First Time Latex Review

Jun 5, 18 14:07

Post #1 of 50 (6245 views)

I installed Latex tubes for the first time in my cycling career last week for my race this past weekend (racing 13 years) and all I can say is WOW!

I have used Tubulars before and they felt alright but I just hated messing with them in the long run - I installed the latex tubes with some GP4000 tires and yes I noticed the difference with the tubes in. I was in disbelief and they rolled smoothly!

I will forewarn though - I was camping after the race at the hottest part of the day I heard one of my tires explode (pumped to 100psi that morning) and I went running over to the bike wondering what was going on (and glad I was not riding). I thought it was from getting to hot at first - but when disassembling and inspecting the rim strip (plastic enve) was slightly lifted and bent and the 'ol latex tube found its way to push itself into the nipple hole!

I have now double wrapped both rims with stans tape!

I just wanted to say I am impressed and do recommend these bad mama jamma's to anyone on the fence.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 15:03

Post #2 of 50 (6158 views)

I can not tell any difference on my 4000 tires between latex and butyl. Since the latex tubes lose 10-15lbs per day, I will not be using them again. Some of the better butyl tubes on the market are suitably light weight and every bit as good and more reliable imho. Butyl tubes are cheaper too.

Re: First Time Latex Review [NealH] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 15:15

Post #3 of 50 (6141 views)

The reason to use latex is all about rolling resistance, not weight.

I use them only for racing, so losing pressure overnight is not a concern.

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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Re: First Time Latex Review [RowToTri] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 15:55

Post #4 of 50 (6091 views)

Losing pressure overnight isn't a problem if you set your pressure before every ride anyway.

The real benefits of latex tubes are the acoustics and the vibrant colors, worth every penny.

Re: First Time Latex Review [RowToTri] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 16:51

Post #5 of 50 (6023 views)

RowToTri wrote:

The reason to use latex is all about rolling resistance, not weight.

I use them only for racing, so losing pressure overnight is not a concern.

ditto for me.

I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 17:47

Post #6 of 50 (5958 views)

Hello teddygram and All,

Latex tubes all the time .... that is why we have pumps.

When I get ambitious I will try tubeless ..

My wheelbarrow has a no flat tire ..... you can drive a nail into it ......... just sayin'

Still dreaming of a no-flat tire with great Crr and great aero ....

And these examples are not there yet .... but it is good to see the trend.

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 17:52

Post #7 of 50 (5946 views)

I have some Silca tubes in the mail for my race wheels. Gatorskins on a pair of trispokes. That’s gonna be sooo fast!

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Re: First Time Latex Review [manofthewoods] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 18:00

Post #8 of 50 (5929 views)

manofthewoods wrote:

RowToTri wrote:

The reason to use latex is all about rolling resistance, not weight.

I use them only for racing, so losing pressure overnight is not a concern.

ditto for me.

For sure. Also, how hard is it to check tire pressure regularly?

------------------------------------------------------------
Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Re: First Time Latex Review [NealH] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 18:06

Post #9 of 50 (5918 views)

NealH wrote:

I can not tell any difference on my 4000 tires between latex and butyl. Since the latex tubes lose 10-15lbs per day, I will not be using them again. Some of the better butyl tubes on the market are suitably light weight and every bit as good and more reliable imho. Butyl tubes are cheaper too.

I can't tell the difference either. However I always use latex in races as the data that has been obtained about rolling resistance is well documented. I don't bother with latex in my training wheels to reduce the need to pump them up. I will say that I rode 30 miles with a tack in my front tire in Miamiman a couple of years ago and I'd say there's a good chance that the latex tube saved my race.

Re: First Time Latex Review [NealH] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 18:06

Post #10 of 50 (5916 views)

Quote:

can not tell any difference on my 4000 tires between latex and butyl.

I certainly can tell a difference and thats not even taking Crr into account

Quote:

Since the latex tubes lose 10-15lbs per day, I will not be using them again.

I cant think of the last time I went for a ride without putting air in my tires butyl or latex to make sure they were at the correct psi.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 18:07

Post #11 of 50 (5913 views)

Latex tubes with Conti GP 4000s really help smooth the ride on my stiff ass Ridley Noah. It’s a noticeable difference between regular butyl tubes. Yes, they lose pressure bit that’s the only bad thing about them. You can get multi pack deals on them if you look around

Re: First Time Latex Review [ridenfish39] [ In reply to ]

Jun 5, 18 18:27

Post #12 of 50 (5880 views)

I'm running 20x650c on an alu frame. I can most definitely feel the difference. 120 psi feels smoother than 100 on my old butyls. And no snakebites!

