# Forte Tubes - Worst Tube EVER



## liu02bhs (Dec 30, 2001)

This is my complain/warning blog. Performance Bike's new Forte tubes must have gotten re-sourced, because they are HORRIBLE. I've had luck with the ones in a different packaging from years ago. But I recently, I bought about 7 of the tubes from them. All of them puncture, well that's not the right word. All of them had defect at the same place, at the back of the valve stem. They only last about 2-3 rides and then, you are S.O.L. I've gone through 5 of them already. At first I thought it was my wheels or tires. So I tried switching wheel/tire combination, but it doesn't seem to help. This is so making my bike rides so much less enjoyable. I'm never buying a Forte tube AGAIN!


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## Hairnet (Dec 17, 2006)

*Michelin Airstop Butyl *- the best damn tubes money can buy.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

they have had bad tubes as long as I can remember... the valve separates from the tube


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

*No more for me*

I had problems with them too. Once, while I was slowly rolling to a light I had one let go at the stem . I replaced it only to have the new stem pull off as I was inflating it with a co2.
That was it for me.No more, no matter what the price.


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## slitespd (Nov 2, 2004)

How so on those Michelins? Not arguing the point, just want to know your reasoning.

On the Performance tubes, I too have had good results in the past, that's too bad that maybe that have changed vendors and gone on to perhaps a lesser quality product!


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## cydswipe (Mar 7, 2002)

*tubes.*

I don't know who makes tubes for who. I'm sure that there are companies that make the same tube that gets put into 4 or 5 different boxes. I do have to agree with Hairnet's Michelin comment. I've purchased one of those 5 years ago and have put a lot of miles on it. Never a problem, it holds air better than others I have on different wheels, and I bought it on a whim.


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## TCR1rider (Jun 16, 2006)

liu02bhs, I thought it was just me that noticed the degradation in quality of Performance's tubes. After deciding it was more than just a run of bad luck or coincidence, I too went the way of Hairnet and ordered Michelin tubes, and will not go back to the Performance brand. This is a case where saving a couple of bucks just doesn't pay off.

Speaking of getting outsourced to a different vendor, I never used to have any problems with Performance's tubes when they came in a blue box, the latest tubes I ordered from them that seemed to be of inferior quality came in a white box that said "Forte" on them. Has anybody else noticed that's when the quality declined?


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## burkeqc (Sep 25, 2006)

I had one of the performance light tubes, where the valve separated from the tube. I thought it was a isolated situation, now I wonder.


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## DMoore (Feb 4, 2004)

*Don't know how quality could get any worse*

A few years ago Performance had their tubes on sale, the ones in the blue box. I bought 10. 6 of them were defective right out of the box. Any now people say they're getting worse? Unbelievable.


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## freddie10 (Feb 12, 2006)

I've had the LunarLights in a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pro's since Feburary with not one flat!!!! Go figure.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

FWIW I've had two Nashbar tubes also blow out at the valve stem in the last couple of months. They come in a plain white box, but ultimately they're probably from the same factory as the forte tubes.


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## fixedpigs (Jun 3, 2007)

*fwiw...*

for what it's worth...

the overwhelming majority of tubes are either made by kenda or cheng shin...


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## Notgoodbutslow (Jan 10, 2005)

I used to buy the forte tubes in 10 packs. Last year, I flatted ahead of a good summer thunderstorm and pulled out the first of my two forte tubes. The valve blew out of the barrel after inflation. Oh well. Took out my second tube. 650c tube in a 700c box. Oh happy day. Thankfully, one of my buddies had a spare (that's what buddies are for  God Bless 'em)
Call me unlucky, but I returned the remainder of my 10 pack and swapped them out for michelins. Never a problem since.


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## walrus (Jan 29, 2004)

FatTireFred said:


> they have had bad tubes as long as I can remember... the valve separates from the tube



I've had the same problem with all 5 or 6 I bought during a sale a few years ago.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Michelin Airstop Butyl's are no longer made in France. They are no longer 70 grams, and they are not made as well. They are not crap, but they aren't as good as they used to be.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Maybe it is Performances way of getting us to buy more expensive tubes........


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## dougneb (Jul 4, 2007)

*Return them all*



Notgoodbutslow said:


> Call me unlucky, but I returned the remainder of my 10 pack and swapped them out for michelins. Never a problem since.


Remainder? Return them all! Performance has a no questions asked return policy. If the tubes don't fill the bill, send them back.

