clones2

Im having a bad time with tubes this year and want some suggestions on more reliable lightweight butyl or any latex tubes. Ive had issues with my butyls leaking at the valve... and after a couple weeks, some of my latex tubes wont hold air for longer than a couple hours...cant find a leak on those when I test to see where they fail. Have not had one pinch flat...

Tried the Bontrager Race-X Lite butyls... and have had 50/50 experiences with Bontrager Latex and Vittoria latex. And I do ride GP4000s and Vittoria Corsa Evo's as everyday tires - so do notice some difference with these lighter tubes and latex.

Is there anything NEW that has come out lately? Next attempt may be the Michelin latex...? Thanks.

Carbonfiberboy 

I only ride butyls. I've had good luck with Schwalbe and Vredestein tubes - not the lightest! I find I'm faster if my tires hold air. If your butyls are leaking at the valve, what are you pumping with? I used to use the light Performance tubes, but the ones they have now are unreliable. I also used to use the light Michelin butyl, same problem. Maybe they are better now?

JerrySTL

I had issues with leaky presta valves at both the valve itself and where the valve meets the tube. The problem was due to a sticky floor pump that was difficult to disengage from the valve. I bought a new Specialized floor pump for about $50 and the problem went away.

One other thing: I leave the little kurl nut on the presta valve as it helps prevent pushing the valve into the rim when attaching the pump. That probably saves wear and tear on the rubber also.

rpenmanparker 

Performance has discontinued their lightest butyl tube, the Lunar Light, which was prone to pinhole leaks with no apparent cause. They have replaced it with a Light tube that weighs about 67g (48 mm stem), only about 15 g heavier and so far seems to be a bit more reliable. That is what I am riding exclusively now. I doubt these ride as well as latex, but I ditch my tubes when they have any problem; I don't patch them. So I don't look for the cheapest, but like to get these light tubes at a decent price. Latex is just too pricey for me. I doubt I could tell the difference anyway.

Chris Pringle

Schwalbe Tubes! Pricier than most, but super reliable.

nhluhr

I never have issues with tubes. I use regular weight tubes from the bike shop. Trying to eek out that extra watt from tubes that fail or bleed air too quickly just seems like a waste of time.

simonaway427

Inspect the rim strip around the valve stem hole....could be worn away or displaced.

berner

I had a group of tube failures at the vale hole a while back. I eventually found that the drilling at the valve hole had left a very sharp edge in the aluminum that was cutting the valve. I very carefully rounded the edge with a countersink tool and finished up with a piece of sandpaper.

Bob Dopolina 

This.