Worst tube change ever!
 

I had one of the worst tube changes ever today:
I was riding up a steep and very long hill. Ran over a screw. Lost air. Walked to a safe place and changed my tube. What a pain! After making the change, I pumped up the tube only to find that the valve is bad! What a waste of time.

I have changed lots of tubes, but this one was a real surprise. So much for the platinum series Bell tubes. I am thinking of going airless since the bike is now sitting in my garage after the long walk home.

Any advice on the airless types?

LPS

airless = ugh

What tires are you running? any tire liners?
I have had GREAT luck with Specialized Armadillo tires, although I did flat one on sunday.

i don't know how far they've come, but my raleigh sprite came from the thrift store with airless tubes on it, and i thought that was brilliant! until i rode off of a curb and gave myself whiplash. i had a headache for the whole rest of the ride. sucked. whatever is on the raleigh doesn't offer a lot of shock protection.

Get some better tyres.

I recommend Schwalbe Marathon Plus if you really don't like flats.

I had airless a few years ago. Sucked. Bounced around everywhere on fast descents, made 110 psi road tyres seem cushy, and eventually damaged my rear wheel. Cannot tell you enough how bad they are.

I recommend getting good tires and tire liners. I don't know how big the screw was, but could it have been patched? I carry Forte tubes from Performance...cheap and never had one bad out of the box yet (knocking on wood really hard).

HellMart tubes? What do you expect from slave labor...quality!?;)

If you use schrader valves, carry a valve core remover with you. You can tighten down the valve core easily.

Worst tube change ever? Hardly. Try bombing down a forest road at 35+mph on a mountain bike when a 16 penny nail goes in one side of your tire and out the other just at the bottom of the hill before a steep climb. All momentum stopped, you have to change the tube, boot the tire, and then try to ride up that big hill you were gaining all that momentum for:mad:

What about blowing out your last tube 12 miles up on sketchy singletrack and having to walk out? Yeah, that one's no fun either ;)

Grass. Or dead chipmunks.:eek:;)

Stay far away for airless tires.