Reliable tubes? Bogus reviews? [ama zon]
 

Hi! I am trying to order a few more 700c 18-23 tubes. So, I go look at ama zon. So, I go look at reviews.
Cheez-Whiz! Don't any of these tubes have consistently good reviews? It is scary and discouraging to read negative reviews So many people for so many tubes claim they had pinholes immediately or quickly at the valve area, or otherwise had flaws.

Is this reflecting reality? Is one band placing fake reviews on all the other brands? Is this people who don't know how to replace a tube? Any thoughts?

Tubes are hit or miss. Even top brands can sell faulty tubes. I "generally" have had good and fairly consistent results with Michelin and Continental tubes though. They do cost more but seem to hold up well. As far as tube failure (not a common puncture flat), most failures I think are user-induced during installation.

My favorite, but their quality is all over the place, are Challenge latex tubes. Coupled with Challenge "Open tubular" tires, they provide an incredible ride. But darn, their tube quality is frustrating... If I can't get a good Challenge tube, I use a Michelin or a Continental.


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Bike stores almost universally use the cheapest bulk-order tubes and do hundreds of flat repairs per year, with few or no tube failures. In other words, yes, most tube failures are from user error.

I've done 1700 miles since April with inner tunes bought from ebay. All branded Contis, Schwalbe and Michelin. No issues with them at all. Had two punctures with stone chips but was due to a well worn tyre that had seen better days...Just trying to eek out a few more miles from it before I replaced it. I never read the reviews on them. It's surprising how many people with bicycle can't fit an inner tube...

I used to buy whatever tubes were on sale. It was hit or miss. I now only use Michelin A1 Airstop butyl tubes. I have used them for years.

John

Of all the hundreds of tubes I’ve helped people change at the bike co-op, I saw maybe one that was defective out of the box. These were cheap QBP “Q Tubes.”

More than a few instances of people accidentally puncturing it on installation, though.

I have standardized on Continental tubes, they have been of consistent high quality, plus they have those snazzy orange valve caps.

I've only had one bad tube in 5 decades of riding. I generally buy the cheapest I can find. New tubes that are "faulty" upon installation are generally the result of either sloppy mounting, existing problem with the rim, or failure to seat the tire bead properly.

You'll do much better getting advice on products on this forum than from online retailers. It's said that a person who doesn't like a product will tell 10 people (don't remember where I heard this), while someone satisfied with a products doesn't bother telling anyone. I know if I need an opinion on a product, I'd either come to this forum, or ask some local riders or workers I'm familiar with in some of the LBS's. Just feel like I'd be able to trust the opinion more than if found from an online retailer.

I stopped purchasing, no name or store brand tubes, too many problems. Now I use Schwalbe tubes. They cost more but I have yet to get a bad one. With tubes in my city in short supply I have been patching more than I would like on each tube.

I buy locally not online.. yea why not go with EU Brands? Continental Schwalbe Michelin ...

Since i started using Conti (continental) tubes i have had way fewer problems for the price of a tube vs the hassle of flats buying cheap is no a good value IME

Local shop buys a lot of stock from J&B imports.. , they use the Sunlite brand , so not no-name.. sunlite.bike..

Kew Gardens may have a few rubber trees, but not a commercial forest worth.. kind of a tropical plant..

Over the ~16 years I spent working in bike shops, I think I may have seen one 'defective' tube. I have seen many cheap tubes fail due to rough handling during installation or inflation, and many fail due to not properly locating the cause of the puncture.

I have more recently noticed, however, that some of the cheap tubes branded by their distributors (MEC tubes in Canada, for instance) are of low enough quality that makes all other causes of punctures more likely.

As others have said, the name brand tubes like Conti and Michelin are generally very good. I have had good luck with Specialized tubes, ironically, because I have seen many defective Specialized tires.

…. also, if a tube is known to be good (non-defective), and you get a puncture from road debris or a damaged rim tape, properly patching the puncture with a glue-and-patch patch kit (not 'glueless' or 'instant' patches, which are good for emergencies only imo) leaves you with the same known good tube.

I rarely see defective tubes but then again I don't use no-name tubes and neither does any of the shops I have worked for.

However for personal use I prefer to use Continental tubes, sure they cost a few extra bucks but the rarity which I go through them is worth it.

+1. Smooth valve stems made of brass. And they come in a perfect (for me) 52mm length.

i wish more would offer smooth valve stems. I’m partial to Michelins and Kendas, because of smooth valve stems.

I was looking on Amazon the other day for tubes and was thinking the same thing. None of them get steller ratings, no matter the brand or price. I ended up going to REI and got a couple of tubes, cheaper them Amazon, and nice people to talk to. got three spokes also, not the package of 36 that Amazon sells. What I find annoying also is the product reviews that are not for what the item is. They are reviewing something different, sometimes completely different, other times just a different variation.

Excellent advice, I've used patched "good" tubes for decades. The primary reason though was because they had short valve stems. The currently available long stem tubes look wacky on my vintage rims. In any case, if you use quality patches (like Rema TipTop) and apply them correctly, the tube is as good as new.

I actually had a defective tube the other day. Bought the bike a year ago, changed out a flat and the pinhole was on the rim side right in the middle of a freckle sized thin spot in the rubber. kenda tube I believe.

I like my conti tubes as well but sometimes wonder why I buy them instead of something cheaper. Never had one with a fancy orange cap that I can recall.

Schwalbe tubes have always worked pretty well for me. The quality has been pretty consistent over the years.....at least in my experience

Another Continental man

On a site like Amazon a lot of bad tube reviews are probably because people suck at doing flat changes and/or are bad at understanding probability. It's easy to blow a tube by not seating the bead of the tire correctly, and it's easy for a tube to puncture when you've left something sharp protruding through the tire, or if the rim tape is installed incorrectly, etc. Tubes are mostly unrelated to flat resistance, and people have a hard time understanding that your probability of a flat is even for every mile ridden--there's no reason you can't get a puncture in the first mile, and it has nothing to do with the quality of your tubes.

Working as a mechanic I've almost never seen faulty new tubes from brands that would be for sale through distributors to bike shops. Perhaps avoid the no-name brands you've never heard of? They're likely to be fine, but if there are bad tubes out there that's where they'd be.

I personally tend to buy whatever major brand tubes are on the lighter side and less expensive given that. For rarely-needed spare tubes, I've recently been carrying Turbolito tubes. Super friggin' expensive, but it's nice having something stupid light and compact to throw in the pocket or tape to my MTB.

Freckled-sized thin spot in an older tube on rim side, with pinhole puncture: not likely a defective tube. I'd look at/replace the rim strip.