Hello:

I was wondering, are there better inner tubes than standard ones? The ones I have are standard on my bike, and they keep losing air, even though they don't seem to have any punctures in them.

I've seen some bike tires mentioned that are thicker than the standard tire, and also "slime" tubes which apparently are for quick seals when getting punctures.

Would either of these work better than a standard bike tube?

I would also like a bike tire that has better air stems on them than the regular short ones. They are so difficult to get the airpump on and off of. Im getting older and cant deal with having to fight the air pump to get on and off the air stems.


Thanks!

if you using presta stems on your tubes you can buy longer ones ,they do come in different lengths . as far as a better tube there isn't one , they all lose air over time . some lose as much as 10 % of they hold over night . let say you start out at 100 psi and by the next day you down to 90 and then the next 81 and so on until the pressure In the tube match the air pressure in the room . This is just a sample to give you the idea how air pressure work . The best thing to do is top off the air before every ride that way you know you are top off .

Your valve may be leaking. Even cheap schrader tubes have replaceable valves, but only the better presta tubes do. Better tubes can be thicker, seamless, or even latex.

How much air are you losing? Enough to make finishing a ride dangerous? Most people I know pump up road bike tires every day because they often lose 10-20% of their air pressure overnight, especially for the "ultralight" tubes (less than 100 grams per tube). If you don't mind the extra weight, heavier tubes will hold their air better, as well as being cheaper than the lightweight tubes.

Road bike tubes do come with stems in different lengths (to fit different sized rims). The stem length is usually printed on the box.

I like Sunlite brand (made by Kenda) TR (Thorn Resistant) tubes. They are inexpensive and heavy. On my commuting bikes I go more than a week before seeing a 10% loss in pressure. I purchase my tubes from Niagara Cycle Works - they offer free shipping on orders over $150-

Your results will be different.

Everyone will have their own recommendations. For me, Michelin A1 Airstop Butyl tubes seem to hold air better than others I have used. At 65, I've tried a lot of them. While not related to valves, I do run 25-32 tubes in 25mm tires which may result in slightly thicker tube walls due less stretching... just a guess as I haven't done any research.

John

I don't skimp on tubes. I use Schwalbe VS12 tubes at nine bucks a crack. I had a string of bad luck with generic tubes during a cold spell, three flats in three days, -15 Celsius weather and that was enough to convince me to start buying quality tubes.