____________________________________
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is up to you.

Re: First Time Latex Review [Runorama] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 3:34

Post #13 of 50 (5734 views)

Butyl tubes are no longer something you can trust to hold air overnight.
They are cheap and leaky, no advantage over latex whatsoever.
If you cannot feel the difference immediately when you fit latex, you must be brain dead or running thres so slow that nothing will make them good.

Re: First Time Latex Review [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 4:09

Post #14 of 50 (5700 views)

Coincidentally enough - I too loaded up latex tubes on GP4000 S2 for the first time last week. I'm similarly gushing about the lovely plush ride feel.

Mine lose 15-20 psi overnight in a warm garage but that's only a couple of pumps with the track pump before next riding it, so who cares.

I'm a convert.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 4:30

Post #15 of 50 (5679 views)

When you install latex in future, shake them in a bag with baby powder before you install, makes them a little more slippery and less like to get pinched in between things.

Side note I always find it interesting that someone would go through the trouble of buying a TT bike but would leave some of the easiest time savings/$ out on the table because they don’t want to pump up their tires before each ride. I run latex in all my wheels for the ride and extra little bit of flat protection on our crappy roads.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 5:30

Post #16 of 50 (5620 views)

I've been using them for years and find them a little harder to install but just as reliable. I take the CRR improvements on faith.

I think they ride better but I also have an understanding how strongly expectations can affect perceptions. I haven't had the nerve to try a double blind study.

Re: First Time Latex Review [Thom] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 6:37

Post #17 of 50 (5550 views)

I like to think that I am in tune with my bike and yes they most certainly feel smoother to me and better, its not like going from Conti gatorskins to some Conti TT's in terms of rolling but it is most certainly a improvement over the butyl tube.

I also think they help soak up the road vibration and shock a little bit too - with that being said I probably will mainly run them in my race wheels, that is not because I don't believe in them but because I want to train with chit and race on gold!

Last edited by: teddygram: Jun 6, 18 6:38

Re: First Time Latex Review [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 6:41

Post #18 of 50 (5532 views)

lyrrad wrote:

Butyl tubes are no longer something you can trust to hold air overnight.
They are cheap and leaky, no advantage over latex whatsoever.

You're trying too hard.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 6:50

Post #19 of 50 (5517 views)

I couldn't agree more.

I switched from proprietary Giant branded butyl tubes and tires to Vittoria latex and GP4000's. I raced IM Raleigh 70.3 and the difference in comfort was unreal...I was on box rims too.

I just got HED Jet 5 and 9 in the mail just late enough to not have for Raleigh. I will be putting a 23mm GP4000 with latex up front and 25mm GP4000 with latex on the back. I will be doing Philadelphia Escape Tri with that setup...can't wait.

Re: First Time Latex Review [teddygram] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 6:53

Post #20 of 50 (5515 views)

Rim tape is an absolute must as you found out with latex. I've used Silca and the 3M tape... which I've read is close to.. if not the same as the Stan's for $.

Re: First Time Latex Review [xeon] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 6:59

Post #21 of 50 (5503 views)

I've decided to swap to latex tubes based on the fact that I always have to put 15-20 psi in my butyl tubes between rides anyway. Pump them up to 100 psi on Saturday and by Monday they are down to 60-70 psi.

Re: First Time Latex Review [Parkland] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 7:34

Post #22 of 50 (5466 views)

First post after reading for years so please be gentle :-)

I'm about to switch to latex for the first time this weekend and this thread got me thinking. Did you run the same PSI in the latex tubes as butyl? I understand that because of the loss of pressure you might want to go a few PSI higher before racking the bike in transition but is there anything inherently different about latex vs butyl that says you would want to actually get on the bike running a higher or lower tire pressure?

In other words, all other things being equal there should be lower CRR in a latex tube @110psi than a butyl tube @110 psi, but if you normally run a butyl tube @110psi is there an optimization to be had by having the latex tube at something different? BTW, I'm running 110psi because I'm a clydesdale @230 pounds and running lower pressures seems to increase the frequency of flats with butyl tubes.