I've had pretty good luck with Performance Tubes, but I flatted two on my way home Tuesday. I'm attributing the flats to punctures though, thanks to my new Hutchison Carbon Comps that are being returned to Performance Bike in a few days.


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

Will they get better or worse?

July 05, 2007 - GREENWICH, CT (BRAIN)--It appears that Performance Inc, the industry's leading specialty mail-order company with a fast-growing chain of bicycle stores, has a new partner, the Greenwich, CT, private equity firm North Castle Partners.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

I've never had any problems with the Perf tubes. I buy the long stem lightweight (not Lunar light) ones in bulk when they go on sale which is often. I think the same factory in China churns out most of the tubes sold anyway.


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## seany916 (Feb 8, 2006)

Contis have worked really well for me.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*I Thought*



MR_GRUMPY said:


> Michelin Airstop Butyl's are no longer made in France. They are no longer 70 grams, and they are not made as well. They are not crap, but they aren't as good as they used to be.


I noticed something wrong with my latest set.

Hey, does this apply to aircomps -- the lightweight ones?
How about the latex ones?


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*agree...*

I tried a 10-pack o' the things when I first got into cycling, and they're the only TUBES I know that are bad enough to be worth saying anything about. I mean, it's a friggin' tube, right?

Michelin is my choice, but vittoria and conti seem decent too.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

i, too noticed a change in the tubes when they started badging them as FORTE this year. maybe it is just me, but i have had 7 flats this season. 2 from a suspect rim strip. if i rule those out, i still get 5. this last one looked like a tiny pin prick. possibly from a thorn, but there was nothing wrong with the tire...
in the past i had a few issues with the valve, but i returned those to the store and they were ok with it.
i have three more forte tubes. once they are gone i will probably try "real" tubes. i hate spending twice as much, but i would have gladly paid $5 for the time back from those puncture rides...


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

I haven't had any problems with the Performance tubes that I have that came in the blue box marked Performance, not Forte. The tubes are a few years old as I haven't had to replace any in over a year.

Based upon what others have been saying here, I'll avoid the Forte brand tubes when I need new ones.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

I bought a 10-pack (blue boxes) about 7 months ago. Five of them have had separation issues at the valve stem. One separated on the first air fill.

Initially, I thought I was just a clutz and putting too much strain on them removing the pump chuck...but, the problem is that the tubes suuuucccckkk.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Oxtox said:


> I bought a 10-pack about 7 months ago. Five of them have had separation issues at the valve stem. One separated on the first air fill.
> 
> Initially, I thought I was just a clutz and putting too much strain on them removing the pump chuck...but, the problem is that the tubes suuuucccckkk.


take em back...performance sucks, but they do take pretty much anything back


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## Remyrw (Mar 9, 2004)

older blue boxes seem to be decent, but I guess I'll have to pick something better when I need more. I have had good luck with the performance tubes I bought a few years back but I also don't put nearly as many miles on them as most folks. That said, i think I'll pick up a higher quality spare at the shop today to carry with me on rides. It sounds like most of the problems are happening immediately on inflation so I can chance my older ones when replacing them at home but not on the road.


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## umatillawheelman (Oct 31, 2006)

two flats in 15 mins, found out it was the liner cutting off the valve. liner slipped or something. new liner, no probs. mavic wheels. 

cole


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## john yeider (Feb 15, 2010)

*Stay Away From Forte*

Indeed something has gone wrong. I have experienced the same issues listed herein, and others. The problems were with Forte branded Road Presta 700 x 23 - 26 and Road Presta 700 x 28 - 32 sizes. No issues prior to the rebranding to Forte from Performance.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

john yeider said:


> Indeed something has gone wrong. I have experienced the same issues listed herein, and others. The problems were with Forte branded Road Presta 700 x 23 - 26 and Road Presta 700 x 28 - 32 sizes. No issues prior to the rebranding to Forte from Performance.


yup...they are cheap, but they suck.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

john yeider said:


> Indeed something has gone wrong. I have experienced the same issues listed herein, and others. The problems were with Forte branded Road Presta 700 x 23 - 26 and Road Presta 700 x 28 - 32 sizes. No issues prior to the rebranding to Forte from Performance.


And they sucked 2.5 years ago when someone started this thread.


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## john yeider (Feb 15, 2010)

Guess I should have joined earlier...


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## QQUIKM3 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Never a problem. . .*



Argentius said:


> Hey, does this apply to aircomps -- the lightweight ones?
> How about the latex ones?


