On Tue, 17 Jan 2017 09:33:24 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:38:12 +0700, John B.
wrote:

Inner tubes come in a myriad types and prices. If you buy the absolute
lightest, thinnest, tubes, they will leak, but if you buy thicker
inner tubes they will usually be cheaper and may leak a bit but not to
the "pump them up every day" extent.

Yep. That was also my theory. I would buy the cheapest tubes
available from a reputable discounter and expect to receive moderately
heavy and presumably thick inner tubes. I don't have a small
collection of cheap inner tubes. All seem to leak very slowly.

I keep planning to drag a few tubes down to the local auto tire
dealer, who has a proper dunk tank, and look for bubbles. I expect
the leaks to be really obvious as inflating the inner tube to a low
pressure without it being confined in a tire, causes any tiny holes to
greatly expand. For what it's worth, the tubes that seem to leak the
least were bought at a department store (K-mart).

It used to be that "sew ups", or "tubular's", were the last word in
bicycle tires and, as I remember it, they did require pumping up
practically every time you got on the bike. (and I don't remember
anyone complaining about it :-)

I have a set of wheels with sew ups somewhere. I last used them maybe
40 years ago. I've never raced, so sew ups offer no benefits to me. I
wonder if they still will hold air?


When you have a flat they are much faster to fix. Just rip the flat
off the rim and stick on another from the collection you have strapped
under the seat :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.