|
Tubes
Ok I have a BIG question here. What is the story about todays inner tubes?? yesterday had other flat on my one varsity that was just sitting
On that bike have brand NEW kenda road tires. MY LBS sells Serfs tubes and keeps giving my 700X28-133 Keeps telling me that 27x1-1/4 are obsolete. Any way this is the 3rd flat on this bike in a month and its been sitting There is NOTHING in the tire. THE leaks are coming from the tube seams. Tried Kenda 700x28/32c and had the same thing after a few weeks goes flat were the seems are. Also I have FOUR original schwinn tubes form the 70s sitting here and you can see that they are much more thicker AND NOT AS skinny as the 700x28-133. Right now on my 73 varsity I have the Schwalbe HA 159 tires and a set of sunlite tubes size 27x1-1/4 that the LBS shop had a few of them They so far are holding up. As of yesterday I have 675 miles on my Schwalbe tires since aug 2. I think the 27 inch size is the main thing. BUT I remember as a kid living in Southern California back in the 60s I had a 10 speed varsity and i rode that thing all over and NEVER had a flat. Today I think the thicker tubes were why. So now that I have the bullet proof schwalbe tires I am now looking to find thicker and better 27x1-1/4 tubes. Also if this size is obsolete then I going to be buying two more sets of the schwalbe this week then next month buy more and do the same with the tubes when I find what I am looking for why are todays tubes so thin like paper and why are they pushing out the 27 inch size??? |
I've gone the other way and run latex tubes in all my bikes - with one exception - my daughter's upright with 42mm Soma SV has Schwalbe ultralight because I don't want to pump it every week.
My 38mm Compass tire planted a thumbtack - heard it as a 1xR click. I stopped immediately and expected to hear a whoosh when I pulled it out. But the tube did not puncture - it stretched around the tack - that was 4000 mi ago. It's also a patched latex tube that was previously on another bike. When I was running 27x1-1/8" with Challenge CX latex tube, I had one flat. That was where a yucca blade cut a slit in the tread and the latex balooned out and popped. |
Don't believe the obsolete crap. Google "27x1-1/4 tubes" and you'll find several options. There's still a lot of old Schwinns rolling around. Someone is keeping them in tires and tubes.
|
IF the tubes are tearing around the valve, it may be operator error.
27" & 700c are pretty interchangeable. The 27" is 8 MM greater diameter. I'd go one size larger though, like 32-35ish |
I am haft temped to use the original schwinn tubes They hold air are thicker and are the RIGHT size
the problem they are 40 years old and don't think it would be a good idea |
If you have usable tubes, try them and pack a spare.
|
27" is as obsolete as the Model T or Volkswagen Beetle -- sure, replacement parts can still be found, but the models as a whole are decades out of production.
My recommendation would be to get some nice Schwalbe tubes to go with your tires -- the AV17 is the one you'll want. While some current production tubes have issues with leaks where the valve stem bonds to the rest of the tube, others may have loose valve cores that need to be tightened. Something to check. As for the thinner tubes, having thinner walls helps with rolling resistance and weight (more than you might expect). Good ones won't be that much more likely to puncture, but cheap ones may have inconsistent thickness. |
I got tired of random blowouts from cheap Chinese crap tubes. I only use heavy duty thorn proof tubes now. Problem solved. Here's a great source :
Tires & Tubes - Tubes - Thorn Resistant - Page 1 - Niagara Cycle |
I've been in this game for a long time and things are different now. They just are. 30 years ago I don't ever recall having a tire blow in any of the shops I worked in unless we missed something (i.e. spoke sticking through tape, thorn in tire, tube not seated properly, etc).
In the last year I have blown maybe 15 tubes. Just last week a bike that I'd been riding for a week just blew a tire sitting in my closet. A couple of months ago I blew three tubes in a row, all three blew at seam marks. These blown tubes aren't specific to one bike or tire brand/type either although they are generally all 700c tubes. I haven't changed the way I change tubes but the quality of the tubes I've been buying has run the gamut from down right crappy to really good. Many of the good ones come from Thailand and many of the crappy ones come from Taiwan, but it varies. Price doesn't appear to have a big influence on tube quality it seems...nor does name brand either. There is some truth to the situation here I think. It IS frustrating as I'm at the point now where I don't trust the tubes on a ride. |
Originally Posted by stingray66
(Post 19081990)
MY LBS sells Serfs tubes and keeps giving my 700X28-133 Keeps telling me that 27x1-1/4 are obsolete... ...why are they pushing out the 27 inch size???
