Conti both make tubes that are of higher quality than the average tube on the market. You pay for the quality however, our tubes retail for around $8-9.
https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/tubes
https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/tubes
11-17-11, 04:23 PM
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also the rubber in a car tire is much thicker.
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"When I hear another express an opinion, which is not mine, I say to myself, He has a right to his opinion, as I to mine; why should I question it. His error does me no injury, and shall I become a Don Quixot to bring all men by force of argument, to one opinion? If a fact be misstated, it is probable he is gratified by a belief of it, and I have no right to deprive him of the gratification."
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11-17-11, 06:51 PM
#13
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One thing everyone also seems to be forgetting is volume. Low pressure + large volume = greater pressure retention. Car tires have a lot more volume than bike tires. A lot more.
Michelin claims its Protek Max tubes hold pressure longer than other tubes.
Michelin claims its Protek Max tubes hold pressure longer than other tubes.
