Latex tubes

snedden9485

Does anyone use this in race clincher wheels? I have some dura ace 7850 C24s that i will be running continental GP4000S tyres on and im wondering if latex tubes are the go. I have some michelen latex tubes ready to put in, just want to make sure how they are for punctures etc. I have heard the rolling resistance is alot lower? Is this true?

jordan_217

I'm not sure about the rolling resistance. Apparently latex tubes are more porous than latex ones so require more checking/topping up with the pump.

Conti make some 'race' specific tubes (latex) which weigh less and do provide less rolling resistance. I'm sure other manufacturers will offer the same.

James_London

Latex tubes ride better than butyl tubes and, paired with a high quality tyre, have slightly lower rolling resistance. Since GP4000S are a fairly low threadcount - something like 60-120 TPI IIRC - (ie not very supple), the difference will be less noticeable than with a more supple tyre.

On the downside, latex tubes need to be pumped daily, sometimes puncture round the valve hole from the higher frequency pumping, are slightly harder to repair if you are so inclined and can puncture fairly dramatically when they do puncture.

For racing with Vittoria Open Corsa CX 320tpi or a Veloflex tyre it may be worthwhile but with GP4000S (which ride like garden hoses anyway) the improvement is going to be less significant. That said, if you have the tubes already, go for it. It's a cheap experiment. The Michelin latex tubes are pretty decent IME.

snedden9485

Ok thanks for the reply. Still unsure what tyres to run. Was thinkning GP4000S or Pro Race3. I am unsure of open corse evo CX, as iv been told they puncture easily. I have heard great reports re rolling resistance and speed though. They are race only tyres.

maddog 2

yep, I'd agree they are more supple and they do need topping up, which is a minor hassle but not enough to stop using them IMO.

Can't really comment on punctures, as I've never had one with latex, but they are 'supposed' to be better than butyl.

I'm saying all this but I've gone tubeless now and won't be going back to tubes.

daviesee

snedden9485 wrote:

Ok thanks for the reply. Still unsure what tyres to run. Was thinkning GP4000S or Pro Race3. I am unsure of open corse evo CX, as iv been told they puncture easily. I have heard great reports re rolling resistance and speed though. They are race only tyres.

Consider the open Pave.
Good enough for the Paris Roubaix, good enough for me
Only one spot of bother, on the first outing (well it would be , wouldn't it) I was stupid enough to go off road to a health cafe for a pitstop and picked up a sharks tooth piece of flint I think it would have went through most road tyres.
Hundreds of happy, comfortable, fast miles since :P

James_London

snedden9485 wrote:

Ok thanks for the reply. Still unsure what tyres to run. Was thinkning GP4000S or Pro Race3. I am unsure of open corse evo CX, as iv been told they puncture easily. I have heard great reports re rolling resistance and speed though. They are race only tyres.

You'll be fine on any of the above, but I'd vote for 320TPI CXs.

The old (290TPI) Corsa CXs were rather p******* prone and had a bad reputation for it. The new 320TPI version is more comfortable but also has significantly better p******* protection (Vittoria's 'PRB2.0'). A good option if you're going into the Australian summer. I ride them for training so for race only they should be perfect.

Agree too that Vittoria Pave CGs in 24mm are the best winter/wet/Pave option - wider, better grip and slightly more protection though quite weighty. I've ridden them for two winters (including training and racing in the snow) and lost traction once. Love 'em!

dennisn

snedden9485 wrote:

Does anyone use this in race clincher wheels? I have some dura ace 7850 C24s that i will be running continental GP4000S tyres on and im wondering if latex tubes are the go. I have some michelen latex tubes ready to put in, just want to make sure how they are for punctures etc. I have heard the rolling resistance is alot lower? Is this true?

I think you're grasping at straws if you are looking for some big performance gain. i.e.
your statement about A LOT LOWER rolling resistance. Not gonna happen. It won't hurt and they work fine but don't expect miracles. It's only a tube for a tire.

canamdad

I've been using latex tubes for about 10 years now in my "good wheels"- Michelins and whatever they were called before Michelin bought them. I always check my inflation pressures before I ride even on my bikes with butyl inner tubes so it's no hassle for me to air up the latex ones. I do use different color valve caps so I don't forget what kind of tube I've got in there! With a good race tire, the latex tubes are a nice combination and I just like the way they ride. I don't recommend them because people usually have some sort of outsized expectation for what they'll do for them. I just enjoy the way the tire sounds and feels on the tarmac. Since the OP already has them, give them a try and see how you like them.