I use vittoria. Just take a little extra time during installation to make sure you aren't pinching the tube and you will be fine.
https://www.amazon.com/...rds=latex+bike+tubes

I use Michelin. Just blow into them with your mouth to give them shape before installing them.

Bontrager. Trek store.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

x2. I had bad luck with the green Michelin latex tubes, and have been using the Vittoria's for the past couple years. The Michelin tubes all seem to fail around the valve stem pretty quickly.

I have one for sale if you want to try one out "cheaply" as they are pretty pricey.

See my ad, http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ing=madison#p6202348.

Is it new or used and what brand is it? What is there to "try out" about the latex tubes compared to traditional tubes?

You would want to buy a pair.

No need to try them out. They just make you faster.

You can order Vittoria Latex tubes from here at $7.49 USD each: https://www.probikekit.com/...a-51mm/11121072.html

New, Michelin (green tube). Try out in the sense of not spending a lot.

But the link for the Vittoria ones through ProBikeKit seem like a good deal at that price.

Anybody use Vredestien latex tubes? Curious, because I don't hear them mentioned very often.

---

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

There may be the occasional "bad batch," I don't know. But generally all brands work very well. Buy when you see a deal. (I just bought ten. See above.)

Keep in mind that the vast majority of problems with latex tubes are caused by user error. Learn how to use them correctly and they'll save you watts and money.

The only downside is inflating them daily. No big deal unless you can't be bothered on your daily commuter. Otherwise, it's worth it.

So what you are saying is keep them on your race wheels and let it be. only inflate them for the occasional ride with your wheels before your races and for the race?

I have a road bike and tri bike that I ride on a regular basis 3-5x a week in summer between the two. I like my tires to be at certain psi before I take off for a ride. So refilling them 2-3x a week would not be advisable?

I've used them the past four years with both my Zipp 900 disc/404 combo and in my set of Enve 8.9's on my P4. Totally satisfied.....never a flat in four years of racing with them. I install a new pair along with a new set of Conti 4000sii every season.

Put the latex tubes on your everyday training wheels and check the pressure every time you ride.

Egg Celent. Latext tubes are my next luxury upgrade.

I used latex tubes on my tri bike all last season and loved them. No problems at all and definitely seemed to improve feel (they should have improved speed too but I've no way to verify that!)

I haven't been using the tri bike over winter with that set of wheels. It's relegated to the trainer with the stock set of wheels on it. The road bike has had all the outdoor rides since the end of last summer.
So, obviously the tyri-bike wheels have been sitting in a corner completely deflated for months. I'm curious if this is likely to cause any problems when I go to use them again? I know latex gloves etc can stick together if left sitting for long periods of time. So I'm wondering if there is any tendency for deflated latex tubes to not inflate properly after sitting idle and deflated for a while?

I had a pair of tubes go bad coming out of winter storage, but they had sealant in them which I assume caused the damage.

My other two pairs since have been trouble- and puncture-free (no sealant) despite several winters and off-seasons of complete deflation, so I'm assuming it's the humidity/stickiness of the sealant that caused the failure. Just make sure, if you're inflating from complete deflation, that the tyre isn't letting the tube through (same as when installing). This can be especially problematic with Open Tubular tyres, which tend to lie flat when deflated.

---

ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Great, thanks for the feedback. No sealant in mine. I'd heard about that being a storage problem alright.

I use the Vittoria latex tubes. My mileage was down last year due to cancer but I did manage to put in 5,600 miles with zero flats.

I never seem to see this mentioned but be very careful using latex tubes on a fluid trainer. I had forgotten to disengage my flywheel from the bike tire one night after a trainer ride and went out the next weekend for road ride. I flatted almost right away and it looked like the latex had actually melted where the flywheel was sitting against the tire.

Maybe this is common sense (I don't have much of it) but it never really occurred to me that this was a possible outcome.

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone mention Challenge latex tubes. I like them a lot. Vittorias are good and Vredesteins used to be fantastic, but they disappeared for a while. Now I see them around again, but I haven't tried them.

Michelins seem to go brittle/dry rot very quickly AND, they don't have removeable valve cores (unless they've changed in recent years). I like to use valve extenders that screw in, not on.

A few tips on using Latex tubes:

Lots of folks report installation problems. As another poster said, just blow a little air in by mouth to give the tube some shape and you shouldn't have any problem pinching the tube under the tire bead.

Inflate them daily. If you race with them (you're pretty crazy not to ... they're a pretty significant advantage) and you have to put your bike into transition the night before, be sure you have a way to top then off with a pump on race morning. I keep a small hand pump in my transition bag.

Don't use a latex tube for a spare. Latex tubes don't hold CO2 well at all. They leak CO2 faster than they leak air. Carry a butyl tube in your seat bag or flat kit.

If you buy extras, store them in a zip-lock bag. Exposure to air makes them brittle rather quickly. Once they're mounted up and inside a tire/rim, they last a good long time ... even through the winter in a cold garage (though I wouldn't take a bike that hasn't been ridden much through winter down off the hooks and go race it and have faith in any tubes inside).

---

Stay aero my friends.

how much pressure do you lose in 7/8 hrs? Just simulating an IM event

I would guess around 3 psi.