I've been very successfully using the Michelin latex tubes for about 8 years. Just bought a set of 8 off Ebay a few months ago. The latex ones are made in France.


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Does anyone have anything good to say about Forte products? I was thinking about getting the carbon bottle cages, thinking, that's a good way to go, they can't screw up cages and i can get them for about $20...well the revirews on the cages were horrible. I would have thought tubes would of been fine, but I guess you get what you pay for.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Tommy Walker said:


> Does anyone have anything good to say about Forte products? I was thinking about getting the carbon bottle cages, thinking, that's a good way to go, they can't screw up cages and i can get them for about $20...well the revirews on the cages were horrible. I would have thought tubes would of been fine, but I guess you get what you pay for.


I read that their stems are quite the value for their weight (~135g, and about $35 when on sale). Haven't heard about failures on them, and was looking to get one this week but they lack the selection for more acute angles. Their derailleur pulleys are pretty good as well despite the fact that they're not designed without lateral angle play in-mind. I used them myself. Same goes with their CTR riser, rim tape, and seatpost clamp - nothing amazing, but works out well.

Otherwise, I've had a fair share of lame tubes from them, although I got the LunarLight working for almost a week. The Titan wheel was a rebuilding disaster for me.


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## vw_steggie (Mar 27, 2007)

Tommy Walker said:


> Does anyone have anything good to say about Forte products? I was thinking about getting the carbon bottle cages, thinking, that's a good way to go, they can't screw up cages and i can get them for about $20...well the revirews on the cages were horrible. I would have thought tubes would of been fine, but I guess you get what you pay for.


The thorn-resistant tubes are great for training and touring. I wouldn't race on them unless the roads were real bad. Never had a flat with Pro2's, GP4000's, any Veloflex and open corsa EVO CX's.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1034747_-1_1500502_20000_1500506


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## daniell (Apr 12, 2002)

Previous to buying performance tubes, I don't remember having so much trouble ripping valves when inflating them. Does anyone know of any quality issues with tubes from either Jensonusa or Pricepoint.com?


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## filly (Feb 6, 2003)

i've only used perf tubes and never a problem. for those with valve stem separation, are you just pulling the chuck off the stem without holding the stem with your other hand? if you're just yanking the chuck off, you're doing it wrong to begin with. you should try to exert some opposite force on the stem while you're pulling the pump head off.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

I have many of their mid-weight tubes bought about 4 years ago. Have been ok for me but I do prefer the Michelin versions.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

filly said:


> i've only used perf tubes and never a problem. for those with valve stem separation, are you just pulling the chuck off the stem without holding the stem with your other hand? if you're just yanking the chuck off, you're doing it wrong to begin with. you should try to exert some opposite force on the stem while you're pulling the pump head off.


I never had a problem with "performance" branded tubes, but the newly branded "forte" tubes seem to be a different beast altogether. I've had them outright fail at the seams. I'd rather pay a few more $$ for brand name that actually work.


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## frdfandc (Nov 27, 2007)

I've been using the Forte tubes for almost 2 years without issue. However, i have seen that there was a small batch that had a small problem with possible pin holes around the valve stem base. That was a couple of months ago. Haven't seen anything since Turkey day with pin hole problems.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

I noticed that, too, when I bought my set of latex tubes for this season -- 2 years later, zombie thread FTW!


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Tommy Walker said:


> Does anyone have anything good to say about Forte products? I was thinking about getting the carbon bottle cages, thinking, that's a good way to go, they can't screw up cages and i can get them for about $20...well the revirews on the cages were horrible. I would have thought tubes would of been fine, but I guess you get what you pay for.


I can say some good things about Forte' stuff. Not all of it, of course, but some of the things I've bought have been just fine. I got carbon bottle cages for Christmas a few years ago. Nothing wrong there. They hold the bottles tightly, are strong enough, they look good. These are the ones I got: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//Product_10052_10551_1024942_-1___ I've never had a problem with Forte' tubes. I don't particularly like them because they have threaded stems and I like smooth ones. When I Have bought them, they've been fine. I have a Forte CF fork on one of my bikes. It's been on the bike for about 4 years at ~ 5000 mi/year. I like it fine. No, I don't race anymore, but I do like my share or "spirited" riding. The fork with a CF steerer BTW, has satisfied me completely in addition to lopping more than a pound off my bike. Forte' sunglasses are, quite frankly, the only cycling glasses I ever buy. Forgive me if I'm being a cheap a$$, but the day I pay $80 - $175 for a pair of sunglasses they'll be serving ice water in hell. I have these : http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//Product_10052_10551_1024715_-1___. They're extremely comfortable, lenses are easy to change, look good, distortion free, and came with a really spiffy case. Sorry - I can't see anything wrong there. I used to wear Oakleys. I've got some news for you...these are better. If I got an offer to trade for a pair of Oakleys I probably would, but only because I could sell the Oakleys and get a pair of Quattros and a bunch of other stuff I need. 

