Challenge Latex Tube is Pregnant Snake!
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Challenge Latex Tube is Pregnant Snake!
So I decided to try some latex tubes and picked up a couple of Challenge tubes. When I went to install, I blew them up about 20psi to install. The first one was fine but the second began bursting out like a pregnant snake that just ate a fat mouse! It did this in three different places on the tube. I'm just wondering if this is normal or will the tube fail? I haven't ridden on it yet but a bit worried about it. Have you guys seen this before? thanks for the help and a couple of pics cuz everyone loves pregnant snake pics....
The pregnant snake lives--Is this bad?
Less than 20psi
The pregnant snake lives--Is this bad?
Less than 20psi
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That is a high pressure!
Even when checking for a puncture I would only take it until it takes a tubular shape, just a few pumps on my hand pump.
Even when checking for a puncture I would only take it until it takes a tubular shape, just a few pumps on my hand pump.
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Don't attempt to pressurize a free inner tube. Tubes are just thin rubber, like party balloons: if you put more air in them, the pressure doesn't significantly increase, they just stretch and get bigger to make room for the additional air (until they stretch so much that the rubber tears and they explode). Tires are able to contain high pressures without exploding (or even stretching much) because their casing contains fabric plies.
It makes sense to put some air in a tube before installing it, so that it holds its shape. But that's about it. Once the tube is full of air, you shouldn't keep pumping.
Anyway, it's typical for latex tubes to stretch thin and unevenly like that if you pump them up too much outside of the tire.
It makes sense to put some air in a tube before installing it, so that it holds its shape. But that's about it. Once the tube is full of air, you shouldn't keep pumping.
Anyway, it's typical for latex tubes to stretch thin and unevenly like that if you pump them up too much outside of the tire.
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Don't attempt to pressurize a free inner tube. Tubes are just thin rubber, like party balloons: if you put more air in them, the pressure doesn't significantly increase, they just stretch and get bigger to make room for the additional air (until they stretch so much that the rubber tears and they explode). Tires are able to contain high pressures without exploding (or even stretching much) because their casing contains fabric plies.
It makes sense to put some air in a tube before installing it, so that it holds its shape. But that's about it. Once the tube is full of air, you shouldn't keep pumping.
Anyway, it's typical for latex tubes to stretch thin and unevenly like that if you pump them up too much outside of the tire.
It makes sense to put some air in a tube before installing it, so that it holds its shape. But that's about it. Once the tube is full of air, you shouldn't keep pumping.
Anyway, it's typical for latex tubes to stretch thin and unevenly like that if you pump them up too much outside of the tire.
Oh, and according to my gauge, the pressure is less than 1 bar so looks like about 13psi.
Last edited by tNuvolari; 04-13-21 at 02:09 AM.
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Uh, that's pretty much 20psi. Less than that was not enough for it to even take shape. It's literally maybe one pump!
Every instruction I've ever read about installing tubes & tires says to inflate the tube slightly. I admit I almost never do it with butyl tubes but with these Challenge latex tubes, they were small and tight and I could not install them without inflating slightly to stretch them enough so they would even fit around the wheel. I only inflated enough to allow this. I don't know if Challenge tubes run small or if all latex tubes do but I could not install without inflating a bit. And 20psi is basically nothing. And furthermore, one tube handled it without bulging and the other did not. I don't think I did anything crazy or excessive. I guess I'll find out soon on future rides....
Oh, and according to my gauge, the pressure is less than 1 bar so looks like about 13psi.
Every instruction I've ever read about installing tubes & tires says to inflate the tube slightly. I admit I almost never do it with butyl tubes but with these Challenge latex tubes, they were small and tight and I could not install them without inflating slightly to stretch them enough so they would even fit around the wheel. I only inflated enough to allow this. I don't know if Challenge tubes run small or if all latex tubes do but I could not install without inflating a bit. And 20psi is basically nothing. And furthermore, one tube handled it without bulging and the other did not. I don't think I did anything crazy or excessive. I guess I'll find out soon on future rides....
Oh, and according to my gauge, the pressure is less than 1 bar so looks like about 13psi.
Usually I only pump a bit in for my 20" and 24" wheels as it can be difficult getting into the tire to align the tube, while for my 26" wheels and bigger I usually feel my tubes into place and then maybe give a puff or two from my olde bycycle pumpe when things do not feel right.
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Blowing a tube up before containing it in a tire serves no purpose except to have it behave like a balloon.
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It's not all that unusual for a latex or very thin butyl tubes to balloon in spots like that. Tubes only need to be slightly inflated and less than in your photo for tire installation. The tube just needs to hold it's shape to prevent twisting and helps from getting it caught under the bead when mounting the tire.
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The tube will be constrained within the tire, which is what gives the strength to the assembly. The tube just serves to seal in the air. There will always be a thinner spot into which the air will preferentially go but this will not happen inside of the tire.
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I'd exchange the tube after that occurring. It might bite you in the end, now that the preggo snake happened.
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20PSI is not "basically nothing", it's a perfectly good riding pressure for a lot of people in cyclocross and MTB. I suspect that your pump gauge is not producing meaningful data at low pressures, which has given you false notions about how to use it and what it means. I was not joking when I said that tubes mostly just get bigger when you pump air into them, rather see a significant increase in pressure: on my pump, I can take a 26er tube and pump it until it's blown up significantly larger than a 29er tire, and the gauge will still read basically 0PSI.
