Inner tubes - Ah, the glamour!

pottssteve

Yo!

The events of today have made me consider the humble inner tube - so mundane, yet so vital. I won't go into details; these are under my P Fairy thread on Cake Stop. Needless to say, having had a p******* I replaced the tube only to have the new one fail as the valve sepaprated from the rubber :evil: All this by the side of the road. I had to get a taxi home. First time ever.
At home I repaired the original tube, replaced it on the wheel and inflated it - it then burst!! :evil: :evil: :evil:

So I'm left with 2 useless tubes. I go to the LBS to ask for replacements. I currently have 32mm tyres on my cyclocross but want to change to 28mm - the wife is bringing some 28s from the UK (Conti 4 Seasons). Because I live in Hong Kong, and want a size 28, this causes all sorts of hassles and fumbling around in the stock room. They eventually find 2x28mm tubes. Now, I'm wondering, will they be any good or will they be as sh!te as the 32mm they sold me that failed? That got me thinking; who makes the best inner tubes???
Recommendations for internet purchase, please.

Steve
(PS - I've given today up as a bad job - I'm sitting here typing, drinking beer and eating chocolate Tim Tam biscuits).

Wappygixer

I've had tube issues recently with Conti supersonics.It turned out that they didn't like my patches (park self adhesive) and when repaired they would burst.
I've since changed to good old Tip top and no issues just repaired tubes that work.
Stick to branded tubes like Michelin,Conti etc and you should be fine.

One other thing I do is always carry 2 spare innertubes and a puncture outfit, never tempt fate :!:

bicyclerubber

ebay is as good a place as any

get a pack of 5 for about £15 straight to your door

I don't think there is much to choose between the different brands tbh

stevenmh

Steve, sorry to hear about your IT problems. I just bought some inner tubes the other day, and after reading in the other thread that the faulty ones were made in Thailand I thought I would take a look at mine. Ironically the ones I bought are made in Taiwan!

At the LBS they had two brands of inner tube, Kenda and Bontrager (these are 700x18/23c). The Kenda brand was 170 Baht per tube while the Bontragers (not sure where they are made but can check next time) are 240 Baht.

I wanted reliability so asked the guy in the shop which was best, and he just said that they are basically exactly the same, so I ended up with the Kendas. Only time will tell, but these guys are normally very happt to take my money so I was a little surprised they recommended the Kendas as I bought 4 of the things.

I know this does not answer your question but instead of internet purchases which seems like overkill for innertubes you might just want to buy some from a different LBS which might be holding a luckier batch.

Cheers.

redddraggon

I buy conti tubes by the 25rate from Ribble

pottssteve

Thanks for the info/advice,

I went for Conti 700x28/37 from Wiggle.

Steve

White Line

What is it with Kenda tubes though? It seems that they are the default tubes you get when you buy a bike. :?

stevenmh

White Line wrote:

What is it with Kenda tubes though? It seems that they are the default tubes you get when you buy a bike. :?

If they are then they can't be that bad. I had one one bike (MB) go over 6,500kms before the first puncture. But, as is always the case I then had two in that same month.

Do not want to tempt fate, but my road bike - which I now ride much more frequently than the MB - is going very strong too. Hope it stays that way.

top_bhoy

I've never had an issue with Michelin or Continental tubes. It maybe more down to the roads I'm on and a large dolop of good fortune but I wouldn't go past either except in emergencies!!