# Latex tubes for 'cross?



## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

Considering the size of the tires and the low air pressure, it seems as if the lower rolling resistance of latex tubes would be even more important in 'cross than on the road. Yet I don't find a lot of latex tubes wide enough to serve (30+ mm). Does such a thing exist?


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Challenge has some coming out. I saw them listed on QBP, but they are not available as of yet.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

I'll bet Aircomp 26x1.7-2.1 would work.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

pretender said:


> I'll bet Aircomp 26x1.7-2.1 would work.


Sorry -- I should have mentioned I'm running 700s (29s).


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

JohnStonebarger said:


> Sorry -- I should have mentioned I'm running 700s (29s).


Rubber stretches.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

pretender said:


> Rubber stretches.


Yes it does...which is why any 700c tube will work.


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

the mayor said:


> Yes it does...which is why any 700c tube will work.


I think the point was that some people use 26" tubes on their 29er mountain bikes, and they work fine.


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## one_speed (Jun 30, 2003)

I have used the Michelen latex road tubes and do like them for cross.


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## davemess (Dec 26, 2008)

People do know that 700c and 29 inch are not even close to the same thing, right?

27 in. are very close to 700c. Though not exact, and you can have problems with compatability.


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## tmer52 (Sep 24, 2006)

29" is just a term used for wide 700c tires. They have the same 622mm bead-seat diameter.


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## big_papa_nuts (Feb 11, 2009)

davemess said:


> People do know that 700c and 29 inch are not even close to the same thing, right?
> 
> 27 in. are very close to 700c. Though not exact, and you can have problems with compatability.


What are you on about? 29er use a 700c rim, same ISO measurement in fact(622). And you can mount a 29er tire on a 700 "road" rim and vise versa.

27 on the other hand is an entirely different size. Different rim, different tires, different diameter. 29/700 is just a matter of width.


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## one_speed (Jun 30, 2003)

It's not just a 'term', it's the approximate diameter used, measuring across the center of the hub, outside of the tire on one side to the same on the other.

A cross tire is 28", as you'll see noted on the Contis, and a road tire is 700c.

All work on the 622mm rim. Just wanted to note that the 'terms' are based on real measurements, or approximate, when it comes to the larger tires.

I think everyone is saying the same thing here, just in their own foggy way.


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

one_speed said:


> It's not just a 'term', it's the approximate diameter used, measuring across the center of the hub, outside of the tire on one side to the same on the other.
> 
> A cross tire is 28", as you'll see noted on the Contis, and a road tire is 700c.
> 
> ...


Talking about "tubes", 700c, 27", 28", and 29" is different from talk of rims and and tires (in the US).

In the US, 700c and 29" are interchangable. One usually refers to road bike and the other to mountain bikes. 28" is not really ever used, unless you're buying tubes made by Contenintal (at which point it means 700c). 27" is a completely different size used in 1970's and early 80's on road bikes - the tubes are interchangable with 700c, but the tires and rims are not.


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## elmar schrauth (Feb 19, 2007)

]the challenge work fine,if you get them.
they promised to send them in september again
they are cheaper than michelin.
average 105 gramm

i rode michelin a few years without problems,but in the last years a lot of them failed.
sometimes even when temperature changed.(going to races i got flats in the car)


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

OK, so apparently I have more options than I'd thought. I'll keep an eye out for the Challenge 'cross tubes, since they're actually the right size.

Otherwise, assuming that a tube stretched to a certain point will be thinner than optimum for flat protection, would it be better to stretch the 26" tubes to 700 size or stretch the 22mm 700s to 30+mm? Hm...


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## one_speed (Jun 30, 2003)

> In the US, 700c and 29" are interchangable. One usually refers to road bike and the other to mountain bikes


Define interchangeable. Sorry, I generally don't get into these discussions online, but you're not making a lot of sense. These numbers refer to tire size and are not interchagable. And yes, I'm in the US. And no, those are not the same.




> 28" is not really ever used, unless you're buying tubes made by Contenintal (at which point it means 700c).


Dude, you're killing me here. 28" in no way means 700c. It is used quite frequently when discussing tire size, especially differentiating between cross and 29er mtb tires. 



> 27" is a completely different size used in 1970's and early 80's on road bikes - the tubes are interchangable with 700c, but the tires and rims are not.


I agree with this and would say the same. As to the above, I think you need to do a little more reading. Or simply discuss it with a good shop to get your goods in order.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

Straight from Sheldon Brown:

Fractional........ISO...................Applications 
29 inch............622 mm............This is a marketing term for wide 622 mm ("700c") tires 
28 x 1 5/8........622 mm............Northern European designation for 622 mm (700 C)
27 x anything...630 mm............Older road bikes 
(Lifted from http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html)

Am I missing something here?


