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

[bleedToWin]

On 10/14/2022 at 8:53 PM, DieselnDust said:

I would not use those for more than a year. I had two explode after about 18months or use.

Is this due to loss of elasticity or self-glueing to the tyre, or what. I understand latex inners inside tubulars have none of these issues and the issues users experience is due to not babying them properly during installation or storage.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

[bleedToWin]

Seems Challenge, Vittoria, and Michelin are available locally these days.

 

[DieselnDust]

5 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Is this due to loss of elasticity or self-glueing to the tyre, or what. I understand latex inners inside tubulars have none of these issues and the issues users experience is due to not babying them properly during installation or storage.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

My first red flag was from the then distributor who said he sell them to me but that I should be aware they have tendency to go bang.

In use experience they were fine because I did'nt inflate the Vittoria Latex tubes to very high pressures. All was fine for roughly a year when the forst one went 💥. Literally took the tyre off the rim. I was descending and braking hard at the foot of Ou Kaapse Weg so I figured it was just an issue with heat. I replaced the tube another pink Vittoria and continued riding. About two weeks later the front tube popped when I hit a a cateye. I thought it was a pinch flat but when i removed he tube it was shredded. It look like it had torn from a weak point and the increase in local pressure when i hit the cateye simply burst the tube.

I thought maybe I should test some thing out so I fitted my remaining nd newest tube to a old mavic cxp33 wheel with a conti tyre that was rated at 140psi and I inflated it. at 125psi the tube went bang. I removed it and the same failure mode, it had burst,

I suspect that latex tubes, being natural rubber don't have a s consistent a thickness of rubber over their whole circumference in cross section this gives rise to weak spots. In a tubular tyre the weakspot isn't an issue because the tyre is sown around the tube and the pressure on the tube is more or less uniform. The tyre rim strp is also a thick cloth material that cushions the tyre so you have this thick protection for the tube against the spoke holes.

In a clincher the rim tape can have sharp edges and also the spoke holes tend to create a rough edge so when a latex tube moves around as you're leaning the bike and absorbing road buzz it creates a weak spot where the tube eventually bursts.

I tested the theory for a further year using both Vittoria and Michelin latex tubes. 

Two wheel sets, both carbon, one set with plastic rim tape and the other with Velox cloth rim tape. after 18months the wheels with the Velox rim tape suffered no latex tube failures while the plastic rim tape wheels had two latex tube failures, both bursting. I ran a butyl tube in the front wheels of both btw as I was not taking any chances with my teeth. I also noticed that butyl tubes suffered scuffing but because these are much thicker than latex tubes they did not burst but I reckon if left long enough they would start puncturing.

I use Velox rim tape if using latex tubes now. Also, lots of talcum power as a dry lubricant.

I haven't been using latex for a couple of years now. too much of a schlep to get hold of them

[bleedToWin]

19 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

I use Velox rim tape if using latex tubes now. Also, lots of talcum power as a dry lubricant.

I haven't been using latex for a couple of years now. too much of a schlep to get hold of them

Thanks. Wealth of knowledge 🙏

I'm thinking to give the Challenge a try.
https://westdenecycles.co.za/product/challenge-latex-inner-tube-road/

[DieselnDust]

Colic thanks I might just get a few rubs again as I see these have a removable valve core so can be filled with sealant. Just remember to deburr the rim spoke holes and use a fabric rim tape preferably or gorilla tape to prevent any carbon shards popping the balloon so to speak 

[bleedToWin]

7 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

these have a removable valve core so can be filled with sealant

Regular latex sealant I assume?

[bleedToWin]

Do you believe these tubes deteriorate in storage? Should I just buy what I plan to install, or one extra for the cupboard?

[DieselnDust]

53 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Do you believe these tubes deteriorate in storage? Should I just buy what I plan to install, or one extra for the cupboard?

they won't deteriorate in normal storage, they will behave as a regular tube if stored in cool dry place in the box its supplied in. Keep away from heat and sunlight or other UV light sources

[openmind]

When I still ran tubes I used latex for racing. Had to treat them carefully, including using lots of baby powder between the tube and tyre to help it move around. Supposedly helped to give the tyre a more supple feel, but also to stop the tube from snagging. Still had a few pop for no apparent reason. If I were to go back to tubes I’d try the tpe types for better reliability. 
Edit: just remembered that some people thought the baby powder was a waste of time as at 100psi it would not let the tube move anyway 😎. Did make it easier to install/remove tho. 
 

Edited September 11 by openmind

[cadenceblur]

Have some TPU tubes as a back up for my tubeless set up, these latex options seem to be a lot of PT. 

[DieselnDust]

37 minutes ago, openmind said:

When I still ran tubes I used latex for racing. Had to treat them carefully, including using lots of baby powder between the tube and tyre to help it move around. Supposedly helped to give the tyre a more supple feel, but also to stop the tube from snagging. Still had a few pop for no apparent reason. If I were to go back to tubes I’d try the tpe types for better reliability. 
Edit: just remembered that some people thought the baby powder was a waste of time as at 100psi it would not let the tube move anyway 😎. Did make it easier to install/remove tho. 
 

Forget about TPU tubes, they are more fragile than advertised and pop even more easily and the repair kits don't work. Latex is less hassle and more reliable if you  adhere to the guidance in my previous post. Latex tubes are thinner than butyl. That is main Achilles Heel for latex tubes. They work reliably in tubbies. Velox rim tape should be the standard for tubed racing wheel anyway.