What inner tubes do I need?

[Pale Rider]

I go for branded tubes with metal valves and a locking ring.

Easier to attach the pump if the valve is held in place by the ring, especially when the tube is deflated.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Regarding width, just about any tube will work. Undersize tubes simply expand, with no ill effect to fill the available space inside the tyre. Carrying a large spare tube is a waste of saddle-bag space. Carry a smaller (narrower) one, they are easier to fit out on the road and smaller, lighter etc.

And it is not only the width that is not critical, but diameter too. A 26" MTB tube easily fits onto a 29" rim and is a considerably small packaging size that a 29" one. Further, carry your tube in an old sock or such to protect it. When folded, the edges abrade very easily in a saddle bag and it is quite common for someone to unfold a tube after a while only to discover that it is abraded on several corners.

To make the package as small as possible, suck the air out and troll, instead of fold it, if possible. This way it has less vulnerable edges. Keep several spares and once they are all punctured, fix them all at once. If you use CO2 to inflate your tyres, sucking the gas out is quite an interesting experience. It teaches you what reflex action CO2 has developed for our evolution.

 

[vickster]

The Halfords come beautifully rolled in decent plastic packaging, none of that cardboard box inconvenience

 

[Dirk]

I'd say it's more down to the tyres. I've had few punctures, but on a range of tubes

I've tried Halfords tubes on my hybrid after I picked up a puncture on my way home.
I noticed the flat the following day and replaced the tube with a new Halfords one.
I blew it up to the correct pressure, sat on bike and BANG!! What the ****?!
Changed the tube for another new Halfords one, put wheel back in and blew tyre up. Sat on bike and.............BANG!!!
Both tubes had split for about a foot along the length of the tube from the valve.
Unbelievable!
I put a Specialized tube in and that's still OK 12 months later.
Took them back to Halfords and got my money back.
I don't think that was anything to do with the tyres.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I've tried Halfords tubes on my hybrid after I picked up a puncture on my way home.
I noticed the flat the following day and replaced the tube with a new Halfords one.
I blew it up to the correct pressure, sat on bike and BANG!! What the ****?!
Changed the tube for another new Halfords one, put wheel back in and blew tyre up. Sat on bike and.............BANG!!!
Both tubes had split for about a foot along the length of the tube from the valve.
Unbelievable!
I put a Specialized tube in and that's still OK 12 months later.
Took them back to Halfords and got my money back.
I don't think that was anything to do with the tyres.

It had everything to do with the tyre, or the way the tube was fitted on, in anyway.

That fact that you heard a bang noise means that the tube was outside the tyre at the time of the "event". A tube cannot blow inside a tyre with a noise or a long tear. The tear comes from sudden expansion as the tube fails, starting at a point but quickly ripping along a line. The length of the tear is directly related to how much air was available at high pressure. A tube that fails inside a tyre simply makes a whoosh noise and the tear remains as small as the item that punctured it.

What happened is that you trapped the tube under the tyre bead. You then inflated the tyre and the tube popped out like a hernia. Because there was nothing to restrict its "growth" outside the protective casing of the tyre, it blew with the bang you heard.

You simply got it right 3rd time and it had nothing to do with the Specialized tube. It isn't easy to see a trapped tube when the tyre is still not inflated and by the time you inflate it, you are not looking closely at it but probably focusing on the pump and the hernia is on the other side of the wheel. Further, the speed at which the hernia develops is quick, again deceiving you.

 

[MichaelW2]

Go for an inner tube with 35mm as the max. If you switch to a sensible commuter tyre such as Schwalbe marathon, you can use 28 or 32mm width which can take a 28-35mm inner.
Long valves are for deep rim aero wheels. If you use them in a std box-section rim they leave a lot of valve sticking out, which provides a lot of leverage when you are using a small pump. Get std length, med size 700c inners from a respected manufacturer.
Whilst you have the tyre off, check the rim and valve hole for rough burrs and edges (remove with emery cloth). Check spokes are not protruding into inner tube. Fit a decent rim tape like Velox. When you refit the inner, keep the valve pointing to the hub for alignment.

 

[Dirk]

It had everything to do with the tyre, or the way the tube was fitted on, in anyway.

That fact that you heard a bang noise means that the tube was outside the tyre at the time of the "event". A tube cannot blow inside a tyre with a noise or a long tear. The tear comes from sudden expansion as the tube fails, starting at a point but quickly ripping along a line. The length of the tear is directly related to how much air was available at high pressure. A tube that fails inside a tyre simply makes a whoosh noise and the tear remains as small as the item that punctured it.

What happened is that you trapped the tube under the tyre bead. You then inflated the tyre and the tube popped out like a hernia. Because there was nothing to restrict its "growth" outside the protective casing of the tyre, it blew with the bang you heard.

You simply got it right 3rd time and it had nothing to do with the Specialized tube. It isn't easy to see a trapped tube when the tyre is still not inflated and by the time you inflate it, you are not looking closely at it but probably focusing on the pump and the hernia is on the other side of the wheel. Further, the speed at which the hernia develops is quick, again deceiving you.

Sorry - you are wrong.
The tubes were fitted correctly. There was no 'tube popping out like a hernia'.
I know how to fit a tyre and tube correctly - been doing them on bicycles and motorcycles for over 50 years - these were easy to put on, no levers needed, partially inflated, double checked and then inflated.
Faulty tubes. End of.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Sorry - you are wrong.
The tubes were fitted correctly. There was no 'tube popping out like a hernia'.
I know how to fit a tyre and tube correctly - been doing them on bicycles and motorcycles for over 50 years - these were easy to put on, no levers needed, partially inflated, double checked and then inflated.
Faulty tubes. End of.

Sorry - you are wrong.
The tubes were fitted correctly. There was no 'tube popping out like a hernia'.
I know how to fit a tyre and tube correctly - been doing them on bicycles and motorcycles for over 50 years - these were easy to put on, no levers needed, partially inflated, double checked and then inflated.
Faulty tubes. End of.

50 years of experience doesn't make your eyes better. The additional clue you just released which supports the theory is: "no levers needed", which leaves plenty of space for the tube to peek out.
You cannot hear a bang if the air doesn't expand rapidly and that cannot happen inside the tyre.

Either you didn't hear a bang or it happened outside the tyre. No in between here.

 

[Dirk]

50 years of experience doesn't make your eyes better. The additional clue you just released which supports the theory is: "no levers needed", which leaves plenty of space for the tube to peek out.
You cannot hear a bang if the air doesn't expand rapidly and that cannot happen inside the tyre.

Either you didn't hear a bang or it happened outside the tyre. No in between here.

There's nothing wrong with my eyes - had them checked last week.
I'm not deaf either, thank you very much.
I was there - you weren't.
I know what happened.The tubes were fitted correctly. They were faulty. Spoked rims are not airtight.
What's your problem?

 

[BrynCP]

I've done 1000s of miles on the 5 for £10 Halfords tubes.

 

[iggibizzle]

They will all come from the same factory in the far east whatever they have printed on them! Halfords for me. Cheap and same quality as anything else.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I've gone off the Halfords tubes having had five faulty ones from different batches since last June (all spontaneous deflations coz the tube has split for no apparent reason).Currently running Continental on the Raleigh and Bontrager on the knockabout bike with no quality issues thus far.