Yes, but this isn't something that you should be looking at the gauge for. The idea is to air the tube so that it holds a round shape, not so that it holds a certain pressure.
Every instruction I've ever read about installing tubes & tires says to inflate the tube slightly.
Yes, but this isn't something that you should be looking at the gauge for. The idea is to air the tube so that it holds a round shape, not so that it holds a certain pressure.
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inflating the tube prior to install is to aid in preventing a pinched tube from occurring.
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Prior to being placed inside the tire, I inflate my tubes with my mouth, which a quick Google estimates at ~2 psi.
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The really sure-fire way to inflate tubes enough for easy installation and never over-inflate them is to blow them up by mouth. Also fast and easy.
Edit: I see Riveting beat me to it. Didn't read all the posts because nobody says this on bicycle forums!
Edit: I see Riveting beat me to it. Didn't read all the posts because nobody says this on bicycle forums!
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Every instruction I've ever read about installing tubes & tires says to inflate the tube slightly. I admit I almost never do it with butyl tubes but with these Challenge latex tubes, they were small and tight and I could not install them without inflating slightly to stretch them enough so they would even fit around the wheel. I only inflated enough to allow this. I don't know if Challenge tubes run small or if all latex tubes do but I could not install without inflating a bit. And 20psi is basically nothing. And furthermore, one tube handled it without bulging and the other did not. I don't think I did anything crazy or excessive. I guess I'll find out soon on future rides....
Oh, and according to my gauge, the pressure is less than 1 bar so looks like about 13psi.
Oh, and according to my gauge, the pressure is less than 1 bar so looks like about 13psi.
I’m not getting how the tubes you are using are helped by slightly inflating them so that they can fit around the wheel. If they don’t fit around the wheel, they are the wrong size. Even if you had to stretch them to get them around the wheel, keeping them flat isn’t going to cause a problem.
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“Slightly inflating a tube during installation” is one of those things that I’ve never quite understood. Lots of tires are difficult to mount and adding a filled tube doesn’t make the process any easier. I’ve always put my tires on with the tubes completely flat. The tire slips on easier and there is less likelihood of nicking the tube during installation.
I’m not getting how the tubes you are using are helped by slightly inflating them so that they can fit around the wheel. If they don’t fit around the wheel, they are the wrong size. Even if you had to stretch them to get them around the wheel, keeping them flat isn’t going to cause a problem.
I’m not getting how the tubes you are using are helped by slightly inflating them so that they can fit around the wheel. If they don’t fit around the wheel, they are the wrong size. Even if you had to stretch them to get them around the wheel, keeping them flat isn’t going to cause a problem.
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I used to ever so slightly inflate my tubes to help get them in the tire and rim. Once in the tire and rim, they had to have most all the air let out to easily get the bead of the tire over the rim without levers.
However, more often now, I don't put any air in the tube till the tire is completely on the wheel.
However, more often now, I don't put any air in the tube till the tire is completely on the wheel.
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This is just what happens when you inflate a (latex) party balloon, so not surprising.
The OP says that the tube has to be stretched onto the rim when uninflated. I don't see how the tire could go on without pinching the tube like that, so it has to have some air in it.
The OP says that the tube has to be stretched onto the rim when uninflated. I don't see how the tire could go on without pinching the tube like that, so it has to have some air in it.
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Never had a problem betting the tube into the well of the rim. The tube goes in just fine without all the fiddling with adding and removing air.
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The OP says that the tube has to be stretched onto the rim when uninflated. I don't see how the tire could go on without pinching the tube like that, so it has to have some air in it.
On the other hand, if the tube does need to be stretched over the rim to get it to fit, it will sit in the well of the rim like a rim strip and will be out of the way of the tire bead. That might make the tire even easier to mount because there is nothing in the way.
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“Slightly inflating a tube during installation” is one of those things that I’ve never quite understood. Lots of tires are difficult to mount and adding a filled tube doesn’t make the process any easier. I’ve always put my tires on with the tubes completely flat. The tire slips on easier and there is less likelihood of nicking the tube during installation.
I’m not getting how the tubes you are using are helped by slightly inflating them so that they can fit around the wheel. If they don’t fit around the wheel, they are the wrong size. Even if you had to stretch them to get them around the wheel, keeping them flat isn’t going to cause a problem.
I’m not getting how the tubes you are using are helped by slightly inflating them so that they can fit around the wheel. If they don’t fit around the wheel, they are the wrong size. Even if you had to stretch them to get them around the wheel, keeping them flat isn’t going to cause a problem.
New tubes are often highly folded, so a quick puff helps, while older tubes can lack any shape or seam to guide you in aligning the tube - so a slight inflation is quicker, and then helps in not getting pinches because they have generally stretched a bit over a 20-30 year life time. I like to replace tubes, but it is not always an option when it is someone else's bike.
The other week I had a 1980 20" wheeled bike that had been in someone's basement since 1995 and was still on the original tires and tubes - the tires were effing tight and the tubes completely seamless and fairly shapeless when empty.