Latex Inner Tubes (Road) - Any SA shops sell them?

[ZeroPlay]

I'm looking for latex inner tubes 700x25, but can't find any at SA shops by searching online. Does anyone know of a local source? Thanks.

[FootballingCyclist]

Cycle Lab now sell Aerothan tubes. Lighter and more puncture resistant than Latex. Also alot more pricey though.

[DieselnDust]

7 minutes ago, FootballingCyclist said:

Cycle Lab now sell Aerothan tubes. Lighter and more puncture resistant than Latex. Also alot more pricey though.

stay away.

I'e been down this road and its a painfully expensive one. Doesn't matter what brand, they all puncture and it appears more easily than butyl (despite the marketing claims)

[FootballingCyclist]

3 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

stay away.

I'e been down this road and its a painfully expensive one. Doesn't matter what brand, they all puncture and it appears more easily than butyl (despite the marketing claims)

I read an article, not sure which brand of inner tube it was, could be tubolito, maybe not, But there was a 12month warranty.. So if you puncture, you return to the bike shop for a replacement..

[DieselnDust]

20 minutes ago, FootballingCyclist said:

I read an article, not sure which brand of inner tube it was, could be tubolito, maybe not, But there was a 12month warranty.. So if you puncture, you return to the bike shop for a replacement..

I ran out of patience waiting for replacements....

The Pirelli tubes were better but the distributor ran out of patience with the returns.

replacements don;t help if they puncture and you have a long ride alone or have to wait for slower groups. Butyl tubes with sealant or tubeless is the way to go

 

Latex tubes are hard to find. Challenge Tyres has a local guy bringing in their latex tubes. Vittoria will have a new distributor soon but I would not use those for more than a year. I had two explode after about 18months or use. The micheline latex tubes are nice, but don't have removable valve cores so getting sealant into them is tough but they have a useful life of about 2 years before they lose elasticity and become risky.

[FootballingCyclist]

1 minute ago, DieselnDust said:

I ran out of patience waiting for replacements....

The Pirelli tubes were better but the distributor ran out of patience with the returns.

replacements don;t help if they puncture and you have a long ride alone or have to wait for slower groups. Butyl tubes with sealant or tubeless is the way to go

 

Latex tubes are hard to find. Challenge Tyres has a local guy bringing in their latex tubes. Vittoria will have a new distributor soon but I would not use those for more than a year. I had two explode after about 18months or use. The micheline latex tubes are nice, but don't have removable valve cores so getting sealant into them is tough but they have a useful life of about 2 years before they lose elasticity and become risky.

I also found Butyl tubes with sealant in worked an absolute charm. I have sealant in normal butyl tubes on my training wheels and they've been great, No punctures. My carbon wheels I'm running tubeless and oh so happy. 2 weeks ago I got a puncture coming down Chapmans just before little Chappies, I rolled up slowly and stopped at the top of little Chappies and it sealed, I rode home with about 4bar with zero issues. Last week coming down Smits into Simon's Town the same slit opened again, i rolled slowly, pumped up the wheel at the garage and the wheel is still hard today. 

Tubeless has saved me so much money as now I don't need to keep buying 80mm long valve tubes which cost over R100 each for the cheapest of the lot. 

[throttles]

53 minutes ago, FootballingCyclist said:

I read an article, not sure which brand of inner tube it was, could be tubolito, maybe not, But there was a 12month warranty.. So if you puncture, you return to the bike shop for a replacement..

I had tubolito.. Eish, never again 🫣

[madmarc]

I just brought a MTB Tubolito back from my online shopping in Europe - cost about 300 ronds. I run tubeless but have always carried a spare tube so the idea of carrying an emergency tube that takes up 20% of the space than a normal tube was the main reason for buying one.

Rolled up, I can close my hand around it and fits inside my tool clamshell on my seat post, instead of the huge rubber roll I'm always looking for somewhere to pack in or tape to my frame

In my opinion this is what they were designed for and not a permanent tube.

I suppose one can never be sure if they work or not, but as long as it gets me to the finish or back to my car I be happy with that.

[100Tours]

I am still running a pair of tubolitos - they have been puncture free for forever and definitely a better option than latex in my mind. All the usual requirements apply - use good tyres, keep them pumped up and check your pressures before your ride.

However, if you do manage to puncture them then that's probably it - I ran them on a heavier setup for a while and I kept having issues. The stick-on patches do not work. I have had some success running tubeless sealant (slime, not latex) in tubolitos. That worked for about 1000k, then gave in. I didn't top them up at that point, just retired them. 

[Martin PJ]

Aliexpress sell super light tubes. About R200 each. I bought two, going to try them as spares. They look a bit thin.

[ZeroPlay]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

 

I like the feel of the latex tubes when paired with a low rolling resistance tire. I currently use Challenge latex tubes with Conti GP4000 II.  Puncture-free for the whole of last summer, ridden 3hrs most weekends. I doubt that  latex vs butyl makes any difference if a sharp object has penetrated the tire. I did install them very carefully and coated them with baby powder. So they really were "babied" 😀

 

[DieselnDust]

29 minutes ago, ZeroPlay said:

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

 

I like the feel of the latex tubes when paired with a low rolling resistance tire. I currently use Challenge latex tubes with Conti GP4000 II.  Puncture-free for the whole of last summer, ridden 3hrs most weekends. I doubt that  latex vs butyl makes any difference if a sharp object has penetrated the tire. I did install them very carefully and coated them with baby powder. So they really were "babied" 😀

 

Yes you’ve used all the right tricks. I too love the few of latex tubes. When they puncture they also deflate more slowly as they have a tendency to self seal to an extent. If the tubes are old they lose elasticity and explode so it’s good practice to replace them once a year and relegate to spare tube use. Punctures are easily repairs with standard vulcanising cement and a latex patch from an old tube or a normal rubber vulcanising patch. If you find a retailer that sells either the Challenge or Michelin latex tubes please post here.

[bleedToWin]

Are tubolito TPU?
I've heard TPU requires less babying compared to latex... Either way I'll never go back from tubeless...

[Ispeed_V]

An opportunity for Durex brewing???🤣

[DieselnDust]

39 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Are tubolito TPU?
I've heard TPU requires less babying compared to latex... Either way I'll never go back from tubeless...

Tubulito, Pirelli Smart, Schwalbe PU,  they're all TPU.

There's no babying involved. They're fitted but not forget. They puncture easily.

They do pack nicely.

[bleedToWin]

On 10/17/2022 at 1:25 PM, bleedToWin said:

Are tubolito TPU?
I've heard TPU requires less babying compared to latex... Either way I'll never go back from tubeless...

Recently bought a non-tubeless wheel, so here I am eating my words...