Several folks have now done on-road testing either with powermeters or simple roll-down tests. The most reputable of the lot probably is Bicycle Quarterly (http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/0...ance-of-tires/) but those tests are still not perfect, IMO. They are, though, probably more meaningful than wind trainer results.

Good to know, thanks. As I said, I will not be gambling with the brand anymore. Enough folks reliably make good tubes that I see no point in rolling the dice...

I had a Maxxis on the rear wheel and that thing flatted like 2 times a week, for about a month. A mechanic in a gas station by the city limits (more or less middle of nowhere) said he never had seen such a thin, flimsy tube on a bike before (supposedly cheap tubes are much thicker).
I had to buy and have installed a cheapo nameless tube that day on the first crappy shop I found open, and even though the salesman himself told me my Maxxis was better, I still haven't had a single flat with this new tube (for about a month now). Maybe it was the installation or something?

Go figure.

this.

Thanks for the link, it was an interesting read. However, while the article describing and summarizing the tests mentioned all types of variables, it did not mention tubes at all.

I went and looked up the test from the 2006 Vol. 5 No. 1 issue, but couldn't find it in it's entirety, just a summary (http://velochimp.com/2006/11/rolling-resistance/). I did find their follow up test online (http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/BQ64TireTest.pdf), and while they tested tubes there, they did not do rolling resistance tests on them, rather just referring via footnote to an earlier finding of theirs, but the link was a dead-end and I was unable to find out what that earlier test was that indicated higher rolling resistance with latex tubes.

The Vol.5 No.1 summary did note them as saying, "Tires rolled slightly slower with Michelin’s relatively thick latex tubes than with butyl tubes. Thinner latex tubes, like used in tubular tires, may offer better performance, but when used in clinchers they are more prone to punctures caused by friction between tire and tube. Latex tubes do improve comfort."

I'd like to know what their testing methodology was and see the data that led them to those conclusions; which latex tubes, which butyl tubes, which pressures, which tires, etc.

If all we have to go on are the editor's comments in that one reply to a question in the comments, then I think it's awfully hard to conclude those comments represent a more meaningful evaluation than the roller tests I linked to upthread; we'll need some more info (e.g. data and methodology) before we can get to that. Even Heine and Vande Kamp concede that thinner latex may perform better than the ones they tested.

The BikeTechReview is very meticulous, controlled and well-noted, and it would be great to see how the results from different testing methods compare.

Again, thanks for the link; I haven't seen or read that mag in many, many years (did it used to be called Vintage Bike Quarterly?), but I think I'll get a subscription and check it out more thoroughly, as they have many topics that sound really interesting to me!

If you're referring to the Flyweight Maxxis - they have a particular rimtape thats supposed to be used sith them. If that wasn't done then -yup - it was the installation.

Tubbies, like everything else, have advantages and disadvantages. You obviously like them, personally I won't touch 'em for street use.

Ah well, VERY interesting, thanks for clarifying! :thumb:

I only use tube with Presta valves that have replaceable valve cores. For me that is mostly Conti and Schwalbe tubes, but in general terms it is a good sign you are looking at quality.

I've seen lots of defective tubes in the last three or five years. Poor valves stem to tube bonding; and not just on presta valve tubes, but on schraeder ones.

I don't buy that many tubes, so it's a pretty negligible cost to use good ones, from Michelin or Schwalb or conti.

+1
Including a half dozen OEM tubes that blew within a couple days of being inflated when the bikes were prepped. Bikes are prepped over the winter and ready to go out the door in the spring so these bikes were just sitting in a rack. Better there then after being delivered to a customer.

The time frame of these observations is interesting - I left my last bike shop job in 2006 (after 16 years of working primarily in bike shops), and have purchased maybe 10 tubes since then. Even many of the most stalwart 'Made in Western Countries' brands have in recent years gone to cheaper Asian contract manufacturing... it only makes sense that even the manufacturers of the cheapest simplest products have tried to find cheaper sources for their products.

The Schwalbes I have hold pressure much, much better than the other tubes I have used. I will pay a few bucks extra for that.

Two (three?) years ago, I was helping a friend get a bike back on the road. Bought a tube from the LBS. it was defective -- failed bonding at the stem/tube interface. Took it back, and check the replacement. It was no good. So was every single other tube the shop had in that size (which were all the same brand, and probably the same lot). Ended up with a tube out of a bike on the showroom floor. Shop changed tube brands.

I don't have any problem paying for better quality stuff, but I have a hard time buying it locally, for many things. I can't reliably find anything other than cheap tubes at any of the shops deal with (one's probably got fancy tubes for skinny tired racers, but not for anything else.)

When you pay for a more expensive tube, you are either paying for a lighter weight, less durable, racing tube or a heavier, more durable, commuter/touring tube. I have a Specialized rear tube and a Kenda front tube. Both hold pressure very well, but the specialized tube had a stickier (and higher quality feeling) rubber, it had ribs on the tube (Not sure of the correct function, but it's an extra feature), and the valve stem has the threads for the lock nut (which the Kenda does not) which is VERY helpful when inflating a dead flat tube. Kenda tube was $2 cheaper though, but I patch up tubes until patches overlap patches.

Talk to the shop manager. Make it clear that you're willing to pay for quality products and won't settle for anything else. They do need feedback from customers to know that what they're buying is what the market wants. Lots of people just pick from whats available - even if its not what they want.

Contrary to popular opinion - dealers don't WANT to sell cheap junk. They make more money selling more expensive items. But general consumer behavior is making lots of dealers believe that consumers are only interested in price - not quality. Speak up! Say it ain't so!

Last year, I got lots of flat tyres (once every month or so). Finally, I talked to a bike mechanics, and he suggested that I should fit a larger tube inside my tyre. Then, he fitted a 28c tube in my 23c tyre. I have never had flats since then :D

The fix is actually reasonable. The larger the tube is, the less stretched it will be. That is, the tube's wall is thicker.

Really, that is interesting, I have a cheapo avenir tube that fits from 25 to 32mm, I got 25's on my roadie,,,

I have had the same experience. I did once read that a smaller tube rolled a bit better, as there wasn't as much material to be compressed and distorted while rolling. Personally I could never tell the difference in rolling resistance, so tend to use tubes on the larger end of the range simply because they noticeably reduce the incidence of flats.

I have, and they've told me the customers ***** if they get anything but the cheapest, and they don't think they'd sell enough to walk in customers buying tubes to stock them. Pretty much everyone thinks a tube's a tube, why spend more? They all tell me they'll order them for me, but when I'm buying a tube, it's because I need one.

It's actually more complicated than that. Not only is the tube thicker, but because it has to stretch less from its uninflated size to fill the tire casing, it's under less strain from that. That means that tube walls may well be under compression, and not tension, which means that they push into any hole, instead of pulling away from it. If there's a hole, you're going to get a flat, but that force can be enough to keep something from puncturing it. Michelin sell a tube that exploits the property, but also adds a sealant to the tube.

Mine is a bit larger... I used to install Michelin's 16~23c on my 23c tyres. Now I got a 28~35 from REI's house brand, and I'm satisfied with their performance!