I've been riding and racing (adult riding) for 45 years, so I'm not exactly inexperienced. Some accuse me of being a Luddite, but I'm absolutely not. I just like practical stuff and progress that's actually an improvement.

_Steps off soapbox - goes to kitchen for a glass of milk._


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## filly (Feb 6, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> I never had a problem with "performance" branded tubes, but the newly branded "forte" tubes seem to be a different beast altogether. I've had them outright fail at the seams. I'd rather pay a few more $$ for brand name that actually work.


i hear ya barkin', dog. seriously, i think i'll try some different tubes next purchase, because i am not a fan of threaded stems. other than that, the tubes have been ok by me.


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## RC28 (May 9, 2002)

Been using Forte tubes for 3-4 years now (since they were just labeled Performance and came in the all blue box) and I have had zero problems with them. They've been a good value for me, especially when I was able to get 10 for $20. I like the fact that their valves are long enough to work with most rims. 

Recently I bought some PricePoint tubes and they have worked well, although their short valve limits my options somewhat.


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## AlexCad5 (Jan 2, 2005)

liu02bhs said:


> This is my complain/warning blog. Performance Bike's new Forte tubes must have gotten re-sourced, because they are HORRIBLE. I've had luck with the ones in a different packaging from years ago. But I recently, I bought about 7 of the tubes from them. All of them puncture, well that's not the right word. All of them had defect at the same place, at the back of the valve stem. They only last about 2-3 rides and then, you are S.O.L. I've gone through 5 of them already. At first I thought it was my wheels or tires. So I tried switching wheel/tire combination, but it doesn't seem to help. This is so making my bike rides so much less enjoyable. I'm never buying a Forte tube AGAIN!


 Are you using the nut that comes with the tube? If you are, DON'T. It sounds like you may be over tightening the nut (if you are using it.) Over-tightening will cause the rim to cut the tube at the base of the valve stem. FWIW


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Not to immaturely add to the Performance/Forte hate, but am I the only one who noticed their prices for pretty much everything went up?


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## rtarh2o (Dec 18, 2009)

Went to my LBS the other day and picked up a couple tubes, he had a stack of tubes laying out, pyramid or some brand. I asked him if he had any others, hoping for a lighter tube and he went on telling me there were only 2 tube manufacturers in the world, they are all the same he said. 
I didn't feel like standing around arguing with him, I know he was trying to make the point that just because a tube has a brand name on it doesn't mean they actually made the tube and that the "no name" tubes are the same as the more expensive brand name tubes. 
I am sure this is the case in most instances but only 2 manufacturers? Come on, that can't be true. 
I have seen names on tubes of more than two, there is something like Chen Shin, I know I have seen Goodyear on some years ago, I would assume Michelin might even make their own?
Back to the topic though, I bought a few Forte tubes the last year or so and haven't had any problems. 

Rusty


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

Ventruck said:


> Not to immaturely add to the Performance/Forte hate, but am I the only one who noticed their prices for pretty much everything went up?


They've had a bad year, sales wise, and are trying to make it up. But don't worry, come spring, everything will be on sale, as usual. :shocked:

To OP, I've had great luck with Continental tubes, too. OTOH, the Perf tubes I've used haven't given me any problems, either. Good advice about not yanking the pump off the valve stem, and also not tightening the nut. The only reason to have the nut is it prevents the tube from pushing in when attaching the pump. The less the valve moves around, the better.


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## daniell (Apr 12, 2002)

I was wondering whether tubes with long valves would be more likely ripped than shorter ones. The longer valves serves as a lever putting more pressure on the valve tube interface.

