Ive used Velo plugs in all my wheels for the last 5 years, and just last year switched to latex tubes without an issue. In fact I have 10k miles, all on latex tubes, on my newest wheels and I reused the Velo plugs from my old wheels, so they're not as smooth around the edges as new ones would be (hard to no bend the edges trying to remove them).

Of course this is just my experience and I can't say you won't have issues but I'll continue to use them together.

I know there are some MTB guys that use Gorilla tape for rim tape. Is there any reason that wouldn't work as well? Or would you say the price doest justify its use in this case?

Beware veloplugs and the like with very light aluminum or carbon wheels. 9 out of 10 latex flats (that are not related to installation errors..which are probably the 9 out of 10 initial latex tube issues) in my experience have been due either to an extreme heat event caused under heavy braking, or caused by degradation of the tube caused by heat cycling while braking. If you pull your latex tubes and they are rippled or wrinkled..then you have heat damage and the solution is MORE COWBELL.. or actually TAPE.

Tubeless tape works well as it is both thin and smooth which helps with installation of the tire as it helps prevent pinching. It also helps slow the heat transfer from the rim to the tube..so think of it as a sort of insulating layer that is buys you time. On a test machine, a good rim tape can double the amount of time under extreme braking it takes to flat the tube.

What I'm saying here is that even if you use the plugs..you should use tape...

Gorilla tape will work, but it is both thick and a bit sticky, so save that for tubeless use as it will increase the likelihood of installation issues.

And to continue beating the drum.. YES to racing on latex and yes to keeping butyl as your spare.

Josh

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I fixed that for you.

How much sealant are you using inside the latex tube? Stans?

I use about 30 grams per tube.

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Hoping someone in here can answer to my concern regarding moving to latex.

I understand it is faster, rides better, gives better BJ's etc. My concern is that it seems that when latex does go flat, it goes flat in a big way. For example, one of my teammates switched to latex, reported that speed and ride was much better. Rode them for a few months then had a state road race championship. He stupidly changed to new tubes and tires about a week before the race, rode them 150 miles and all was good. During the race both tubes blew out in spectacular fashion.

The gashes in the tubes when we pulled them out were huge. It appeared maybe they were pinched when installed. Big problem was, he was in the peloton when they blew and by the time he got to the edge and got stopped he had trashed his carbon rim on the rough road surface. If he had been running butyl he would have had advanced warning of the tire going flat and could have got off the road before the tire fell off the rim and the rim got trashed. The latex lost all air immediately so by the time he got stopped the tire had rolled off and his rim was done.

Is it not more dangerous to have a tube that when it goes flat goes flat immediately rather than a slower leak? I would switch with my Zipp 404's on my roadie, but I am afraid of them going flat really fast and me trashing a rim.

Simply put he likely installed them wrong. Latex leaks slow just like butyl. The latex tube snuck out from underneath the tire and blow. This can happen with butyl too just they are more forgiving in the installation process.

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So with a puncture or tire sidewall blowout the latex is going to leak similar to the butyl?

Yes. Not to say there aren't some small differences in leak rates but yes, I have flatted many times on latex. It is a slowed controlled process. I also am familiar with what happens when a tire gets blown off the rim, which is what sounds like what happened to him.

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When you are getting the rim tape you go off the internal measurement of the rim correct?

Correct :)

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I've been riding and enjoying latex tubes on my tri bike for about a year but since I hadn't been riding my road bike much I hadn't gotten around to fitting latex tubes on it too. Time to change that I think!
I've been using the existing fibre tyre rim tape on my tri bike without any problems, but having read the comments on rim tape here, I'll order some Stans tubeless tape for the road bike.
I thought this might be a good place to ask about tube sizing. I've got 25mm GP4000s tyres on a 19mm internal rim width on the tri bike and I've been using Vittoria latex tubes in the 19-24mm size.
My road bike has 23mm GP4000sII tyres on 15mm rims, so I'll likely use the same here, or perhaps the Michelin alternative in 20-23mm size.
The question is whether there's any measurable difference in rolling resistance, or any other compelling reason to choose one size over the other. I presume it's best to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, but that's not always the case so worth asking. I would expect the smaller sizes are easier to install without pinching since there's less tube material to get inside the tyre? But when inflated the walls will be a little thinner and the wall tension slightly higher, so does that effect either rolling resistance, resilience or successful of sealant.
I think I may have seen a comment by Tom A or someone else on ST about tube sizing and rolling resistance before but maybe I imagined it!

I believe there was something out there by someone, can't remember who, that said the wider latex was a tiny bit faster. I could be wrong, so please hold this with a grain of salt.

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Has anyone had good luck repairing latex tube punctures? Is it recommended? Is there anything special needed?

BTW - I was hasty installing a latex tube last Saturday night before a Sunday morning race, and punctures two latex tubes (I used a tire iron for the install). The 3rd tube, sans tire iron, was a charm. Since latex tubes are expensive, and the tubes are new except for the puncture, I was thinking I should patch them.

Michael

I personally don't repair latex while I will patch Butyl all-day every-day.

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Nothing special needed - just a regular patch kit. Not much buffing required before applying the cement - just want to make sure you wipe off the talcum powder, etc. used for the original install.

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I have repaired a few tubes. I thought they were easier than butyl tubes too. Used them for training and racing for a season and had no issues with them at all.

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Do you glue them with a regular patch, or a cut piece of latex tube from an old tube? It seems that a regular patch wouldn't stretch at all.

I used a regular patch kit for mine. If you're worried you can demote it to training tube and get a new one for racing.

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I've cut up old tubes for patches. Seems to work fine, and reportedly no increase in crr.