What inner tubes !

[satans worm]

A bit of an on/off mountain biker, I went to Thetford forrest for the first time this year on my cube, almost near the end of the red run (im unfit and fat ) when i noticed a hissing sound from my rear tyre, closer inspection showed water foaming all round the rim at quite a rate and ended up finishing the course pushing the bike.
Now, as I said, a bit of an on/off MTB'er, and in the past I always remeber getting a puncture by the time I has reached the pub (after doing an offroad course).
So
either my mate kept letting my tyres down when i got the round in so we could stay all day,
or
I seem prone to punctures ( nobody else got them)is this due to my hefty weight (around15.5stone)?

So what are the best inner tubes to use? and what kind of PSI should I be running for off roading compared to when i use it on the road?
(bike in question is a hardtail Cube CC ltd)

Thanks

Edited by satans worm on Monday 9th August 14:50

[istoo]

maxxis DH tubes are verging on bulletproof BUT they are very heavy. I am a shade under 15 stone and ride in the rocky hills at my back door and touch wood have never punctured with these in 4 years.

[cjs]

It's your tyres rather than the tubes. You get two types of puncture, thorns etc going through the tyre and pinch punctures when the tyre bottoms out on the rim, normally due to low pressure.

I use Specialized Armadillo tyres and have not had a puncture in two years. Before fitting them I had punctures regularly. They are a bit expensive but worth it I think.

Re pressures, I run between 45PSI and 50PSI for off road use. I'm 13 stone.

I will be going for tubeless tyres & rims next which are also a great for no punctures.

Edited by cjs on Monday 9th August 17:14

[dubbs]

tubeless - thorn-type punctures become a thing of the past and you run at around 40psi so still get good grip.

[Raven Flyer]

The trails of Essex are strewn with wild blackberry and we were initially seeing 75% of our group punctured in less than 5 miles. I switched to Kevlar Tyres and slime tubes and haven't had a puncture since.

I'm currently using Conti Mountain King 2.2 Protection as these are very light for protection tyres. I haven't had a puncture for years with this sort of set up.

Hardtails are more prone to rear pinch punctures so I would also raise your rear pressure to 55-65psi at your body weight.

[AdamD]

I have just swapped from schwalbe normal inner tubes to their extra light version (98-103g). I like their tubes as they have a nice finishing cap and locking ring to hold the schrader valve in place.

With slime (which seemed useless at sealing a puncture from a thorn and made the tube irrepairable) the normal schwalbe tube weighed about 280g. I will not be using slime again!

Paired with some nobby nic evo tires in 2.25 I've managed to save about 700g in rotational weight - it's like I've fitted new wheels, the bike is definitely more zippy and rolls nice I tend to run 35f/40r psi so not sure if that's a contributory factor for infrequent punctures, the way I see it it's better to lose the rotational weight and carry a few spare tubes for emergencies.

Edited by AdamD on Tuesday 10th August 07:30

[Raven Flyer]

Adam we found that slime was more effective at pressures above 45psi. Here the thorn problem is severe and it would cost you £20 a week in tubes to go riding with no protection. Some of my gang have had some loss of pressure from thorns, but a top up has then seen the tyre stay fully sealed for months.

I am probably 250-300g over weight by using them but that is a small price to pay for several years of puncture free riding in Essex. I didn't notice a downside in rotational inertia from my Speed King 2.1s and lightweight tubes.

Out of interest I was talking to the MTB hire shop in Kardamena, Kos, last month. They have a selection of Spesh HTs. The thorns on the island are vicious and punctures were ruining their customers' rides. They now use slime tubes and the problem is 'almost eliminated'.

[satans worm]

Done a bit more research (busy at work ) and i see 2 possible other solutions, slime innertubes and bluetubes, anyone has experience on these?

Edited by satans worm on Tuesday 10th August 15:26

[cjs]

satans worm said:

Done a bit more research (busy at work ) and i see 2 possible other solutions, slime innertubes and bluetubes, anyone has experience on these?

Edited by satans worm on Tuesday 10th August 15:26

Have a look at the answers above. Slime tubes are heavy, but do work, apparently.