james_swift

I'd been meaning to bring this up for quite a while now: I bought 2 Schwalbe tubes to go with my new IRC Metros a while back (standard size spec'ed for 20x1 1/8 to 20x1.50). The IRC Metros are 20x1.25. A couple of weeks later, the back tire blew one night while the bike was just sitting parked in my apartment. Upon inspection, the valve stem had a cut at the base. Not more than a week after that, the same exact thing happened with the front tire: cut at the base of the valve stem. I replaced both tubes with the cheaper Pyramid tubes, and haven't had any problems ever since. Same pump, same Velox rim tape. I really liked how the Schwalbe tubes held their air pressure longer than the cheap tubes, but was obviously very disappointed with their durability.

invisiblehand

My experiences with Schwalbe tubes have been poor too. They were neither more durable nor possessed better air retention than standard no-name tubes.

-G

jur

I have been pleasantly surprised by mine, the air-retention. No blow-out. Presta valves. I am beginning to hate Schraeder. Which were yours?

james_swift

Presta at the back, schraeder at the front. It's interseting how both failed in similar fashion on 2 completely different rims (Aeroheat at the back and stock rim up front).

BruceMetras

I think I could have paid Thor's rent for a month with the number of Schwalbe presta tubes I've purchased for all the folders I've used over the last couple of years ... I've yet to have a failure as described in this thread.. are you running an adapter that converts Schraeder rim valve hole to presta?

Bruce

james_swift

No. Aeroheat rim is true presta and front stock rim is true schraeder. I don't know if the Schwalbe tubes I got were defective or something, but the valve stems on the cheapo Pyramid tubes I have now seem far more durable, even after some pretty good thrashings with a compact pump.

maunakea

Does anyone know of a "thorn resistant" 406 size tube? The heavier tubes really hold air pressure well. I have PB "thorn resistant" tubes on a 700c, and those tubes hold 100+ psi for two to three weeks. When accelerating, however, I can feel the extra mass of the TR tubes.

I currently have Pyramid tubes in all my 406 wheels, and they are certainly better than the cheap Taiwanese tubes. Before the Pyramids went it .. maybe 18 months ago, I tried Schwalbe tubes and found them to be indistinguishable from the cheap Taiwanese tubes, sort of like Continental tubes in 700c. Big name, but no substantive difference in holding high pressure.

makingmark

Selling, selling, selling.

Is a Cartier a better watch than a Seiko?
Is a Schwalbe tube better than a Pyramid?

Function wise (telling time or holding air) there is no difference. The rest is getting you to part with your dollars.

Whenever you hear some kind of message out there, ask yourself. Qui bene? Who benefits?

BruceMetras

Mahalo Great Mauna!... search on 'thorn resistant 20" tubes' lots of hits like Jensens
and lots from wheel chair supplies... personally, for my 'DT for the dirt', to battle thorns I tried Mr Tuffy's, TRT's, and Slime.. what worked for me was Marathon Pluses (with Schwalbe tubes.. haha)...not a single flat and I've purposely run through thorn patches to test the Marathons..

maunakea

BM, thanks... I admire your rigorous testing of thorn resistance. Who on the forum was testing new tires or tubes by running through contracting site debris and broken glass? A different type of adventure riding.

I'll order some of those Jensens. If the 700c experience is any guide, the extra tube weight will be worth not having to inflate every other day.

BruceMetras

That would be fellow Bay Area personality and OP, James Swift..

pm124

I find that the 355 Schwalbe tubes are of far better quality and fit than the others I've tried. A lot of tubes are uneven and difficult to seat inside the tire. I've never had the problem described. However, they are a lot heavier than the less expensive tubes.

brakemeister

well
as a seller of tubes from Schwalbe I am very interested if somebody has a problem with theirs. This doesnt mean that I will send you a new tube.... just that if you think that there is a real quality problem, I would like to know about it / getting some samples. I will get the to the Schwalbe guys, and if there is a problem will get new tubes back to ya.... more importantly however is that Schwalbe can actually put their QC on it and find a problem ... ( if there is one )

thor

brakemeister

and yes
being double.... tripple as expensive
I expect Schwalbe to have a better product ( which they have ) and stay behind their stuff ( which they do )

thor

invisiblehand

Hey Thor,

Just to be clear, I don't think that they are a big pile of poop. They simply failed to perform better than cheaper alternatives. However, I will acknowledge that we have only bought five Schwalbe tubes. So this is purely an anecdotal account and certainly poor evidence of a general trend.

My better half had a front-tire blow-out while crossing a bridge during the Sante-Fe Century. At the beginning of the ride, I pumped the front tire to 110-115 psi, she is accurately described as svelte ... no need to make it hard as a rock (rear was at 120).

I used a Schwalbe tube in a Marathon Racer which is at the upper end of the width range given by Schwalbe for the tube. After a few hundred miles of use--first in a Stevio for a century--the tube developed a split at the seams. I believe that I stay on top of regular bike maintenance and given the loaded weight, (I start at 190 pounds before stuff) tire pressure is something I watch closely. Compared to the Taiwanese tubes (I assume that is where these other brands are made) I noticed no difference in the frequency that I needed to add air.

Anyway, I will only use the tubes with the Stelvios. I figure that despite the specs, there must have been some rubbing on the seam with the Marathon Racer resulting in the split.

-G