Opinions Please


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## jrz1 (Mar 15, 2006)

To the guy asking about Performace/Forte carbon cages - I have had two of them for over five years and they continue to work great and actually weighed what they claimed (25 g. each)!! I have never used their regular tubes but was a long time user of their lunar lite ultra light tubes before I switched from clincher to tubular tires. I had no problems with the lunar lites. I was constantly kidded by my biking buddies that riding with such thin/light tubes was courting disaster but I actually had no more flats than they did.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

jrz1 said:


> To the guy asking about Performace/Forte carbon cages - I have had two of them for over five years and they continue to work great and actually weighed what they claimed (25 g. each)!! I have never used their regular tubes but was a long time user of their lunar lite ultra light tubes before I switched from clincher to tubular tires. I had no problems with the lunar lites. I was constantly kidded by my biking buddies that riding with such thin/light tubes was courting disaster but I actually had no more flats than they did.


I've never had problems with Performance tubes either--even the lunar lights, but when they changed to the Forte brand I think they must have changed manufacturers and the quality control went way downhill. Hopefully it was just a bad batch and they've since figured it out.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*I've thought about that.*



daniell said:


> I was wondering whether tubes with long valves would be more likely ripped than shorter ones. The longer valves serves as a lever putting more pressure on the valve tube interface.
> 
> Opinions Please


The longer valves are easier to bend, like when you put on the air chuck. But the little nut gently finger tight, seems to take care of that. I guess the longer leverage might work a cut at the bottom of the stem quicker, but I've never seen any anecdotal evidence to support that.


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## Bruce X. (Nov 19, 2008)

Thought it was just me. I bought a Forte tube and the stem broke right off right after I labored to install it on the rim as I was pumping it up with air.

I was just going to eat the 5 bucks it cost for the tube but this thread reminded me to take that sucker back in and exchange it for another brand of tube or some chamois cream.:thumbsup:


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

I had the opposite problem. This was several years ago, but I bought some Michelin tubes and most of them were bad out of box with holes. Recently bought some Performance lightweight tubes and so far no problem. It also seems tubes keep getting more expensive. 
I remember Michelin's used to be seamless but not anymore.


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## wetpaint (Oct 12, 2008)

I had a bad batch of Forte tubes this summer, 10+ of them were garbage, everything from bad valves to the rubber splitting at the base of the valve to massive failures. I'm back to using Specialized tubes now!


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## Zachariah (Jan 29, 2009)

IMHO...any tube under 50g is gonna suck. I went to a 70g Specialized Turbo tube and finally found peace of mind at 45mph...


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## Paverider (Oct 29, 2010)

*Forte Tubes - Hazardous*

I bought 6 tubes (700Cx25, long stem) and they all exploded by spliting at the seam (foot long split) and causing my tires to come off the rim. The tires were good quality Vittoria Open Corsa CX and tire pressure was 115-120psi, 175lb rider. The tubes exploded under stress standing on a climb or descending. I almost crash on a fast descent - pretty scary situation. Do not buy these tubes at any cost! they are a hazard. I have placed a complaint with the Consumers Protection Agency and have send them a sample batch. 

AGAIN...SAVE YOURSELF FROM AN ACCIDENT AND AVOID THESE CRAPY TUBES AT ANY COST.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

Hairnet said:


> *Michelin Airstop Butyl *- the best damn tubes money can buy.


I totally agree.
I have used them for years and they are great.
Once you get over worrying about weight, these 90+gm tubes are terrific.
I use them on my FG, and almost never flat.

john


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## f3rg (May 11, 2008)

I've had good luck over the years with their 1.5-1.9" Lunar Lite tubes on my MTB, but only for rail-trail riding.


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## Sierrarider (Feb 26, 2015)

Have used Forte tubes in the past with luck, but NO MORE. Had about 300 miles on new tube and tire and had just did a 30 MPH downhill and stopped at a creek to eat. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a LARGE explosion sound. My NEW tube blew up, luckly it didn't damage my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again!!!


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## Sierrarider (Feb 26, 2015)

Have used Forte tubes in the past with no problems, up to now. Had just did a 30 mph downhill and was eating lunch along side a creek. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a very loud explosion. By rear tube blew up. It had only about 300 miles on it. Luckly it did not harm my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again.


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## factory feel (Nov 27, 2009)

Have used Forte tubes in the past with no problems, up to now. Had just did a 30 mph downhill and was eating lunch along side a creek. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a very loud explosion. By rear tube blew up. It had only about 300 miles on it. Luckly it did not harm my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again.


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## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm guessing that the Forte tubes are the same that MEC in Canada sells.
I notice some of their bikes like Ridleys are available only at these stores in that spec and other items are similar.

