Are these genuine Continental tubes???
I bought a pack of 4 Continental tubes on Amazon. I'm wondering... I thought Conti tubes were made in Germany? See attached pics. Do these look legit? They just came in a clear plastic bag, no box...https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...48253f8e66.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f22f812530.jpg |
I just came across an old tube of mine. Continental, made in Taiwan. The days of making anything other than perhaps the finest line of tubulars in Europe are long gone. (But at least, Continental has now gone "continental". My Continental tube was made on an island. :foo:
Ben |
Every Conti tube I ever bought came with a yellow valve cap.
|
Those fonts look identical to a couple of old CST tubes I have -- same use of serif and sans serif, italics, etc. But with the CST logo rather than Continental. And these tubes have shorter brass colored stems. Maybe Continental licenses another manufacturer to make some tubes.
I just opened a box for a Continental Race Light tube. Totally different fonts and logo. Made in Taiwan. Black cap on the valve stem. I have several Continental tires. Country manufacturers range from Germany to Indonesia to Taiwan to China. Conti seems to still make their top shelf tires in Germany. |
Ok, I bought a bunch of Conti tubes from Merlin 6 months ago. Black Butyl Rubber.
Cross 28, (25/35) boxed, "Made in China" printed on box and tubes. White lettering. Black cap. Stepped nut. Race 28, (18/25) bagged, "Made in China" printed on tubes. White lettering. Black Cap. Stepped nut. I thought I had a couple of Conti tubes of unknown age/providence with yellow lettering, and a bit more texture to the tubes. I'll see if I can find one. |
Apart from the cap (which is probably from the seller buying in bulk/OEM rather than boxed retail packaging), why do you think they are not the real thing?
Would go back and look at the Amazon description, as they will probably be described as loose, for the being made in, almost everything is made in CN/nearer the supply of rubber. If you don't want them, send them back, and go to a LBS and buy retail boxed ones for more. |
I have some Race 28 that look just like that. Boxed, bought from the LBS, with black caps. They look legit to me!
|
Continental is headquartered in Germany. Doesn't mean they make their stuff in Germany.
|
Thanks for the posts, y'all--very helpful!
Originally Posted by canklecat
(Post 20978029)
Those fonts look identical to a couple of old CST tubes I have -- same use of serif and sans serif, italics, etc. But with the CST logo rather than Continental. And these tubes have shorter brass colored stems. Maybe Continental licenses another manufacturer to make some tubes. I just opened a box for a Continental Race Light tube. Totally different fonts and logo. Made in Taiwan. Black cap on the valve stem. I have several Continental tires. Country manufacturers range from Germany to Indonesia to Taiwan to China. Conti seems to still make their top shelf tires in Germany.
Originally Posted by ChinookTx
(Post 20978118)
I have some Race 28 that look just like that. Boxed, bought from the LBS, with black caps. They look legit to me!
Originally Posted by CliffordK
(Post 20978095)
Ok, I bought a bunch of Conti tubes from Merlin 6 months ago. Black Butyl Rubber.
CliffordK and jimc101 both mentioned tubes that were in bags rather than boxes, I guess this is normal practice, that Conti sells in bulk to dealers rather than boxing them all first. All in all, I feel a LOT more confident that these tubes are genuine. My main concern was that they were made in China, and bagged, not boxed. But, apparently, both of those are not a problem--Conti has contracted the mfr to multiple factories all over Asia and Conti sells them in bulk to dealers. And, finally, ChinookTx compared them to boxed tubes purchased at a LBS and found them identical. So, thanks again to everyone who posted. I love this website!:cheers: |
Rubber trees don't grow well in the northern climates , they are tropical plants..
|
Originally Posted by dglevy
(Post 20978332)
What's a 'stepped nut'? Is that the sort of nut that I showed in my photo? I looked at some pictures of 'stepped nut' online, and it looks like that would be a nut that has two or more different diameters to it (i.e. not just a simple cylinder, in this case). If that's what a stepped nut is, then my tubes have stepped nuts. Thanks for the info :).
