Recommendations for a strong tyre tube?

Trotter

Having just had the fun of walking a few miles home with my first puncture, I'm just wondering if anyone could recommend tyre tubes that are available on the net that they've found to be good (and puncture resistant!).

They're for a Giant hybrid, and the size is 700x26c

Thanks!

kona

no such thing as a punture resistant tube;)

no doubt you have heard of slime.
the strips are the best as they are lighter, and less messy than the slime filled tubes.
the strips just line the inside of the tyre.

im not sure for hybrids and racers, but i know tubes for downhill bikes are very thick, well,compared to regular tubes.
maybe they make thicker tubes for racers, its usually the big brands that do them such as michelin,nokian, continental never seen budget tubes thick.

what side was the puncture on as a matter of interest??valve side??
if it was the valve side youve a rim problem.
if it was the other side make sure that you check the tyre for the culprit.

Trotter

kona wrote: »

what side was the puncture on as a matter of interest??valve side??
if it was the valve side youve a rim problem.
if it was the other side make sure that you check the tyre for the culprit.

It was on the tyre side. Almost like a 2mm tear than a hole. I checked the tyre but there wasnt anything in it.

In terms of good brands for tyre tubes, are there any recommendations or is it a case of.. a tube is a tube!

Danbo!

generally a tube is a tube and its the tyre theyre wrapped in that counts. I got continental ultra gatorskinz tyres about 2 months ago because everyone here was raving about them.

fitted them on a sunday, got a puncture monday. then nothing for 2 months. last thursday i was cycling the usual route to work and didnt see a pothole/gouge-out of the road that wasnt there the day before. bang, bang, front and back tubes exploded, even with 110psi. (and it wasnt exactly glorius weather for walking the further 4 miles to work). I know this was my own fault and not the tyres, but I would have said last week to carry a spare tube and minipump and tyre levers, make that 2/3 spare tubes..

btw, im not putting down the gatorskinz, ive run over all bits of glass and crap on the road and theyve stood up to it, but sometimes its just bad luck. If you do decide to get puncture resistant tyres, remember they dont resist glass but rather have a strong thick rolling surface that can become peppered with glass that will eventually work their way in through the tyre, so remember to check them once a week or so for pieces of glass lodged in the tyre.

blorg

As noblestee says, you need to change the tyre, not the tube. I would suggest Specialized Armadillos, well over 10k here without a puncture.

Trotter

blorg wrote: »

As noblestee says, you need to change the tyre, not the tube. I would suggest Specialized Armadillos, well over 10k here without a puncture.

Sorry for such a newbie question but the size on my existing tyre is 700x26c.
I'm having trouble finding Specialized Armadillos in that size. Would someone be able to send me a link if you know ones that will fit?

Thanks!

rob1891

I got some from wiggle.co.uk, but you have to pay shipping. Cycleways do Specialized in Dublin, they should be able to get them, they were marginally more expensive when I bought mine, might be worse now due to the exchange rates.

niceonetom

Trotter wrote: »

Sorry for such a newbie question but the size on my existing tyre is 700x26c.
I'm having trouble finding Specialized Armadillos in that size. Would someone be able to send me a link if you know ones that will fit?

Thanks!

700 is the wheel size and 26mm is the tire width. your wheels will take any 700c tire, and you can choose whatever width you like up to the limit set by your frame. i don't know what bike you have but almost all bikes will take at least 28mm (except high end racers/timetrialers and track bikes) or probably more.

26mm is an unusual size that most manufacturers don't make but you can use anything from super skinny 18mm (not recommended for the real world) up to whatever will fit between your chainstays. armadillos come in 23, 25, 28 and bigger i think. they're very puncture resistant and very hard wearing but personally i find them a bit hard and not as good in the wet as others. it's always going to a compromise between speed, comfort and grip on the one hand and longevity and puncture protection on the other. the narrower the tire the higher the psi and the less rolling resistance BUT less rubber on the tarmac, so less ultimate grip.

i used to use armadillos but have been using gatorskinz (23mm) for the last year or so. for me they're a better compromise, and i'm prepared to accept the odd puncture in exchange for increased confidence in the bends (i still fall off now and again though ).

Trotter

niceonetom wrote: »

700 is the wheel size and 26mm is the tire width. your wheels will take any 700c tire, and you can choose whatever width you like up to the limit set by your frame. i don't know what bike you have but almost all bikes will take at least 28mm (except high end racers/timetrialers and track bikes) or probably more.

26mm is an unusual size that most manufacturers don't make but you can use anything from super skinny 18mm (not recommended for the real world) up to whatever will fit between your chainstays. armadillos come in 23, 25, 28 and bigger i think. they're very puncture resistant and very hard wearing but personally i find them a bit hard and not as good in the wet as others. it's always going to a compromise between speed, comfort and grip on the one hand and longevity and puncture protection on the other. the narrower the tire the higher the psi and the less rolling resistance BUT less rubber on the tarmac, so less ultimate grip.

i used to use armadillos but have been using gatorskinz (23mm) for the last year or so. for me they're a better compromise, and i'm prepared to accept the odd puncture in exchange for increased confidence in the bends (i still fall off now and again though ).

Im with you now.. So I could use a 28mm tyre. I'll get looking into it so!

penexpers

I would share niceonetoms views about the Armadillos not having great grip in the wet. I never really felt secure on them in the wet.

EDIT: Oh they are 60 euro a pair in Cycleways.