Have a a look at the stellar reviews for these tubes:
https://www.mec.ca/en/brand/mec/pro...nts/tires,-tubes,-wheels-and-hubs/tubes/c/852

The reviews are similar: A few years ago they were great but they must have changed suppliers, because now theyre total ****, and probably made from it.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

Sierrarider said:


> Have used Forte tubes in the past with luck, but NO MORE. Had about 300 miles on new tube and tire and had just did a 30 MPH downhill and stopped at a creek to eat. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a LARGE explosion sound. My NEW tube blew up, luckly it didn't damage my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again!!!


Was the bead of the tire separated from the rim? If so, the tire wasn't seated properly all the way around. 

Never heard of a tube blowing out any other way. its user error.


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## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

It can be more than that. after a couple of busted tubes i inflated one out of the box and it leaked out of a hole. Then others, the same.


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## biscut (Dec 15, 2016)

Lots of similar products are outsourced to the same manufacturer. But not the same quality control or oversight. Carbon anything is a pretty good example. While you certainly suffer the "R n D" cost of a good quality carbon layup; most top tier products will have a higher quality resin along with more skilled process for manufacture. 

The real decision becomes end use...at least imho. I'm a Clyde, think linebacker on a bike) And have pounded and pounded Trek and Santa Cruz carbon on downhill and enduro type mountain bikes. Amazing quality. But you pay for it. It lead me to a trek carbon road bike. I'm loving it. 

While the principal of diminishing returns is omnipresent in the bike world...you do often get an actual top tier product when you pay for it. Is it worth it?? Buyer decides. But if I go Dura Ace over my current Ultegra...im getting a "higher grade" product. Just might not have the skillset to realize it.


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Sierrarider said:


> Have used Forte tubes in the past with luck, but NO MORE. Had about 300 miles on new tube and tire and had just did a 30 MPH downhill and stopped at a creek to eat. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a LARGE explosion sound. My NEW tube blew up, luckly it didn't damage my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again!!!


Dredging up a zombie thread from 10 years ago.......somehow I knew it was a newbie.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

.je said:


> It can be more than that. after a couple of busted tubes i inflated one out of the box and it leaked out of a hole. Then others, the same.


I just returned two Forte tubes I bought a few days ago after reading this thread. :cryin:

They didn't have any 700 x 28-32C, so I kept the Forte. So now I gotta pump them up and see if they're any leaks! 

I replaced a Specialized tube the other day that had a really slow leak. It's probably at least 10 years old. Dipping it in water, it was "sweating" on a seam. If the seam suddenly separated, the tire would contain it from exploding off the rim, wouldn't it? Maybe not.


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## walrus (Jan 29, 2004)

I once long I bought a bunch of Performance tubes on sale, they all tore at the stem. Now I use ichelin Airstop, haven't had any problems.


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## dirt farmer (Jun 7, 2016)

No Time Toulouse said:


> Dredging up a zombie thread from 10 years ago.......somehow I knew it was a newbie.


It's good to see you've brought your bikeforums.net persona with you!


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

Fredrico said:


> If the seam suddenly separated, the tire would contain it from exploding off the rim, wouldn't it? Maybe not.


If that happened going fast, I don't think it matters - you're in big trouble. A sudden flat, regardless of the tire staying on the rim or not, is dangerous, especially if it's the front.


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## BlazingPedals (Apr 4, 2013)

Sierrarider said:


> Have used Forte tubes in the past with luck, but NO MORE. Had about 300 miles on new tube and tire and had just did a 30 MPH downhill and stopped at a creek to eat. My bike was laying in the grass for about a half an hour when there was a LARGE explosion sound. My NEW tube blew up, luckly it didn't damage my ZIPP rims or new tire. Will never buy Forte again!!!


Thanks for resurrecting a zombie thread, but an exploding tire tells me the tube was pinched under the bead. When that happens, it can take anywhere from a minute to several days but eventually it will blow off the rim. Don't blame the tube for this one. 

BTW, after 7 years, I'd expect that Forte fixed their QC problem.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

stanseven said:


> If that happened going fast, I don't think it matters - you're in big trouble. A sudden flat, regardless of the tire staying on the rim or not, is dangerous, especially if it's the front.


No kidding!  

Still, I've never heard of a tire blowing off a rim, unless the bead isn't seated evenly all way around the rim. A split on a seam would not do it, IME/IMO. The tire casing would hold it in.


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