Stating the obvious ! Tubes

[Gringo]

OK so I'm a smart ass, Two sets of wheels, one has Presta and the other Schrader valves (cos that's what I had at the time) I alway carry a spr tube with a Presta valve, (presta fitting both rims) that's the smart bit.
Anywho, yesterday I stopped to help someone with a flat, he was cursing because his patch glue was dried out in its tube and his spr inner-tube had a short valve stem so it didn't quite reach through his double waled rim. Smugly I got out my spr tube only to find, I also had a short valve stem, no use to him or me for that matter, I also have double walled rims.
In the end I did get him back on the road with a slime patch & using my pump (his didn't work ?)

The moral of the story is.
If you carry spares then make sure they work

Ps there's no such thing as a useless tube, my short stem'd tube is now a collection of very useful rubber bands

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That's a very valid post. I'm totally fed up with pumps not working when it comes to their moment of glory, so I'v chucked them all and got a decent one from Lezyne. It doesn't have a leaking rubber clamp that you can't clamp on. Instead it has a traditional flexible tube that screws on to the valve. The tube is made of ABS so that it doesn't leak at the joints when it gets hot. The really clever bit is that the adapter tube is reversible with a Presta thread one end and a Shraeder the other.

In summary: It fits both types of valve, and even when you use a short valve tube on a deep MTB rim, you can still screw it on. It's a good quality highly reputed product, which is why I got it. I can recommend it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=201093973635

 

[Alan Quay]

Personally, I stick to schraders for all of my bikes, because then I can share my car tyre pump with my bike. The latest ones I bought are continentals from Halfords.

They have a long valve, with a nut to keep it in place, will hapilly inflate a 2.5" tyre, and cost 2.49 . A bargain.

 

[flecc]

Personally, I stick to schraders for all of my bikes,

Ditto, I drill out Presta rims. I think the Schrader valve overall by far the most robust, reliable and easiest to use, and with pumping apparatus universal, they are a no-brainer choice.

 

[RobF]

, (presta fitting both rims)

Putting a presta tube in a rim drilled for schrader is not ideal.

It may work, but there's a greater risk of flex and tear off.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You can get little plastic collars that adapt from one to the other.

 

[Gringo]

Putting a presta tube in a rim drilled for schrader is not ideal.

It may work, but there's a greater risk of flex and tear off.

Rob, I think your missing the point, a presta valve will get you out of a jam if you have a flat in either, but a schrader valve will only fit a schrader rim !

If you had a flat in a schrader tube and you couldn't fix it on the side of the road, would you turn me and my presta away if I offered it ?

 

[stevieb]

as d8veh i also carry a pump that has a flexible hose with an adapter for both types of valve and can screw fit onto short valves that clamp on ones won,t touch.
the pump has served me well for years and is a larger diameter than the normal old fashioned one.
i will admit that higher pressure on roadtyres {120 psi} is hard to achieve but i also carry the small co2 type to get that extra few psi once the ordinary pump has inflated enough that the valve stem can be gripped.
i searched long and hard for this old type pump and was only offered the latest high tech stuff in the shops i tried {also ridiculed for wanting that type}
where did i eventualy track one down?
toys r us.

 

[EddiePJ]

The pump was the one thing that caught me out on the recent Cycle events ride when I had the first of the three pinch flats.
On the BH I carry a Mountain Morph pump with dual fitting, but choose instead to take along for this ride, the smaller version which again had dual head. Stupidly I had only taken the packaging as said, and didn't actually check the pump itself. Sure enough it only had a shrader, the Haibike having Presta. Thankfully someone stopped who did have the correct presta fitting.

I then had a big result, as further along the ride I found a lovely Lezyne pump on the ground that everyone had just been riding past and ignoring. Sure enough it had both fittings and is a lovely 'free' pump.

Sadly the pump was still of no use though when the next two pinch flats happened at the same time when I smacked into a piece of flint that was sticking out from the hard chalk track. I always carry one spare tube, and some scabs, but the tubes were way beyond patching. I did have several kind offers from people to give me tubes, but I didn't accept as I felt that I if they also then ended up later getting a flat, their day would also have been spoilt.

Not cheap, but these are possibly worth considering if the hassle of dropping a wheel out doesn't appeal on a 700c wheel when it's dark and pouring with rain.

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/gaadi-butyl-atb-tube-presta-valve-47-mm-for-622635-x-37-42--700-x-35-40-c/aid:717376

I carry one of these to use on the BH, although I can now get the rear wheel out, tube changed and wheel put back in again in less than 5mins, so in some respects it is a bit of an extravagance to own.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fly-cobra-26-tube/rp-prod90559




.

 

[RobF]

I carry one of the GAADI tubes from Rose.

Never had to use it, but I think their butted end is superior to the Cobra one which I believe overlaps, risking friction punctures inside the tyre.

One thing to remember, carry a sharp blade to slice the old tube to get it out.

Unless you remove the wheel, but that rather defeats the object.

 

[EddiePJ]

Thanks for that handy hint Rob, I hadn't even considered the how to remove the old tube part.

 

[RobF]

B&Q sell small craft knives - basically a short plastic handle with a narrow razor blade moulded into the end.

They are almost flat and light, easy to stash on a bike.

The blade comes with a push on plastic guard.

My guard is taped on after it came off inside the pannier bag and I plunged my hand into the bag with predictable blood-letting results.

 

[berkobennie]

Just a thought, has anyone gone tubeless?

Singletracks forum seem fairly positive: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/how-to-tubeless-mountain-biking-guide/
Personally I wouldn't, but then l used to have tubes in my mini tyres, back in the day when minis ran on 10in rims!

 

[triumph_st]

The Gaadi's are very good. Have used them (28") on a 27,5" rim several times.
When I get home I replace them with 'normal' tube again.
As said you need a knife to slice the flat tube.
On my rear wheel when I run flat I always go for the Gaadi.

 

[stevieb]

what a great idea
i have not seen these type of tubes before .
has anyone ridden with one ?
did it give a smooth ride or are thet realy just a get you home thing?
my son used tubless for racing and they are good when set up .
if you get a small puncture the sealant seals the hole and you may have to reinflate a bit before carrying on.
the problem with them is that when you convert to tubless it can be a bit of a carry on because you need different rim tape and valve .
you pour in the liquid sealant and spin the wheel round to evenly distribute it.
then to inflate you have to use a very quick blast of air initialy to seal the bead of the tyre to the wheel rim.
if you try using a small hand pump then the air simply comes out the gap between tyre bead and rim .
the solution is a quick blast from a co2 pump or a carefull blast from an air line.
it was not uncommon to get the bike out of the garage and find that the air had seeped out during the night leaving a flat with the above inflation issues.
where tubeless excell is during a race when a small hole will seal itself and only requires a quick squirt from a co2 pump and you are on your way in seconds.
if the tyre goes down completely or the hole is too big for the sealant then you have a problem