Originally Posted by mkane77g
(Post 16065570)
There all Made in China or Indonesia but at least we have a choice on threaded/not threaded.
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Originally Posted by VegasTriker
(Post 16068409)
Don't put all of the blame on the tube. It may be the tire as well. It is very unlikely you will get a blowout from a properly inflated tube in an undamaged tire unless you don't seat the tire correctly. If you manage to get part of the tube between the rim and the tire you can damage the tire bead and probably will cause the tube to rupture. Once messed up, a tire with a damaged bead will just lift off every time you replace the tube and re-inflate the tire. You can find inexpensive tough tires that are pretty flat resistant. It takes some experimentation to find one that works for you.
I recently bought a batch of 20 inch and 700C presta tubes from Niagara Cycle and chose several different brands to see if there was much difference between them. I bought Sunlite, Qtubes, and XLC. I also have boxes from Nashbar, Kenda, and Continental. The only brand stamped "Made In China" is Sunlite. All the rest are made in Taiwan. The sunlight tubes are good quality. The brand of tube that I had a problem with recently is a Kenda tube that leaked at the base of the presta valve. None has been defective coming out of the box. The most expensive tube was $3.73 (Qtubes) and the least expensive was $2.92 (Sunlight). Prices vary by the size of the tube of course. My LBS probably charges $7 for similar tubes. I wouldn't buy tubes at places like Walmart because they are so HEAVY. Most were filled with slime which I absolutely abhor. I do have to inflate the 20" tires every few days but that is preferable to using a heavy tube. |
Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16069072)
AFAIK Cheng Shin makes their tubes in Taiwan..... You wonder though, is a $30 latex tube any better then a $3 butyl tube, when they are made in the same factory.....
Well, lots of things are made in the same factories. that doesn't mean they are the same thing. J. |
Some things made in Taiwan are crap and some things are very good. It depends on their quality control (Just like anywhere else) and what end of the market they are aiming at. Used to be their machine tool manufacturers almost exclusively aimed towards the bottom and now a few of them do quality work.
There is also a lot of plastic injection moldmaking done over there now and if it wasn't quality enough to handle it's work long term they wouldn't be putting American moldmakers out of work. I have to admit not paying attention to tubes unless the valves don't seat though and by then I've thrown away the box they came in. I only remember where I bought them. Specialized was where I bought them when they put their name on the box. Apparently they don't want their name on the box anymore. And I've never trusted the latex tubes enough to try them. We're not talking much of a weight difference there. |
Go tubeless. Haven't had a flat in 5yrs.
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I only use tubes with unthreaded valve stems, if I can help it. The threads will tear up the rubber seals in pump heads, so why bother with them? I used to buy Michelin tubes when Performance used to sell them for good prices, but now they are something like $10 each. One of my bike shops has some nice Torelli unthreaded tubes for about $5 each, and I've bought others on-line. The REI unthreaded tubes are also good but usually cost about $7 each, which is more than I want to pay for a tube.
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Originally Posted by JohnJ80
(Post 16069191)
Well, lots of things are made in the same factories. that doesn't mean they are the same thing.
J. |
It's not uncommon but it's not usual. 9 times out of 10, once the business relationship is established, that's the way it stays.
Almost all of this is done on a spec basis - a spec is provided to the mfg, they bid it, and then a purchase order is given if the pricing is correct. It's incumbent on the buyer to make sure that the spec is being followed (i.e. Nashbar etc... ) so the blame rests there as well. The good news in this is that there should be some repeatability for a given brand. The bad news is that even if you knew the factory, good and bad stuff can come out of the same factory because it depends on the spec given. J. |
Originally Posted by JohnJ80
(Post 16072014)
It's not uncommon but it's not usual. 9 times out of 10, once the business relationship is established, that's the way it stays.
Almost all of this is done on a spec basis - a spec is provided to the mfg, they bid it, and then a purchase order is given if the pricing is correct. It's incumbent on the buyer to make sure that the spec is being followed (i.e. Nashbar etc... ) so the blame rests there as well. The good news in this is that there should be some repeatability for a given brand. The bad news is that even if you knew the factory, good and bad stuff can come out of the same factory because it depends on the spec given. J. |
Is a tube a tube, Not really... http://s18.photobucket.com/user/wrxd...tml?sort=3&o=0
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Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16076282)
Actually also common, that Yan Tube Manufacturing (makes great tubes) gets sold to Yee's Tube Manufacturing (who makes crappy tubes), and then you buy a Yan's tube, and find that the QA has gone down the tubes (yea the pun was intended), and it's just as crappy as a Yee's tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=airT-m9LcoY J. |
I've recently been buying Q-tubes, which I think are rebranded Kendas. When I can't wait and am buying them at the nearest LBS, I've leaned toward Specialized, but I see above than a few people don't like them. Bad experiences?
