Tubes
02-09-08 | 04:43 PM
#28
partly metal, partly real
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,597
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia.
Bikes: Hummer H2
I know everyone has heard it enough, but supporting your local LBS in situations like this is really not such a bad idea.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
Last edited by sp00ki; 02-09-08 at 04:58 PM.
02-09-08 | 05:38 PM
#29
stay free.
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,557
Likes: 0
From: Ellensburg, WA
Bikes: EAI Bare Knuckle, 1980's Ross Signature 292s 12 speed
I know everyone has heard it enough, but supporting your local LBS in situations like this is really not such a bad idea.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
02-09-08 | 05:41 PM
#30
get strange
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Moustache tubes.
It'd have been a lot cooler if they were round and didn't leak at the valve. Just sayin'
02-09-08 | 05:56 PM
#31
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 7
From: SF
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
I pick up continentals when ever they are on sale. Generally I get them around $4-5.
02-09-08 | 10:20 PM
#34
Walks with a limp
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,346
Likes: 0
From: Indy, IN
I know everyone has heard it enough, but supporting your local LBS in situations like this is really not such a bad idea.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
Performance or Nashbar doesn't need your money; LBS do. Most of the good shops are run by really good guys who (contrary to popular belief) do not race porches, decks, sheds, or any part of a house on weekends.
You can probably add exotic sports cars to that list.
They DO however answer bike questions, give advice, help you make choices, teach you how things work while you're shopping, explain differences in components, and so on.
If you really want to keep yourself from giving money to "the man", the least you can do is pick up smaller ticket items (tape, tubes, lube, cleats, brake pads, et al) from your LBS. Trust me when i say that if anyone is getting rich, it's Nashbar/Performance (they're the same company) and not your local shop.
I try to make a rule of buying anything under twenty bucks from a (non-chain) place with a repair shop. When it comes down to it, these are the guys who'll be facing your frame, pressing your headset (and removing an old one), chasing your threads and straightening your frame when you crash-- not the internet.
There's nothing wrong with saving money (parts can be really expensive), and i'm certainly not one to feel anyone should throw it away, but saving thirty cents on a tube is sorta ridiculous.
my lbs is so cool, it actually pains me to buy stuff elsewhere. unfortunately, he doesn't have an endless supply of stuff, despite having these bareknuckles and aerospokes that everyone says are hard to find. hell of a wheel builder, too, but how may wheels do you need?
02-09-08 | 11:17 PM
#35
I haven't had a flat since the summer in Boston (I got like 5 flats in 3 months there), but I bought a spare tube at Performance for like $1.50 that I keep in my bag.
I have a few tubes that I meant to patch, but never got around to. I guess I'm lazy for procrastinating, but I definitely don't want to deal with patching on the road.
I have a few tubes that I meant to patch, but never got around to. I guess I'm lazy for procrastinating, but I definitely don't want to deal with patching on the road.
02-10-08 | 01:41 AM
#36
abides and rides
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 471
Likes: 0
Agreed. I'm not saying you should spend a fortune on super light racing tubes or anything, but I've had bad experiences with cheap Tioga branded (Chin Sheng or something I think) tubes. Valves tearing at the base mainly.
02-10-08 | 04:22 AM
#37
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
I try, but it seems like the 10psi every day or two leaks that slow down as the psi drops are impossible to find, especially with a handful of patches and little patience.
