Best latex tube - which one?

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MattSoutherden
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by MattSoutherden

Yeah. The Vredestein's lose loads of air.

The biggest problem I had with them, though, is the valves - they keep failing and don't hold pressure.
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rainerhq
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by rainerhq

Pumped to 8 BAR and after 12 hours 2,7 BAR (no riding, bike was hanging on the wall)
Loss is 0,44 BAR/hour
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fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

The Vredestins are natural latex which will lose more air than the pink or green latex that Vittoria or Michelin use.


Are you saying that pigmented latex loses less air than natural latex?

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btompkins0112
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by btompkins0112

I am just saying that in my experience the pigmented latex holds air better than the unpigmented (natural) latex.....just my personal experience. It could be down to many factors, maybe thickness? Or possibly the pigmentation bonds some of the gaps? I really haven't a clue.

However, the natural latex rides much better!

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atakaoka
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by atakaoka

I'd say:test mounted on wheel whith full pressure on water.you may have a small puncture really hard to find.
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fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

However, the natural latex rides much better!


Couldn't agree more. :thumbup:

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basilic
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by basilic

rainerhq wrote:Pumped to 8 BAR and after 12 hours 2,7 BAR (no riding, bike was hanging on the wall)
Loss is 0,44 BAR/hour


This is not the porosity of latex, you must have a leak somewhere. This has happened to me once, and at first I didn't find the leak. But then I took my time, put the inflated tube in water, went slowly around, and found a tiny hole that emitted a micro-bubble every 3-4 seconds or so. Easy to miss.

Imaking20
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by Imaking20

My Vreds always leak down like mad as well. More than my vittoria latex tubes in clincher or tubbies.

fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

My Vreds always leak down like mad as well


Any latex inner tube should, typically, not be leaking more than two bar in 24 hrs.
AFAIK all higher end tubulars use unpigmented latex inner tubes.

There's no such thing as a problem with Vredestein latex inner tubes. I can well imagine there's a lack of knowledge on how to mount latex inner tubes though.
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mellowJohnny
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by mellowJohnny

Easiest way to mount them is to get someone to sew them inside a nice tubular for you...

;-)

1415chris
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by 1415chris

About this time a year ago, regarding the new Vttoria's facilities we could red:
"The Nanographyte technology makes it possible for Vittoria to produce latex inner tubes that are 100% air-tight as well as lightweight. With 30 grams these inner tubes are the lightest in the world."
Any light on these new tubes would be welcomed. Have they reached the shopping shelves yet?

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spytech
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by spytech

"Vittoria aim to introduce some key products with the new Nanographyte material in mid-2014 for the 2015 season."

6 months from now at the earliest.

mitchgixer6
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by mitchgixer6

fdegrove wrote:Hi,

Vulcanizing patches like Rema Tip Top work just as well for latex tubes as for butyl.


It works but then you find yourself with Half a Nelson.

Anyone use their brain any more?

Goodbye and good night, ;)


Just been reading this thread though, I don't understand the above comment. What's 'Half a Nelson'?

I've got a Rema patch on my Michelin latex tube and have been using it for approx 6 months with zero issues.

fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

If by "work" one means it actually sticks to the latex inner tube, then yes, it does.
But then what's the point of using latex inner tubes if one's going to patch them with something that has nowhere near it's superior elastic properties?

Half Nelson refers to a movie that goes by that title but never mind....

Ciao, ;)
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mitchgixer6
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by mitchgixer6

Your point is indeed valid, but considering that the tube cost me £9 I wasn't willing to put it in the bin due to one puncture.

Yes the patch isn't as elastic as the tube itself, but it only covers a very small area of the total tube. I certainly can't feel it whilst riding my bike, I'm usually too busy trying to avoid potholes to worry about such a small issue! I will put another patch on it if I flat again on the same tube, but would stop at 2 patches purely due to the fact that that's my limit on ANY tube.

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