Latex Tubes

Cee-Jay-Cee

Anyone using these? I've read endless reviews and its 50/50 as to whether they're worth it or not.

They do appear to offer a slightly more confirtable ride but the trade off is having to pump them every day. I check my tyres before each spin but rarely have to pump them up but I don't think I'd be too bothered having to pump them every time I use the bike but what would concern me is that if they can loose anywhere from 10 to 30psi overnight how much would they loose on a 3 or 4 hour spin when there is weight on them?

I think ill buy a set anyway just to try them out but wouldn't mind some real opinions/experiences first.

kumate_champ07

I race on them, wouldnt worry about pumping them up after 4 hours, I only notice a drop in pressure after 3 days. tho it could be down 10+psi in 1 day. some tubes I have will go down to flat while others to 50psi after a month(spare wheels not being used), the rubber material isnt uniform always

latex punctures usually are too bad to repair, they rip/tear easily. they need to be kept away from oil and fingernails too, use talcum powder when fitting them, and a little air in them during fitting

bcmf

Great to ride on but simply not worth the hassle imo.
Pair them up with a set of Veloflex tyres on non carbon rims and they ride beautiful for your once a week or fast spins.
But beyond that ..... Nah

Eamonnator

Are they much better or more comfortable to ride than these?
They are very light.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/continental-race-28-supersonic-tube/rp-prod18914

Idleater

Eamonnator wrote: »

Are they much better or more comfortable to ride than these?
They are very light.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/continental-race-28-supersonic-tube/rp-prod18914

Is that €16 a tube? I think I got 4 latex tubes in a bike24 order for that.

coppinger

I use them on race wheels, they "feel" faster-smoother and
use regular butyl on everyday wheels, so i think they are worth it if you only use them once a week.

Jawgap

I had them for a while - they were noticeably more 'comfortable' - or had a nicer 'feel' - compared to the synthetic ones.

Plus, they sounded kind of kinkaaaay!

In the end I stopped using them simply because I didn't think they were worth the extra cost / hassle. I'd pump my wheels twice a week and I found myself becoming paranoid about whether I was running at proper pressures. At every stop I'd be constantly poking and squeezing the tyre to make sure it was ok.

Koobcam

coppinger wrote: »

I use them on race wheels, they "feel" faster-smoother and
use regular butyl on everyday wheels, so i think they are worth it if you only use them once a week.

Would you not just run tubs for racing? Seems to make more sense if you're going to have a dedicated race—only wheel set.

furiousox

I've 25mm Veloflex Corsas with latex tubes, also have gel pads on the handlebars.
It's like riding on soft fluffy silk pillows....which might explain my lack of pace.

bcmf

furiousox wrote: »

have gel pads on the handlebars.

I presume the gel pads are for your hand injury and not because your a soft basckstard.

furiousox

Was with a physio and he says I have a swollen disc near the top of my neck.
Need a few more sessions and no cycling for two weeks.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I splashed out and bought a set of Zondas and Michelin Pro4 SC's and decided I'd go the whole hog and bought a pair of Vittoria latex tubes too just to see what the hype is about.

mossym

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I splashed out and bought a set of Zondas and Michelin Pro4 SC's and decided I'd go the whole hog and bought a pair of Vittoria latex tubes too just to see what the hype is about.

let us know how you get on, contemplating putting latext tubes on my race wheels for the season

Idleater

mossym wrote: »

let us know how you get on, contemplating putting latext tubes on my race wheels for the season

Like tubulars, but you can fix and cycle home :-)

coppinger

Koobcam wrote: »

Would you not just run tubs for racing? Seems to make more sense if you're going to have a dedicated race—only wheel set.

Had a set of tubs for racing once, they didn't "feel" that much better to justify the inconvenience/learning curve of gluing, if money was no object and I could pay somebody - different story.

doozerie

I like latex tubes a lot. I've actually had very few punctures on my two road bikes with butyl tubes, but over the course of 2 or 3 years now I've had no punctures at all with latex tubes - that's obviously too small a sample size to draw any conclusions of course, but it is encouraging at least.

To my mind they roll well and contribute to good road holding by their flex(perception, purely opinion based), they are comfortable (opinion based too), and are at least no more prone to date to punctures than butyl but I believe are less prone - they certainly claim to be less prone to pinch punctures, and I believe those claims. They are also available at a very good price from www.swimcyclerun.com (and others, but that site is Irish so I prefer to use it when I can), making them even cheaper than higher end butyl tubes.

As for having to be careful when handling latex tubes, I just treat them pretty much like butyl tubes, I don't use talcum powder or gloves when fitting them and I've had no problems whatsoever over the years. The bikes I have them on get used about 3 or 4 times a week and I pump them up each time before hopping on the bike (including pumping them up just before a race) - at that level of effort that's not a problem to me, but my commute bike gets used every day and I'd be reluctant to impose that (minor) level of effort on myself every day, particularly when it's usually a rush to get out the door each morning already so anything that takes extra time each day is not very appealing.

Oh, and I've done 6 hours rides on 25mm latex tubes and never worried for a moment that the tyre pressure was reducing during the ride, that simply is not been an issue at all as far as I am concerned. If I was worried about that I'd also worry about the prospect of ever having to replace a punctured tube mid-ride as no hand pump that I've ever tried will get the newly fitted tube to the (modest) pressure I like to inflate my tyres to - I don't use CO2 either but even the potentially significant reduction in pressure in that scenario is just not something worth worrying about for me. If I was doing a 24+ hour ride with no access to a track pump then I might think twice about using latex tubes for that, but for my circumstances the fact that latex leaks a bit more than butyl is a non-issue.

mossym

furiousox wrote: »

I've 25mm Veloflex Corsas with latex tubes, also have gel pads on the handlebars.
It's like riding on soft fluffy silk pillows....which might explain my lack of pace.

do you run 23mm latex tubes in those or did you source 25mm latex tubes from somewhere?

alanjgalbraith

Google "vittoria latex inner tube 25-28" ... Being using them with Vittoria Corsa SC 25's for the past year & no complaints (1 puncture/7000km) ... Note: Expect the latex tubes to deflate quicker that butyl when inflated with CO2 but fine with air... .. I quite like the need to inflate prior to going on a ride, ans it also ensures you always give your wheels a quick scan for any issues before heading out ....

mossym

i've seen the 25mm tubes alright. it's trying to source them in a long valve to fit deep rim wheels that a problem. can always use valve extenders i guess

kumate_champ07

my 3yr old latex tubes go flat(20psi) after 1 week! I checked them for holes and theyre fine, maybe it happens with age. they used to go down to 60psi after a couple of weeks.

its not much of a problem as I only use them for my track bike

furiousox

mossym wrote: »

do you run 23mm latex tubes in those or did you source 25mm latex tubes from somewhere?

Got 25mm tubes from swimcyclerun.

http://www.swimcyclerun.com/accessories/vittoria-latex-tube.html

Brian?

Koobcam wrote: »

Would you not just run tubs for racing? Seems to make more sense if you're going to have a dedicated race—only wheel set.

+1 for tubs. I was lucky enough to have a lend of carbon tubs last year and I loved them.

Statler

If i typed a longer reply I'd just be repeating what doozerie said above. Would only add that I had a couple of static blowouts with Vittoria latex tubes and the Conti supersonic tubes, use Michelin latex now and touch wood (and with a nod to the puncture Gods) I find them brilliant.