The Chainlink

Tube Troubles

I have gotten a few flats and on examining the tube it is split on the seam, no puncture in the tire plus I have a liner on puncture resistant tires.

Are there lower quality tubes vs higher like tires? If so I'd pay a little more rather than get a flat due to poor quality.

I don't over inflate usually pump it to 90-100psi  on a 120psi max.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on February 23, 2013 at 8:45am

Liners kill tubes.

Get rid of the liners and I bet the problem goes away.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 23, 2013 at 11:17am

I took the liner out and will get another tube or 2 plus a new tire it was getting a little smooth anyway.

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on March 1, 2013 at 3:13pm

I've found that Continental and Schwalbe make some fairly puncture resistant tires for city riding.  I have Continental Contact 700c x 37's on my Jamis Aurora and have had only one flat all the time I've had them.  Continental also makes Ultra Gatorskins while Schwalbe makes a touring tire called the Marathon.  I've had success with the Gatorskins.  I've yet to try the Schwalbes.

Permalink Reply by DanGer 8.2mi on March 2, 2013 at 10:10pm

i switched to hard case tires last year and haven't had a flat in a long time. i also check the pressure weekly. tire liners cut my tubes more than they protected. i also stay out of the areas of the street that debris collects. they look like deltas. snow plows leave thin shards of metal that collect in the less traveled parts of the street. avoid slime filled tubes because they don't patch easily.

1zt7hr8qm0y90Permalink Reply by 1zt7hr8qm0y90 on March 2, 2013 at 11:54pm
Get a tire liner.
OK, now that you have alot of answers I hope you won't mind a little off topic humor. You said tubes, not innertubes. I have had problems with tubes too. Any guitarist worth his or her salt uses a vacuum tube amplifier for a sound that can't be duplicated with transistors due to their linear sine wave. I run vintage 50 year old tube home stereo equipment and have noticed that new production Russian or Chinese tubes don't come close to old American tubes no longer in production so I pay the price. With care they will last. Afterall, these tubes are still viable after 50 years. A stereo is like a fine wine, it should flow from glass bottles. Stereo's are supposed to glow.
Permalink Reply by william on March 3, 2013 at 7:53am

best tubes I've used are the michelin a1 airstop and the schwalbe sv15/16. higher quality, stems never rip, and they save a few grams compared to other tubes. 

I prefer lightweight, supple tires that some consider too fragile for city streets, but the ride is much smoother than the sluggish, armored garden hoses that people ride. I average about one puncture a year or less. I think the key is to pluck out all the glass shards that get embedded in tires. I use a tiny nail or a safety pin -- whatever I have on hand, really. I do this once a week when my bike is already in the stand and the chain is being wiped/relubed. My thinking is most punctures are from already-embedded debris. Each turn of the wheel just digs the debris deeper and deeper until the tube is popped. When that eventually happens, the rider thinks "oh, I just ran over some glass just now." I think an instant flat is more rare and the problem actually develops over time. 

Maybe I'm wrong, but the method is working quite well for me. 

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