Trotter

So what would you recommend for decent puncture protection and good grip? Its a Giant hybrid.

penexpers

From reading the forums, I think Gatorskinz would work best. I have a pair of them myself for my new bike, yet to try them out.

blorg

Armadillos used to come in 26 (indeed that was what came on my own bike) but now it is a choice between 25 and 28 (I replaced with 25s.)

If you are used to 26s I would go 25 rather than 28.

It is true they can be a bit slippy in the wet though nothing crazy. I've only come off once due to that IIRC ;-) EDIT: OK, Twice.

Trotter

Make that 3 punctures in 2 spins. Just had to ring my father to come and collect me.

I'm getting a tiny bit sick of this!!

The back tyre went this time. Im gonna have some craic getting the wheel and chain back on right.. Im a newbie to this.

penexpers

Sounds like you're doing something wrong. Are sure the tires are pumped up to their recommended psi? Are the roads you're using particularly bad? Getting the wheel and chain back on should be no bother.

niceonetom

penexpers wrote: »

Sounds like you're doing something wrong. Are sure the tires are pumped up to their recommended psi?

my thoughts exactly. do you have a pump with a pressure gauge on it?

milod

Use these:

http://www.weldtite.co.uk/detail.asp?ProductID=353&navID=1

with Specialized Armadillo tyres and you will never have to wheel your bike home...

Trotter

niceonetom wrote: »

my thoughts exactly. do you have a pump with a pressure gauge on it?

I do, and I had them both pumped to around 100psi. Recommended psi on the tyre says 90 - 110 psi.

Fingers crossed this is the last of it. I've patched them both (well, my grandad did.. he worked for 40 years making articulated lorry tyres and reckons he has them both as good as new now).

I'll have a couple of new tubes on standby just in case.

Trotter

milod wrote: »

Use these:

http://www.weldtite.co.uk/detail.asp?ProductID=353&navID=1

with Specialized Armadillo tyres and you will never have to wheel your bike home...

Unfortunately they dont seem to have my size. I need a presta 700x26c. They only have 700 x 18-23 c Presta and 700 x 28-35 c Presta.

TinyExplosions

Trotter wrote: »

Unfortunately they dont seem to have my size. I need a presta 700x26c. They only have 700 x 18-23 c Presta and 700 x 28-35 c Presta.

You could use the 700 x 18-23 c with your tyres with no problem at all... the valve type is irrelevant really

Trotter

TinyExplosions wrote: »

You could use the 700 x 18-23 c with your tyres with no problem at all... the valve type is irrelevant really

Great.. thanks for that info.

TinyExplosions

You may also want to pop into Cyclelogical on the quays -they have a seat pack repair and inflation kit available for 30 quid -contains a microflate CO2 inflator, 2 cartridges, puncture repair kit and tyre levers, all in a saddle bag... would be prefect for commuting, allowing you to repair and quickly inflate your tyre, getting you home...

Trotter

TinyExplosions wrote: »

You may also want to pop into Cyclelogical on the quays -they have a seat pack repair and inflation kit available for 30 quid -contains a microflate CO2 inflator, 2 cartridges, puncture repair kit and tyre levers, all in a saddle bag... would be prefect for commuting, allowing you to repair and quickly inflate your tyre, getting you home...

I'm in the sunny south east so Dublin is a fair treck away but I do know the kit you're talking about. I may well invest!

TinyExplosions

Trotter wrote: »

I'm in the sunny south east so Dublin is a fair treck away but I do know the kit you're talking about. I may well invest!

My bad! I should have read that

Gavin

Might have been pointed out already, but if you are getting regular punctures, check out the inside of your wheel for any detritus that might be causing trouble.

blorg

I wouldn't bother getting sludge-filled tubes if you are getting Armadillos (or similar Kevlar tyres) - you honestly won't need them.

Trotter

blorg wrote: »

I wouldn't bother getting sludge-filled tubes if you are getting Armadillos (or similar Kevlar tyres) - you honestly won't need them.

Are the Armadillos that dangerous in the wet though?

doozerie

A couple of things to bear in mind if you are buying new tubes and tyres:

- Presta valves are thinner than Schraedar valves. If your rim is drilled to take a Schraeder valve then you can use either type, but if your rim is drilled for a Presta valve then a Schraeder valve probably won't fit.

- When sizing the width of your tyres, take into account mudguards if you have then. Your frame may be able to take a 28mm tyre, for example, but your mudguards might not.

blorg

Trotter wrote: »

Are the Armadillos that dangerous in the wet though?

No, I don't think so, but if you are worried get one of the other suggestions above that are said to have better grip. A good Kevlar tyre should last a long time between punctures.

With the size of tyre you are considering you will be getting Presta valves. You can get an adapter for €1.50 or so that conerts to Schrader which is useful for pumps in petrol stations.

I would always carry a spare tube and levers in a saddlebag in any case for the outlying risk, it's not a large thing and you can just leave it there.

Point about mudguards is a good one but I would be surprised if you couldn't go to 28 on a hybrid. It does depend on what mudguards you chose of course.

Raam

milod wrote: »

Use these:
http://www.weldtite.co.uk/detail.asp?ProductID=353&navID=1

Are these things any good?

blorg

Sludge and slime, etc. seem more popular in the MTB world.

Chainreaction sell them in MTB sizes and have generally positive reviews:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=7958

Borderfox

When I cycled seriously I used to buy about 30-40 tubes at once and throw them up in the attic and leave them there for about 6 months and touch wood never had a puncture on any of those...holy water too helps