Are some innertubes more puncture resistant than others?

[nickyboy]

I bought a bike in March and rode it for about 7 months without a problem. Then I had a puncture and had to replace the innertube. Somewhere on CC someone mentioned an internet deal on Halfords tubes - 5 for £10. So I bought them.
In the past 3 months I've got through all five tubes. There have been some defects that probably mean I won't buy the Halfords tubes again anyway but two genuine punctures. Of course winter cycling can be more of a problem for punctures with stuff washed onto the roads but I was wondering if there was any meaningful difference between innertubes in terms of puncture resistance?

 

[screenman]

Yes, in my opinion.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I use schwalbe tubes, well talced.....i avoid spesh tubes like the plague as they just seem to puncture to easy for me anyway...maybe just bad luck but thats my perception...the schwalbes seem thicker....

 

[Dragonwight]

I use Michelin butyl aircomp ultra light and ironically despite being half the weight of the bog standard ones Ive used seem better. Puncture fairy if your watching im pulling my forelock in deference to you.

 

[downfader]

I use schwalbe tubes, well talced.....i avoid spesh tubes like the plague as they just seem to puncture to easy for me anyway...maybe just bad luck but thats my perception...the schwalbes seem thicker....

I always thought the Spesh and the Bontrager tubes were made in the same factory due to the same ledging on the tube itself and the same dimension cardboard box.

The Schwalbe ones do appear a little thicker.. you can actually get some tubes with a reinforced (read thicker) side that faces the ground. Another thing you can get is a rubber insert that has a very thin material like kevlar and that sits between the tube and tyre. Never tried these though do intend to get a set to play with at some point.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Makes no odds how thick the wall of the tube is. Once something penetrates the tyre there's no way on earth any inner tube will resist it. You may buy time with one particular brand over another, but you're talking yards rather than miles.

Punctures tend to come in batches and if one of those spells coincide with the purchase of a new tyre or tube it's tempting to blame those. 99% of the time it's just luck, your number came up and that's that.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Don't know the answer to the question in the title but having had four Halfords tubes fail on me since the end of June (on top of four conventional punctures and all of these in the same tyre ) it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one. Another source of supply needed.

 

[nickyboy]

Don't know the answer to the question in the title but having had four Halfords tubes fail on me since the end of June (on top of four conventional punctures and all of these in the same tyre ) it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one. Another source of supply needed.

Reminds me of the VW ads on TV at the moment...."You know me, likes a bargain"
Not such a bargain today

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Reminds me of the VW ads on TV at the moment...."You know me, likes a bargain"
Not such a bargain today

Indeed!

I've got a pair of new wheels for the knockabout bike that just need rim tape and tubes to be ready to fit but will have to wait 'til I've found some better ones coz I don't trust the remaining 3 Halfords tubes any more.

 

[fossyant]

Decathlon ones are virtually identical to Michelin. The only ones I've had issues with are Conti believe it or not. Valves are an issue as is the valve tube join

 

[moo]

Are you checking the tyres for small stones/bits of glass on a regular basis (ideally every day)? I failed to do so for about 3 weeks of commuting and had to dig 20 small stones out of the rear tyre. Each one is a puncture waiting to happen.

 

[nickyboy]

Are you checking the tyres for small stones/bits of glass on a regular basis (ideally every day)? I failed to do so for about 3 weeks of commuting and had to dig 20 small stones out of the rear tyre. Each one is a puncture waiting to happen.

Interestingly it's been the front both times recently. I'm thinking that actual puncture resistance is only a tyre not a tube thing. But for sure there were some manufacturing defects in the Halfords tubes. I was royally pissed off when I punctured an hour from home before Xmas and the replacement tube had a valve fault. When I say I was pissed off, what I actually mean was mrs nickyboy was pissed off at having to pick me up. I sat in a pub for an hour

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Are you checking the tyres for small stones/bits of glass on a regular basis (ideally every day)? I failed to do so for about 3 weeks of commuting and had to dig 20 small stones out of the rear tyre. Each one is a puncture waiting to happen.

Only ever had one puncture from glass. Round here the enemy is mainly hawthorn, apart from the first in this year's sequence of deflations which was this:

It was doubly unlucky. Unlucky to run it over in the first place as it was right in the gutter which I usually avoid and that the front tyre flicked it so it was sharp side up for the rear tyre to run over.

 

[andyfraser]

I had valve failure in all 3 Halfords tubes I bought in a deal. Halfords let me replace all 3 with Continentals for an extra £2. @fossyant I haven't had any problems with Continental tubes so far, touch wood.

 

[moo]

Interestingly it's been the front both times recently. I'm thinking that actual puncture resistance is only a tyre not a tube thing. But for sure there were some manufacturing defects in the Halfords tubes. I was royally pissed off when I punctured an hour from home before Xmas and the replacement tube had a valve fault. When I say I was pissed off, what I actually mean was mrs nickyboy was pissed off at having to pick me up. I sat in a pub for an hour

When I go on a long solo ride I carry four tubes. More often than not this is what happens:

Tube 1 - fail to locate all debris, pop
Tube 2 - manufacturing defect in tube, a few choice words to vent frustration
Tube 3 - check, double check, pray to every god and finally success
Tube 4 - allows me to cary on riding

If it gets that far I hang on to one punctured tube to repair if needed.