Blow-out - Michelin latex tube on SL23 rim

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rgrhon
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:03 am

by rgrhon

Svetty wrote:I'm 99.9% sure that there was no installation issue. I am very careful when fitting the tube/tyre and had ridden several hundred miles on this wheel without problems including 70+ kmh decent. On this occasion I was decending a 17% hill with a strong tailwind. The lack of air braking necessitated fairly heavy use of the brakes= heating of the rim= failure of latex tube. The tire is unblemished.
In retrospect the pressure was slightly higher than optimal and probably contributed to a 'perfect storm' scenario. ..........


Three problems I've had. First, I ran the new Vittoria Corsa G+ on carbon rims with latex tubes. The Corsas's seemed to trap a lot of extra heat under heavy braking. Stopped at the bottom of a hill to wait for friends and had a blowout right there. Tire was so hot It almost burned me. Switched to GP4000sii and solved the heat issue. Why? No idea but the GP combo was noticeably cooler to the touch. Latex hates heat.

Second, during the hot summer I bought several tubes that had failures, not blow-outs. I checked and they shipped through Phoenix, AZ. I think they sat in high heat for a long time. My solution - buy tubes in winter/early spring.

Third, I had to change my rim strips more often because they were pressing down into the holes in the rim, getting sharper and creating scuffing. Solved this by keeping pressure under 120 psi and changing rim strips every 5 months. Rim strips are very important with latex. FYI in a tubular, the latex tube is better padded/protected.

Hope this helps!

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TonyM
Posts: 3376
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:11 pm

by TonyM

I am using latex tubes for more than 30 years without any problems. Even now with carbon clinchers.

But...I always use talc, fit them meticulously, replace them with new tires, use only latex tubes from Michelin, Vittoria or sometimes Vredestein, never use levers, always use latex tubes in combination with Vittoria Open Corsa or Veloflex Corsa....and for alpine courses I use aluminum rims with latex tubes and not carbon rims.

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alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

No problem with latex here. Only had two flats and it was the tube that had rubbed against something on the rim. All rather slow leaking and nothing dramatic.

Dremeled away any sharp edges and it's been fine ever since.

I use Challenger tubes, they have a very poor review score online. Only ever bought two and they are fine. The leak never started from the tyre side. I always use talc when installing and use tire levers only occasionally to start the tire coming off. Ever since I've become more familiar with my rims I use the levers less and less.

/a

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