But, in general, it doesn't do much. As far as tires, I think the tan sidewall cross-hatch tires (gators, gator hardshell, 4S, 4000, etc) tires are all made in Europe. However, the black sidewall tires such as the Continental Sport tires are Asian imports. I still have to find a Continental Tube with yellow writing, and a little rougher surface, but I'd guess those would be European made, but may well be discontinued. I can understand your dismay, expecting a European manufactured product, and receiving something that may well be made in the same factory as Kenda, and every other brand tube. I wonder what they sell in Germany. |
Schwalbe has them too .... centers the stem in a schrader sized rim hole...
|
So what if it is made in the same factory? Even here in the USA there are factories that make products for other completely separate companies to sell under their own name. The factory doing so frequently makes the products to the individual specification of each different company. So they really can't be considered the same products just because they came from the same source. Quality is maintained or not maintained by the specifications made by the company that is contracting with the actual factory making the product.
|
My favorite tubes are made in... Indonesia. I don't care where the factory is, or if the workers look like me. I'll happily pay for good tubes. :thumb:
|
Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 20978487)
Rubber trees don't grow well in the northern climates , they are tropical plants..
|
Originally Posted by CliffordK
(Post 20978622)
I think that little step to the nut is specific to Continental. My interpretation is that if you have a rim drilled for Schrader, you can turn the small diameter part of the nut towards the rim to help fill the oversized valve hole. But, in general, it doesn't do much.
As far as tires, I think the tan sidewall cross-hatch tires (gators, gator hardshell, 4S, 4000, etc) tires are all made in Europe. However, the black sidewall tires such as the Continental Sport tires are Asian imports. I still have to find a Continental Tube with yellow writing, and a little rougher surface, but I'd guess those would be European made, but may well be discontinued. I can understand your dismay, expecting a European manufactured product, and receiving something that may well be made in the same factory as Kenda, and every other brand tube. I wonder what they sell in Germany.
Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 20978804)
Schwalbe has them too .... centers the stem in a schrader sized rim hole...
I'm not actually dismayed about the factories being Asia, I was just concerned about counterfeiting. I bought some 'Eveready' button batteries on Amazon and it turned out they weren't fresh retail batteries and probably weren't Eveready either. (One of the many reasons I call the company Scamazon...) I always wondered why some of those nuts are stepped and some aren't. Now I know why, thanks. (I had that situation with my commuter bike, didn't know I could just used a stepped nut, bought some small aluminum spacers to adapt schrader rims to presta tubes instead--they worked fine.) |
I thought that the Conti tubes came with the removable Presta valve.
|
maybe if you specify your dealer order them.. thru regular distribution
Thus, not so prone to faux sources, as thru Amazon .. as you say.. ... |
Originally Posted by dglevy
(Post 20978332)
...Interesting that CST is using identical lettering. It may well be that Conti has contracted out some of the mfr to CST. Do the CSTs have removable valve cores, like the Contis?...
|
Originally Posted by davidad
(Post 20983136)
I thought that the Conti tubes came with the removable presta valve.
Originally Posted by canklecat
(Post 20984862)
Nope, at least not the CST tubes I have. The core is not removable. At least it's not designed for a core removal tool. It might be possible to remove the core using pliers, or to file the threads flat to accommodate a core tool. I might try that on an old CST tube that's been patched too many times. (I tend to reuse tubes until they have about half a dozen patches.)
*I remember very clearly b/c I didn't know about removable cores at the time and thought I had gotten a flat when, in fact, the core had merely become slightly unscrewed--which I only figured out after removing the tube from the tire and putting it under water to find the 'puncture':notamused:... |
Yeah, I had a persistent leak in a new Schrader tube that turned out to be due to a loose valve core. Now I check 'em first before using. One of my mini-pumps includes a Presta valve core tool.
Supposedly screw-on air pump chucks can loosen valve cores, but so far I haven't had that problem. |
Originally Posted by Iride01
(Post 20978301)
Continental is headquartered in Germany. Doesn't mean they make their stuff in Germany.
|
Yes, I am a genius
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:44 PM. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.