Plastic tubes.

[Tom Kunich]

The way that they are marketing Chinese products now is to give you a delivery data 3 months out and then when you get the normal delivery time of 6 weeks you can't complain.

I got the plastic innertubes in and since I was putting a Goodyear 4 seasons on the back of the Ridley to add a little more flat protection, I installed one. These things are so slippery that it is difficult to get them to stay inside of the tire. So they keep sliding out a bit and you have to put the tire on over the edge of them but as soon as the tire flips over the edge the innertube pops into place without any pinching.

It inflated without and problems and although Andrew presumes that because the Vittoria TPU tubes cost $37 each they must be superior than the $4 Chinese tubes I bought, I have to tell you, I could not see how there could be any improvements. Seeing them I will now order a lot of them and at $4.00 each it seems to me to be well worth it.

[Roger Meriman]

TPU will outperform butyl tubes in rolling/weight though Latex are darn
close apparently! I’d with any very cheap product question it’s durability
ie how long it will last.

I found them just as easy to puncture. Slightly more slippery to mount but
fine.

As ever I suspect that you’re arguing a point not made by anyone, let alone
Andrew.

Roger Merriman

[Frank Krygowski]

FWIW, this is another thread that is partially missing on Eternal
September via Thunderbird.

--
- Frank Krygowski

[AMuzi]

Huh. Same here. Now I see only Me Meriman's and yours, no
others. ISTR I read other comments which are now gone along
with my recent reply
--
Andrew Muzi
a...@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[Roger Merriman]

One of the reasons I gave up with Eternal September few years ago, just
flaked out too often.

Roger Merriman

[Catrike Rider]

Those three are all I see. I use Forte Agent.

[sms]

On 10/16/2023 6:58 AM, Roger Meriman wrote:

<snip>

> TPU will outperform butyl tubes in rolling/weight though Latex are darn
> close apparently! I’d with any very cheap product question it’s durability
> ie how long it will last.
>
> I found them just as easy to puncture. Slightly more slippery to mount but
> fine.
>
> As ever I suspect that you’re arguing a point not made by anyone, let alone
> Andrew.
>
> Roger Merriman

Can you patch the TPU tubes or are they throwaway. I get butyl tubes
wholesale and am currently paying about $4.25 but haven't bought any in
about two years. During the pandemic many sizes went out of stock.

$4 retail is a good price for tubes, whether TPU or butyl. Kenda butyl
tubes ordered from China are about $4.25. In the U.S., the private label
"Concord" tubes at Walmart are $4.96.

--
“If you are not an expert on a subject, then your opinions about it
really do matter less than the opinions of experts. It's not
indoctrination nor elitism. It's just that you don't know as much as
they do about the subject.”—Tin Foil Awards

[AMuzi]

On 10/16/2023 3:02 PM, sms wrote:
> On 10/16/2023 6:58 AM, Roger Meriman wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> TPU will outperform butyl tubes in rolling/weight though
>> Latex are darn
>> close apparently! I’d with any very cheap product question
>> it’s durability
>> ie how long it will last.
>>
>> I found them just as easy to puncture. Slightly more
>> slippery to mount but
>> fine.
>>
>> As ever I suspect that you’re arguing a point not made by
>> anyone, let alone
>> Andrew.
>>
>> Roger Merriman
>
> Can you patch the TPU tubes or are they throwaway. I get
> butyl tubes wholesale and am currently paying about $4.25
> but haven't bought any in about two years. During the
> pandemic many sizes went out of stock.
>
> $4 retail is a good price for tubes, whether TPU or butyl.
> Kenda butyl tubes ordered from China are about $4.25. In the
> U.S., the private label "Concord" tubes at Walmart are $4.96.
>

I don't know (not only patching protocol; I don't know
anything about this current non-butyl tube product)

There are a gazillion different polymers with various
chemistry but the 1980s Panaracer version had its own
(optional not included) patch set:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/1600x1200/panaracer_poly_lite_tubes_ed5dd2e313a1cf56351d75e10f1a292cbc362d47.jpg

I assume the vendor offers some way to repair them but it's
unlikely to be things we typical riders have already.

[Tom Kunich]

Thanks for mentioning that. I ordered some self sticky patches for the TPU tubes.

[Roger Merriman]

sms <scharf...@geemail.com> wrote:
> On 10/16/2023 6:58 AM, Roger Meriman wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> TPU will outperform butyl tubes in rolling/weight though Latex are darn
>> close apparently! I’d with any very cheap product question it’s durability
>> ie how long it will last.
>>
>> I found them just as easy to puncture. Slightly more slippery to mount but
>> fine.
>>
>> As ever I suspect that you’re arguing a point not made by anyone, let alone
>> Andrew.
>>
>> Roger Merriman
>
> Can you patch the TPU tubes or are they throwaway. I get butyl tubes
> wholesale and am currently paying about $4.25 but haven't bought any in
> about two years. During the pandemic many sizes went out of stock.
>

The Chinese stuff or rather the very cheap stuff? No idea but certainly
Your normal brands TPU do sell patch’s though how effective these are?

> $4 retail is a good price for tubes, whether TPU or butyl. Kenda butyl
> tubes ordered from China are about $4.25. In the U.S., the private label
> "Concord" tubes at Walmart are $4.96.
>

I can get lifeline ie own brand stuff for £4 but to be honest now the
Gravel bike is tubeless neither the MTB or commute bike use tubes, so if I
do I tend to buy local as well bike shop is useful to me. Same with brake
pads I can get cheaper online but I generally buy from them.

Roger Merriman