Thanks.

Re: First Time Latex Review [C2B] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 9:07

Post #23 of 50 (5384 views)

C2B wrote:

First post after reading for years so please be gentle :-)

I'm about to switch to latex for the first time this weekend and this thread got me thinking. Did you run the same PSI in the latex tubes as butyl? I understand that because of the loss of pressure you might want to go a few PSI higher before racking the bike in transition but is there anything inherently different about latex vs butyl that says you would want to actually get on the bike running a higher or lower tire pressure?

In other words, all other things being equal there should be lower CRR in a latex tube @110psi than a butyl tube @110 psi, but if you normally run a butyl tube @110psi is there an optimization to be had by having the latex tube at something different? BTW, I'm running 110psi because I'm a clydesdale @230 pounds and running lower pressures seems to increase the frequency of flats with butyl tubes.

Thanks.

No need to change pressures when making the switch. You might lose 0.5-1 psi per hour, so it's really not enough to worry about. That 110 still sounds pretty high though. I hover darn near 200 most of the year and typically run a 23 front and 25 rear that measure closer to 25mm front and 27mm rear. I run them both around 82-85 psi. True optimization would probably involve coming down in pressure a bit more. What tires are you currently running? Any idea what width they actually measure? If not, what rims are those tires on?

Re: First Time Latex Review [dangle] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 9:25

Post #24 of 50 (5355 views)

dangle wrote:

C2B wrote:

First post after reading for years so please be gentle :-)

I'm about to switch to latex for the first time this weekend and this thread got me thinking. Did you run the same PSI in the latex tubes as butyl? I understand that because of the loss of pressure you might want to go a few PSI higher before racking the bike in transition but is there anything inherently different about latex vs butyl that says you would want to actually get on the bike running a higher or lower tire pressure?

In other words, all other things being equal there should be lower CRR in a latex tube @110psi than a butyl tube @110 psi, but if you normally run a butyl tube @110psi is there an optimization to be had by having the latex tube at something different? BTW, I'm running 110psi because I'm a clydesdale @230 pounds and running lower pressures seems to increase the frequency of flats with butyl tubes.

Thanks.

No need to change pressures when making the switch. You might lose 0.5-1 psi per hour, so it's really not enough to worry about. That 110 still sounds pretty high though. I hover darn near 200 most of the year and typically run a 23 front and 25 rear that measure closer to 25mm front and 27mm rear. I run them both around 82-85 psi. True optimization would probably involve coming down in pressure a bit more. What tires are you currently running? Any idea what width they actually measure? If not, what rims are those tires on?

I figured the 110psi part would draw attention, but thanks for answering the question too :-)

For races I'm running a Flo disc/90 or disc/30 depending on wind conditions. The latex tubes are going into the race wheels. I've got 23mm Continental 4000 S II's on them. I basically went with what Flo used in their original wind tunnel testing. I'll have one test ride before race day with the latex tubes.

For commuting, on the same bike, I've got Shimano RS10's with Gatorskins and an extra a kevlar insert with butyl tubes. A few years ago I read a bunch of threads here and even with my size factored in everything seemed to indicate I should be running pressure in the 90's. I started out around 90psi, then 95psi, then 100psi and then said f' it and jumped to 110psi. The problem was that I kept pinch flatting at the lower pressures. From the 90 to 100psi experiments over 6 months I probably pinch flatted at least 6 times, always with the tell tale snake bite holes. Once I jumped to 110psi I never pinch flatted again, but did keep getting occasional flats from small sharp rocks, glass, etc. so then I added the extra kevlar and haven't flatted since on a commute. The guys at the bike shop were thoroughly confused when I kept flatting on Gatorskins. I even changed out the tires at one point in case I got a bad set and it kept happening.

I've never flatted in a race, but it is the commuting experience that has me pumping the race setup to the same pressure.

Re: First Time Latex Review [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]

Jun 6, 18 9:43

Post #25 of 50 (5330 views)

lyrrad wrote:

Butyl
If you cannot feel the difference immediately when you fit latex, you must be brain dead or running thres so slow that nothing will make them good.

I can't feel an iota of difference in GP4000s or in Michelin Power Competition. But I probably ride a lot faster than you, so maybe I'm just humming over the pavement too quickly.

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