Bugstomper2000

I was just wondering, if buying tubes in bulk would be a good idea. I found these tubes 50 in one pack for $155, whereas if I were to buy them at my local shop, they would be $8 a piece, or $400. My only wonders are if the tubes would ruin after time, if these are good tubes, and if there are better deals out there.
Bikeman Q-Tubes 700c x 23-25mm 48mm PV Box of 50 Bulk Tubes

StanSeven

Unless you get a lot of flats and don't patch tubes, 50 will last many, many years. You probably are better off buying a smaller quantity at a higher price.

Carbon Unit

Wow that is a lot of tubes. I use to buy tubes from Performance Bike when they went on sale and I think they were 5 for $10.00 several years ago. I still have some of them left. I patch tubes and don't toss them until I have patched them at least 3 times.

gregf83 

Find some friends to share with.

D1andonlyDman

I agree - this is an opportunity for a cycling club or some folks in a group ride. Who wouldn't want to buy 5-10 tubes for $3 each?

Normally, I stock up when Performance does their 4 for the price of 2 sale on Black Friday - but that still ends up being ~$4 a tube with tax.

aramis

Run latex tubes and you won't get as many flats that you need to worry about bulk buying tubes.

Stucky

My goodness, how many flats do you get???? 50 tubes would las me more than a lifetime. I haven't had a flat in years [I know...I shouldn't have said that!!!]- If you're getting a lot of flats, figure out why, and correct the problem.

Also, when you buy tubes, buy GOOD ones, like Michelins. Generic/low-quality tubes SUCK! I'll never forget the crappy Kenda tubes that came with my first road bike- I got a flat before I ever even rode the bike- the valve stem partially ripped out of the tube! And I had several flats and blowouts on that bike in the first few hundred miles of riding- until I changed the tubes and tires for quality ones.

bt

maybe he rides more than you.

Dave Cutter

+1 Three buddies and you each get a dozen tubes.... and a long-straw drawing or deck of cards cut, so one of you wins and extra two tubes. A bargain and a little gambling.

Stucky

Probably- I only do about 3K miles a year.... But STILL...I haven't had a flat in c. 9,000 miles.......

D1andonlyDman

BTW, on ebay, there are sellers who are selling tubes in quantities of 10 at a time for $35 ($3.50 each).
Or 6 at a time for $25 ($4.18 each)

SpeshulEd 

Please explain?

If anything, latex tubes are more delicate and more susceptible to flats.

Looigi

I buy patches and glue in bulk.

TakingMyTime

I can't even imagine owning that many tubes. They would all rot before I ever got around to using them.

Almost every shop in my area will sell me 4 tubes for the price of 3. This always seems to come to less than $10. Fortunately I'm in a place (in life) where $10 isn't going to disrupt my lifestyle.

rpenmanparker 

It is not about whether the tubes will hold up for 25 years. It is about the time value of money. What will the tubes actually cost to sit on the shelf for 25 years assuming needing two/year? Very false economy. Paying twice that price for a tube when it is needed is much cheaper.

LesterOfPuppets

You can get smaller quantities of $3.00 48mm valvestem tubes at pricepoint.com. Similar quality to Q-tubes.

Price Point Tube | Inner tube | Presta | Schrader | Valve

datlas 

Yup. Me too. Cheaper and more satisfying.

CliffordK

Tack a few tubes onto your next Ribble Order.

Deda Tubes, $3.11 each
Panaracer tubes, $3.23 to $4.96 each depending on valve

They frequently have sales... right now, 10% off (most items)... which would put the prices at under $3 each, which is less than your bulk pricing.

Just buy enough stuff to hit their minimum order sizes.

Most of the Department stores around here sell tubes for about $5 each... less than your quoted LBS prices, although they seem to never quite stock enough narrow 700c tubes.

GuitarBob

So what "glue" do you guys buy in bulk? I bought a can of Tip Top Vulcanizing Fluid and it just didn't work. I tried three times. Each of those times I followed with the stuff that comes in wee tubes and it worked just fine. Hmmm.

BoSoxYacht

That 50-pack is $106.50 from the distributor.

Maybe your LBS will cut you a deal.

LesterOfPuppets

The 50-pack of MTB Q-tubes come from QBP in one big box, no individual packaging. Dunno about the roadie ones.

Just in case that matters to anyone going after the Q-tube 50-packs.

PepeM

I buy my tubes from the LBS so they think I am one of those cool loyal customers. While I'm there I try their apparel and then go buy it online for cheaper. That way everybody wins.

FLvector

If the 50 pack isn't individually packaged, that makes it much more difficult to do a group purchase with friends or a cycling club. I usually try to find a good deal when I'm down to my last few tubes and buy a half of dozen. This purchase sounds like a great deal if you used them all, but that would take a very, very long time.

3alarmer 

...impossible to say why it did not work for you, but I can assure you that REMA patches and cement work the best of any I've tried. Used according to directions their patches are quite capable of holding until a tube bursts from overinflation.

GuitarBob

Thanks. I've used their small kits forever and they have always worked, unless I botched something of course .

So I went ahead and bought 100 of their 16 mm patches (which have been dandy) and a tub of the fluid (which has not been dandy). It's funny to apply it, let it dry, then burnish the patch only to have it just fall right off.

The first time I figured it was just me... but three times? Yeah, probably still me