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

Tire size definitely plays no role in this discussion. 700c, 28" road tires (in Northern Europe), 29" mtb tires *all fit on rims with the same BSD* (of 622).


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## one_speed (Jun 30, 2003)

jmoote said:


> Tire size definitely plays no role in this discussion. 700c, 28" road tires (in Northern Europe), 29" mtb tires *all fit on rims with the same BSD* (of 622).


I'm not disagreeing with this in any way. But, a 700c tire is not the same as a 29" tire, as it was stated above. It must just be a matter of interpretation.


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## artnshel (Jun 29, 2004)

If I remember correctly Latex tubes don't stretch as uniformly as butyl. I wouldn't go undersized.


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

29" tire = 700x50 (or larger) tire

If you think diameter defines what 700c means how can you have both a 700x19 track tire and 700x42 touring tire?


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## toaster (Sep 14, 2009)

Michelin latex tubes are the best. I've been running them on my road bike for thousands of miles with no problem. Latex tubes are the best way to reduce rolling resistance except for perhaps going tubeless.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

The term 29" tire is not a literal measurement in the US, it's an approximate diameter of the tire itself, same as 26" MTB tires. 700c and 29" (in the US) are interchangeable as far as the rim is concerned.

I tried latex tubes in MTB tires some years ago (12-15 years?), they rode very well but they pinch flatted pretty easily. If they are similar to the way they were back then I don't think they would make good cross tubes.


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

cx world has the challenge superlights on sale for $8.99. simon burney sez in his book not to "be tempted to use standard road tubes, as these are too narrow and will have to stretch too much to fill the space."


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## toaster (Sep 14, 2009)

davidka said:


> ... I tried latex tubes in MTB tires some years ago (12-15 years?), they rode very well but they pinch flatted pretty easily. If they are similar to the way they were back then I don't think they would make good cross tubes.


Sounds like the voice of recent experience. Really, 12-15 years ago? Can you even remember the brand?

Did they have carbon fiber bikes back then and I wonder what they were saying about carbon breaking and cracking and everything else. Times have changed.


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## justinb (Nov 20, 2006)

As a user of 26" MTB tubes in my 29er tires, I can attest that works. I've also tried 700x35 tubes in my 29er (all I had), and the tube is stretched far too much, especially around the valve stem area where it won't fill out completely. 

IME, girth is more important than circumference, when choosing a tube. As such, I would consider running a 26"x1.5" tube in my cross tires before a 700x23 tube.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

toaster said:


> Sounds like the voice of recent experience. Really, 12-15 years ago? Can you even remember the brand?
> 
> Did they have carbon fiber bikes back then and I wonder what they were saying about carbon breaking and cracking and everything else. Times have changed.


 I actually don't remember what the brand was (they were pink) but aside from two other posters on this thread, my 12-15 year old experience is the only other first-hand experience being shared here. Times may have changed but this forum thread is the first discussion about latex tubes I have been a part of since I tried them all that time ago.

Since you're new, yes, there were carbon fiber frames back then (Giant, Alan, Specialized, Trek, Miyata, etc.). Cracking wasn't a problem, de-bonding at the alloy lugs was the problem. ;-)


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## OTG (Nov 16, 2001)

I just ran the Michelin tubes in my Michelin Mud 2s, and had no problems at all with inflation levels (one race, one trail ride). Seemed to inflate just fine around the valve stem.
Only a couple of rides so far though; it's possible (though I think unlikely) that the seam will have issues with durability.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

Looks like the cxworld sale is over. 

Are latex tubes as tempramental as people say? If you swap a tire, you can't reuse the tube? How many hours/days before you really need to add air?


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## one_speed (Jun 30, 2003)

They work the same as a regular tubes. You can swap them around, etc. You need to inflate every day or two, but that's about the only functional difference.


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

MarvinK said:


> Looks like the cxworld sale is over.
> 
> Are latex tubes as tempramental as people say? If you swap a tire, you can't reuse the tube? How many hours/days before you really need to add air?


 yeah, i saw. was having to order new tubes last nite (the LBS's around here only have qualitys or bontragers and i like smooth presta valves) and decided the latex weren't worth the extra money and went with the michelin C2s.
you do have the check the tire pressure before every ride with latex, but otherwise, there's not a whole lotta difference between latex and butyl. they can even be patched with a vulcanizing patch (not the instant patch, tho'). i've found that after a year, they can get the little black marks on them (mildew?) which weaken the tube and lead to flats.


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