You can still find 27" tubes for sale, but my recent experience is that they're typically just repackaged 700c tubes. 700c rims are 8 mm smaller in diameter, but the tubes will easily stretch to fit. You may notice the uninflated tube doesn't want to settle into the tire quite as easily when you're mounting it, but once the tire's mounted, it's business as usual.
Originally Posted by stingray66
(Post 19081990)
Any way this is the 3rd flat on this bike in a month and its been sitting There is NOTHING in the tire. THE leaks are coming from the tube seams. Tried Kenda 700x28/32c and had the same thing after a few weeks goes flat were the seems are.
Originally Posted by stingray66
(Post 19081990)
Also I have FOUR original schwinn tubes form the 70s sitting here and you can see that they are much more thicker AND NOT AS skinny as the 700x28-133.
As for being "skinny", that's a direct correlation to the tire width the tube is designed for, and how much the designer intends them to stretch. A 28-33 mm tube should be fine for a 1 1/4" tire, but 1 1/4" is roughly 32 mm and at the upper range of that tube's acceptable width. If you want a wider tube, feel free to bump up a size and look for 35 mm tubes. Just be careful when mounting and inflating the tire since there's a bit more rubber you could potentially pinch between the tire and rim at the bead.
Originally Posted by stingray66
(Post 19081990)
BUT I remember as a kid living in Southern California back in the 60s I had a 10 speed varsity and i rode that thing all over and NEVER had a flat. Today I think the thicker tubes were why.
Comparing now to when we were kids, the biggest difference may be rider weight. My preteen kids have never gotten a flat, but I weigh twice what they do and I get flats occasionally. I've got a hunch it's not coincidence. More weight equals more downforce on top of sharp objects you might ride over. |
Originally Posted by SkyDog75
(Post 19083147)
New bikes haven't been offered with 27" wheels in roughly 30 years, so they are obsolete.
You can still find 27" tubes for sale, but my recent experience is that they're typically just repackaged 700c tubes. 700c rims are 8 mm smaller in diameter, but the tubes will easily stretch to fit. You may notice the uninflated tube doesn't want to settle into the tire quite as easily when you're mounting it, but once the tire's mounted, it's business as usual. I'd be interested to see the punctures. Could be something like a problem with rim tape that leaves an exposed spoke hole or nipple. Could be a bad batch of tubes -- I've seen others mention problems with tube seams, but I've never had an issue myself. If you're having blowouts, could be that your tires (like all recent tires) are meant for hook-bead rims and your older ones have straight walls. If you want thick tubes, look for ones that are sold as "thorn resistant". Otherwise, many people prefer thinner tubes for their lighter weight. As for being "skinny", that's a direct correlation to the tire width the tube is designed for, and how much the designer intends them to stretch. A 28-33 mm tube should be fine for a 1 1/4" tire, but 1 1/4" is roughly 32 mm and at the upper range of that tube's acceptable width. If you want a wider tube, feel free to bump up a size and look for 35 mm tubes. Just be careful when mounting and inflating the tire since there's a bit more rubber you could potentially pinch between the tire and rim at the bead. Almost all of your puncture resistance comes from the tire, not the tube. Once an object penetrates the tire, it'll go through the tube like a hot knife through butter. If it gets through the tire tread and it's longer than your tube and tire are thick, you'll get a flat. Comparing now to when we were kids, the biggest difference may be rider weight. My preteen kids have never gotten a flat, but I weigh twice what they do and I get flats occasionally. I've got a hunch it's not coincidence. More weight equals more downforce on top of sharp objects you might ride over. |
Hunt for whatever is causing the leaks. It is possible you have a bad seam, but It may be something else too.
Mark the valve on the old tire. Find the hole in the tube. Look at the tire and rim for a possible cause. Those radial tire wires are often almost invisible. There have also been suggestions of using cotton balls (never tried this myself). Pick out any glass from in the tire treads. Googling "27 Thornpproof tubes", I came up with a few Kendas which would be worth considering. https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...inch-road-tube Kenda Thornproof Tube - Outside Outfitters You can also patch your old tubes. I used to shave the seams down with a straight edge razorblade, but sanding seems to work well enough. |
you just need to get good high quality tubes like, Continental, Specialized, and Vittoria. A thorn resistant tube is heavy and most are cheaply made, sure the seams may not rupture but that's only because they're very thick. And like another poster said thick heavy tubes will make your bike feel sluggish. If flats from debris are causing you issues a thorn resistant tube is the last line of defense against debris and is almost useless in that department, instead your tire is the front line defense against debris, so get a good flat resistant tire instead of a fat heavy tube.
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:41 AM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.