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Originally Posted by Yo Spiff
(Post 16076589)
I've recently been buying Q-tubes, which I think are rebranded Kendas. When I can't wait and am buying them at the nearest LBS, I've leaned toward Specialized, but I see above than a few people don't like them. Bad experiences?
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Originally Posted by 350htrr
(Post 16076463)
Is a tube a tube, Not really... http://s18.photobucket.com/user/wrxd...tml?sort=3&o=0
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2 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16076896)
One of those has some air in it, so not a completely accurate representation. Some tubes do have thicker rubber then others. the issue is that a tube starts out as a flat piece of rubber, the two sides are then connected together, this can be accomplished, usually this is ultrasonic welding. Then the two ends are joined using a similar method. You can tell, because there are seams. It really comes down to QA, out of say 1,000 tubes, a certain number will be tested to see if they are good enough. This is the issue, company X may require a tube be able to hold 150PSI, company Y needs 75PSI, and the problem is when the specification is 75PSI and you need 110PSI....
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Originally Posted by 350htrr
(Post 16077276)
Beg to differ... both are out of the box, never been used... The big one is over 1.5 Pounds the normal one is 0.6 Pounds... ;) :)
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Originally Posted by tim24k
(Post 16064447)
I've had the best luck with Kenda tubes.
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Originally Posted by Bikey Mikey
(Post 16077967)
And they're both the same size(e.g. 700c)?
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Originally Posted by 350htrr
(Post 16077276)
Beg to differ... both are out of the box, never been used... The big one is over 1.5 Pounds the normal one is 0.6 Pounds... ;) :)
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Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16078744)
Whether it's new out of box or not, it still looks like it's been inflated. Some manufacturers would inflate each tube, as part of QA, then release that air, but if it didn't all get released, then it would look like that. Another issue is, if the smaller one is an ultra-light (had a couple of Michelin ultra-light tubes, and they worked fine, but didn't accept patches well). It would make sense to some degree....
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Only ones I've ever had an issue with is Kenda, bad seam between valves and tube. Must have been a bad lot- had three all with same problems. Shop sent the entire shipment back. My favorites are the Schwalbe tubes,SV12A (From Wall's Bikes)
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Originally Posted by Dellphinus
(Post 16079991)
Only ones I've ever had an issue with is Kenda, bad seam between valves and tube. Must have been a bad lot- had three all with same problems. Shop sent the entire shipment back. My favorites are the Schwalbe tubes,SV12A (From Wall's Bikes)
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Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16080228)
We may all say Chinese stuff is crap, but there are a billion bicycles in China, and all those bicycles have tubes, and nearly all of those are made in China.
J. |
Originally Posted by JohnJ80
(Post 16080297)
and I ride tubulars, don't get flats anymore. Just make it so tubes don't matter anymore.
J. |
Originally Posted by Wogster
(Post 16080772)
Tubulars still use tubes, just they are such a PITA to fix, that most people toss the tire and all. I do wonder if tubeless will help, which I guess it would if there was an easy way to fix them on the road.....
It's just as easy or easier changing a tubular, and the Tufo emergency goop works pretty well too. So for rides around home, I carry the goop and two CO2 cartridges. If that doesn't work (and that would mean a pretty big hole), then I'll call for a ride. If I'm away from home or home alone, then I carry an extra tire and it fits in a Jandd Wedge (small one) that is not a lot different than I carried for clinchers. Either way, for the last 4 years and thousands of miles, it's worked so well that it would be worth a LOT more hassle in tires - but it's a lot less hassle too (bonus points). On top of that the wheel and tire combo is a lot lighter. Yellow Jersey in Madison, WI has had a tubular tire deal for years - 3 tires for $50. They are decent tires too - I've used them. That's less than the latex tubes quoted here and the whole thing would be lighter. I would think that tubeless clinchers would be less prone if you were diligent about keeping the sealant level up. For sure you'd eliminate a whole class of flats (pinch flats). I don't have any experience, but I'd guess that changing a tire with tubeless can get messy with the sealant - maybe someone could comment on that. J. |
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