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Inner Tubes

Flat tires are not good. How can I avoid them? Should I get better tubes?

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Permalink Reply by S on March 5, 2014 at 11:07am

That's not quite true since you can get thinner lighter tubes and there are latex tubes out there.  But you're right, the way to go is to get better tires (armadillos, gatorskins, marathons, etc.).  I'm sure people will be able to chime in with their preferred puncture resistant tires.

rwein5 said:

Tubes are generally identical, regardless of brand. 

Better to invest in good tires. I'd recommend Gatorskins from Continental.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on March 5, 2014 at 11:20am

Yes to better tires and keep them properly inflated.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on March 5, 2014 at 11:22am

It depends on the bike.  I've got 35mm Marathons since September that haven't failed yet.  Before that I had Continentals that had glass work in between the treads to cause a few flats.

Permalink Reply by OLB 0.1 on March 5, 2014 at 12:30pm

I got two flats within two weeks last April. Switched to Marathons (32mm) and have not had a problem since. I decided on the Marathons after the input provided on a similar thread last year.

Permalink Reply by Hey! Bike Shop Guy on March 5, 2014 at 12:37pm

Tubes is tubes is tubes with the exception of latex and 'thorn proof' ones.

Latex is super light and pliable but even easier to puncture. 

Thorn proof ones are thick, heavy and more resistant to puncture but they are heavy and a pain to remove or install.  I also think they make the tire less pliable and handle for shite.  You will have fewer flats but at he expense of handling and acceleration.

You can also run one of the many flat strips on the market but they all suck and I honestly see them cause more flats than they probably solve.  They suck to install and can cause pinch flats.

Really if you want to reduce flats spend some money on quality tires.  Randonneurs, Marathons, Conti Touring Plus and the Gatorskin are all good tires for puncture resistance.

Yes, they are expensive but they will last longer and you will get far fewer flats so they save money in the long run.

Also make sure to keep your tires properly inflated, especially if you are running a smaller road tire.

Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on March 5, 2014 at 12:47pm

Reading this thread is making me quite happy, because I just replaced my stock tires with Marathons.  I didn't do any research for some reason; I just got what a LBS (I had a winter commuter package from Rapid Transit, so since I got 10% off and free install, I knew I wanted to buy from there.  One of these days I should learn to remove and put on my back tire, which has internal hub gearing) had in stock and recommended.  So hurrah.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 5, 2014 at 12:56pm

Iron Cycles sold me awesome Gatorskins (right Michael A if you are reading this?) and they rock. Worth every cent in my opinion.  Still means you have to keep your pressure up (this is on a road bike). 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 5, 2014 at 12:57pm

With those Marathons, one hopes you won't need to do it! That was why I decided to put them on my bike with the internal hub.  The one time I got a flat (pre-Marathons), the bike shop guy had trouble figuring it out.

Christine (5.0) said:

One of these days I should learn to remove and put on my back tire, which has internal hub gearing

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on March 5, 2014 at 2:04pm

The only flats I have had in the last two years have been from loose spokes, Lisa. So, check the tension periodically; a squeeze with your fingers on each set of two spokes will quickly spot any culprits.

I have Schwalbe Marathons, also, but I also have tire liners inside between the tire and the tube, and they have never, ever caused a pinch flat since I began using them 8 years ago. With 3 tires travelling over 3 different paths giving me more opportunity for flats than a two-wheeler, I err on the side of caution.

Permalink Reply by Legacy Frameworks on March 5, 2014 at 2:21pm

I also swear by Schwalbe Tires on all my bikes, first it was the Marathon. But hey now have a budget tire, the Road Plus, that has the same puncture protection, reflective sidewall and tread pattern as the Marathon, only difference is the rolling resistance of the rubber compound. 

Also I talked to Schwalbe about tubes, why theirs are double the wholesale cost of most tubes, and they explained a few things to me. They use better rubber and valves, this combo does two things - their tubes can stretch to accommodate more sizes of tires and they have about half as much seepage. So far, non-scientifically the bikes I have their tubes on hold their air much longer. I am considering making them standard too. 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 5, 2014 at 2:39pm

Levi, the answer to my question is probably obvious to people who know what they are talking about, but I am going to ask anyway. When you say the difference is the rolling resistance is it that the cheaper tires have greater rolling resistance?

Legacy Frameworks said:

I also swear by Schwalbe Tires on all my bikes, first it was the Marathon. But hey now have a budget tire, the Road Plus, that has the same puncture protection, reflective sidewall and tread pattern as the Marathon, only difference is the rolling resistance of the rubber compound. 

Also I talked to Schwalbe about tubes, why theirs are double the wholesale cost of most tubes, and they explained a few things to me. They use better rubber and valves, this combo does two things - their tubes can stretch to accommodate more sizes of tires and they have about half as much seepage. So far, non-scientifically the bikes I have their tubes on hold their air much longer. I am considering making them standard too. 

Permalink Reply by Gecko on March 5, 2014 at 2:47pm

I always use cheap tubes (from QBP or something) available at every bike shop.  Most problems I've had in the city were due to negligence or user error - accidentally breaking the valve, or accidentally pulling the valve stem off the tube, or leaving the pressure too low and pinch-flatting on a pothole.

The only other problems I've had were due to my tire choice.  I was using 700x28 Gatorskins and rode over some broken glass (very tiny fragments) and some of them worked their way through the tire into the tube.  Then I replaced them with knobby 700x32 Panaracer Crossblasters and had the same thing happen.  I replaced the Panaracers with a Vittoria Randonneur on the front and a Michelin City on the back, and haven't had a flat since, despite having ridden more miles through things ten times worse.  These tires are back to 700X28 and I keep a close eye on my tire pressure.  Usually they need to be topped off every week or two.  In my experience, any bike tube/tire will lose around 10psi a week just due to seepage.

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