Tubes can be so frigin' frustrating!

I think I invented about 3 new combinations of curses this afternoon!

Another tube with a slow leak.
An honest flat I can accept,
but slow leaks? WTF! GRRR!!!!!



Alright...rant over.



Questions:

1. What tubes are you guys having good luck with?
   
2. What are the best quality tubes?
   
3. Any benefit to threaded valves?
   
4. What size valve stands up to daily pumping (as needed) best?

______________________________________


And I don't want to hear "cheap tubes are just as good as expensive tubes..."
because they are not. I'm not saying that expensive automatically equals better,
but when it comes to tubes, I think I can afford to splurge a bit.

I haven't bought one cheap tube (and I've had to do it by force,
not because I wanted to) that didn't miserably fail me.

I want to buy 1/2 dozen or so GREAT tubes.

I just want them to hold pressure, to last more than a hundred miles, and "if" they happen
to be lighter, wonderful. BUT I'd gladly give up grams for quality and reliability anyday.

I was set on getting superlight tubes such as Michelin AirSTOPS,
but I'm worried they won't hold up as well as regular tubes.

Also, "if" I can go with light tubes, is it true that butyl would be the way to
go for ride quality and better air retention than the lightest material tubes?

Thanks for any advice you guys can offer.

______________________________________

Specifics:
56cm Alu road bike
210lb/5'9" rider
700X23c
130 PSI
Maxxis Xenith Hors Categorie Tires
OEM Mavic CXP22/C3 Hubs
B.S. Tubes!


Next set of tires:
Continental Grand Prix 4000S 23c
Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheelset

I use cheap, generic QBP tubes and they work fine. For racing (before switching to tubulars) I used light weight Schwalbe tubes and they worked great.

I use Continental, Michelin, Forte, CST or CSA, Kenda, Specialized. They all seem the same to me.

QBP LowCel?

I'm definitely going with a brand name from now on.
More likely than not, Continental or Michelin.
Unless there's something better.

Any particular model you use consistently?

I just bought some "new' Kenda tubes. One had a freaking patch on it!!

No problems with the Specialized tubes.
There's also a quick fix "peel and seal" flat kit which unless the hole is in the side or at the stem, works fine for sealing up a flat.

QBP = Quality bike parts. They are pretty much the cheapest tubes you can get. They are generally made by Kenda or some company that I can't even spell or pronounce.

Where did you get them (to never order from them in the future)?

Can you find where the leak is? Airing up your tires before each ride? Checking for foreign objects stuck in the tire?

I use road tubeless on my main bike, but have regular tube clinchers on my other RB. They are Continental tubes, and have been on the bike since July 2009. (I don't ride this bike that much except in the winter, but I wouldn't hesitate to take off on a 100-mile ride with these tubes.) I've had good luck with the Continental tubes.

All the tubes I've bought have had threaded valves. I'd guess the pump nozzle would "grab onto" these better than non-threaded valves. Just guessing, as I've not had the option to even buy non-threaded.

Continental Race Lights or Forte lights. I like them because they roll up smaller than standard tubes. The other brands I mentioned are usually picked up at bike shops on long rides after I've had a flat.

In my first 500 miles I got something like 9 flats. It was pathetic. slow leaks, fast leaks, whatever.

I changed from the specialized tires that came with my bike to a worn out vittoria tire when I got my powertap wheel (used) and more flats.

When I changed to continental gp 4 season tires, I haven gotten zero flats since. I rode over glass today, no flat, I rode in sandy nasty gravel the other day twice, no flat. My old tires would have flattened at the smell of that stuff...

its the tires, not the tubes.

Fact: Most tubes are made in the same factory.

I pumped up the tube and check the valve while it was out of the rim.
Can't tell. Just a typical slow leak I guess. Problem is, it's my 3rd already.

Checked the tires and inside the tire when I removed the tube.
Nothing on or in the tire, though it does have it's nicks.
I ride New York City and Suburb area roads.

Always lots of debris, glass, hazards, etc...but what I've gotten 3 times are slow leaks.


With Conti tires going on the bike in a few weeks, Conti tubes would be my first consideration.

.

If I remember reading correctly, some pumps might not work well with threaded valves?
Or that the valves could get stripped or something like that?

Have no problem believing that.
I would like to believe that good quality tubes "aren't".
Or that even if they are, that they are made to better standards.
I'd say that valves are the weak point since they are exposed and get handled the most.

Latex VS Butyl?
Opinions?

They're OEM tires. I don't expect them to be any good,
but still, I can't believe that they'd be the cause of slow leaks.
Without no clear puncture, I've have to chalk it up to a leaky valve.
They managed to hold air for 8 hours or so without being ridden,
I ride them for few miles, then, about 2 hours after that, flat.

However, I am expecting much less complications once the GP4KS's are on it.

I'm on Long Island... the tires I ride on were recommended by the LBS for riding "around here" after I had already ordered them. Seriously, the tubes that I went through cost more than the tires from probikekit.com. I have specialized tubes that I get from the bike store that were flatting like crazy, and I ordered 4 conti tubes when I got the tires, but I haven't used any of them yet. The same specialized tubes that were flatting now seem indestructible.

I have been using Qtubes lately. Used Continental and Specialized...haven't seen any difference in rate of failure.

I am currently using Specialized tubes and Bontrager Hardcase Racelite 700X23 tires. I normally use SpinSkins, but could not find any at the LBS when I changed tires last time. The Hardcase have a built in kevlar belt anyway. I have used the Specialized tubes for almost ten years now.

I tried Forte tubes a year ago. Within a week every tube failed at the stem to tube bond.

Using the SpinSkins I might have had three flats in the last five plus years caused from road debris. They involved large nails/screws, and a piece of metal roof flashing that took out the tire. I have pulled shards of glass and staples out of the tire case without the tube flatting.

Agreed. Did you think to check if the inner valve body was screwed tightly into the outer valve stem?

And it's a stupid question, I know, but was the little screw on the inner valve body screwed tightly? You'd think that would be self-evident, but at a ride today I was airing up some tires for someone else and theirs were not at all tightly screwed in.

What is the rate of leakage? Are you losing 20 psi in a few hours (which would not be acceptable), or in a few days (which wouldn't be too unusual)? I've heard some people express concern about slow leaks not realizing that all tubes slowly leak air. Some are better than others even in this respect, but it really isn't a big deal if you pump up your tires before each ride.

If it's not this kind of very slow leak, there's a hole in the tube somewhere. Pump it up and stick it in a sink full of water. You'll find it.

And I suspect that multiple flats, especially with the leaking tubes (of the "wtf??!!?' variety), are due to user error.

Vittoria tubes, I buy 'em in a case. I run them on all 5 of my bikes.



Ran latex once, will never do that again, things are too fragile, and lose air too quickly for my taste.