dompclarke

Hi
Need an inner tube for a 45c tyre and have found two options from swalbe, one for 28-45c tyres and one for 40-62c.
Which would be the better choice? Assuming the 40-62c as it's in the middle of the range rather than the extreme...

Thanks

Dom

andrewclaus

I'd go smaller.

fietsbob

I like Thorn Resistant tubes .. they're heavier though.. light tubes bring a patch kit and spare tubes..

robow

as likely would I

FBinNY 

As usual, my contrarian self would go in the opposite direction, using the fattest tube that fits.

There's a small weight penalty, but the bleed rate will be lower owing to the thicker walls. Also, if you have narrow rims, the tube often doesn't equalize well as you inflate, and the narrow section spanning the gap between the beads stretches as it blows down into the gap below the beads. If it's already stretched to near the limit, that added stretch can cause issues.

But, it's your bike, and your call, and odds are it won't make much difference in most cases.

dompclarke

Thanks, that's convinced me!
Partly because it's a good explanation of why, partly the only one that's actually explained why...

robert schlatte

I would go with the narrower. With the wider, you will have more tube to shove into the tire, making it more difficult to seat the tire properly and increasing the chance that you will get a bit stuck under the bead leading to a quick flat when you pump it up.

staehpj1

I always go on the small side even preferring to go a little smaller than the listed range and prefer lightweight tubes over heavy duty ones or worse yet thornproof ones. There is a not insignificant weight advantage, they are easier to mount without pinching, and the ride is slightly better. Yes they need to be topped off more often, but I consider it a small price to pay for the other advantages.

BTW, the weight difference can be more than you might think given that there are two tubes installed and most folks carry two spare tubes.

djb

or you can look at other brands in other bike stores and see what tube size ranges are available, there may be ones that are in the middle range. Ive never used schwalbe tubes, but regular old standard what you find in bike stores/reasonably priced ones.
Over the years, Ive used slightly smaller, lighter, much smaller packaged ones sometimes (as mentioned, lighter and less space when carrying two on a trip), have also used ones in the middle, and a few times used the slightly larger size.
It is reasonable to say about the larger sizes that there will be more extra tube that you will have to be careful not to pinch between the tire, or with the levers, but really, you just have to be observant.

honestly, when I look back at 30 years of riding and touring sometimes, it doesnt seem to matter what tubes I use, I still usually only get about a flat per year average, and the vast majority of my riding is in the city.

dompclarke

How you're all making me think!

I'll have a ponder and see what button I click when I order, seems either would do and personal preference would lead one way or the other....

djb

re thickness of tubes when inflated etc, I just checked some spare tubes I have for one of my bikes, the tubes are marked 1.9-2.125 inches, or 48-54mm. My tires are 2 in slicks (50mm) that actually measure out to 45mm on my rims. On a trip this year, I wacked a pothole on a downhill that put a slight dent in my rim, but I didnt even get a pinch flat.
Yes, the tire in question was probably at 50psi tops, maybe 45psi, a proper pressure for these tires and my body and load weight, but this can show you that even with a tube that is very close in official size range, it can work properly. These tubes were I think Kenda run of the mill not expensive mountain bike type tubes, 26x 1.9-2.125. Probably cost at half of higher quality ones.

in the end, my experience shows that unless you buy total cheapo, made in wherever tubes in a corner store in Laos or Cuba that have been sitting there for years with dust on them, its going to work out fine....

dont forget, you can buy the fanciest tubes available, but if you are a bull in a china shop with your tire irons, you can do damage no matter the tube.

jefnvk

My preference is whatever is cheapest that has my tire in the size range.

Assuming theyre both the same price, I generally side with @FBinNY, go with the bigger.

FBinNY 

Now you've gone and spoiled it. I was all alone in my contrarian thinking, until you came along.

GamblerGORD53

I would get the bigger one, it starts at 40c so I doubt it is 42+ actual. They are supposed to be very stretchy, but still almost double 28 - 45 is rather much.

This year I had no other choice for new 584 rims, Schwalbe AV 12 size. Fits all the 26er sizes, 559 to 597. Most of the other brands are going to stupidly short stems. The last 7 years I really liked the Giant brand with 44/ 48mm stems for my 700c wheels. I would never buy cheap rubber anything.

djb

this summer, I stopped to help a lady with a flat. Her bike didnt have quick release but I figured Id try and remove the tube from the side anyway to see if there was an obvious hole somewhre I could patch. Lo and behold, the tube had a long section of it where it had folded back double onto itself, like there was two tubes for a good six inches, double decker bus style. Had never seen that before, but pumped some air into it still outside the tire, and it held fairly well, so I stuffed it back in there like trying to help fix some poor bastard in Game of Thrones who had been gutted, folding back onto itself and she was able to ride away, at a low pressure.

I figure the tube was probably too big to begin with, and then she did say that she never puts air in her tires, so at low pressures, the tube was getting pulled around onto itself by the floppiness of everything, and over time it had stretched the beejesus out of it--but it still held air sort of, and the folded over part actually worked (sort of).

fascinating eh?

BigAura

For touring I go bigger because I don't want to be pumping my tires all the time. Smaller lighter tubes require more frequent inflation.

alan s 

Smaller. Weighs less, easier to install, less likely to get caught between the bead and rim. May lose air faster than a larger tube, but I check pressure before every ride, so no big deal. An extra stroke on the pump, perhaps.

J.Higgins 

I am behind your thinking 100%. The biggest thickest tubes are generally the most-durable. one of these days we'll move on from butyl to nitrile tubes and all will be well in the world.

Western Flyer 

I’ve toured with Schwalbe SV18 28-45 extra light tube pretty much exclusively for years in tires ranging from 28mm to 44mm. They are top tier inner tubes. Hold air exceedingly well and patch well. If you want something a little heavier look at the Continental Tour All tubes, 32-47. They’re about 30% heavier but are seamless making patching very easy. They are also much cheaper than the SV18s. They are the tubes I toured with before switching to the lighter SV18s.

robert schlatte

Flip a coin.

crackedmask

I'd go lighter. I've ran 28c tubes in a 35c wheel because I couldn't find a proper size tube while on tour and never had troubles with it. It may have lost air quicker, but I'm not sure because I check tire pressure daily as part of my routine morning pre-trip inspection. Now I always intentionally undersize my tubes. between three or four tubes (2 in the wheels + spares) the weight savings add up, lighter tubes supposedly decrease rolling resistance, and the spares take up less space in your bags.

The way I see it, There's no point in getting a beefy innertube because if a piece of debris can puncture the rubber and anti-flat layer of a touring/commuting tire, then an innertube stands no chance.

shipwreck

On some of my first tours I was in the same boat, wondering what size tubes would be optimal. In my innocence I hit on a clever plan. Since I intuited what FBNY was saying about tube size it made sense to start with the larger tubes installed, and smaller tubes as spares, since they took up fractionally less room in the bag. But then after the first flat, changing tubes on the side of the road and patching at night, there was no way I was going to swap it back in just because that was the "system". Instead I did what I should have known was going to happen, and completely lose track of what tube was where.

Nowadays I generally run a smaller size, but really don't care. There was a time that all I could find was a cheap Bell 19-23mm tube, and it ended up in my 35mm rear tire and stayed there for the next year or so, when the tire was replaced from wear.

The only real difference is I find a smaller size installs slightly easier, as its less likely to pop out between the tire and rim during the last few inches of install.

Timequake

Doesn't matter. Buy the cheapest one and be done with it.

jefnvk

Nah, you were simply alone in having voiced it