Cat claws and latex.

[Globalti]

See that little darlin' in my avatar? She nearly died last night. I was fitting some new tyres and she decided to have a go at my beloved latex inner tube, batted it then pulled away when I screamed at her and her claw got hooked in the tube, puncturing it with a tiny neat hole! So yes, I can confirm that a latex inner tube, although lovely to ride, is extremely fragile.

At least I was able to patch it, unlike a damaged condom... now I understand what they mean when they warn you in the instructions to keep them away from sharp finger nails!

 

[biggs682]

oh dear , did you make her sit on the naughty step

 

[vernon]

(....)now I understand what they mean when they warn you in the instructions to keep them away from sharp finger nails!

I prefer to keep them away from bikes. They are more bother than they are worth.

 

[Fnaar]

Why would a cat want to wear a condom?

 

[Archie_tect]

Well, there was a daddy cat and a mummy cat, and they didn't want any more baby cats, so...

 

[Arch]

How on earth does the material of the inner tube affect the ride?

Air's air, innit?

 

[Globalti]

Aha, no, a latex inner tube is so thin and flexible compared to a relatively stiff and hard butyl inner tube that it makes a noticeable difference in the flexibility of the tyre. Effectively it almost transforms clinchers into tubs (so I'm told) and I can tell you that the ride is smoother, the wheel lighter (and consequently more subject to side winds and with less gyroscopic inertia) and the tyres make a lovely ringing sound. There is also a noticeable improvement in grip on corners, presumably because the tyre conforms better to the road surface. I'm really enjoying them.

The down side is that latex doesn't hold air molecules as well so after a fortnight away I found the pressures had dropped from 100 to around 60 but then I pump my tyres before every ride anyway. The other downside is that a latex tube is so thin and flexible that it will find the smallest cut in your tyre, even a couple of mm long, and herniate out with a loud pop. A butyl tube will bridge that small hole.

 

[Arch]

Hmm, well, I think I'll stick to non-gossamer tubes then....

 

[fossyant]

Latex tubes are great. Personally I don't patch them. As Globalti says, they make a fab whoosh sound when fitted to high end tyres ! For the best bike !!

 

[Globalti]

Last night I fitted some Michelin Pro 3 light tyres with my latex inners - will I die?

 

[Archie_tect]

Depends how far you get...

 

[atbman]

And I thought this was going to be some fetishistic practices thread

 

[Shortmember]

Why would a cat want to wear a condom?

To gift wrap his willie for his favourite pussy?

 

[stephec]

And I thought this was going to be some fetishistic practices thread

Me too, I'm very disappointed.

 

[stephec]

Hmm, well, I think I'll stick to non-gossamer tubes then....

Showing your age there Arch, I've not seen them in gossamer variety for a long time now.

Oops, now I'm showing it as well.