Should latex tubes look the same when you remove them as when you put them in? I took out a pair of tubes last night. They had been mounted for about two weeks for about 500 miles. Each little crease and seam in the rim tape caused what looks to be a small deformation in the tube…imagine stretch marks leaving very thin portions of tube afterwards. This was scary to my untrained eye. Is this normal? I’m hoping to re-use them for upcoming races.
When I installed them I put electrical tape on top of the rim tape to make sure everything was as smooth as possible. I gave everything a good dusting with talc then went through the whole bead checking process before bringing them up to full pressure.
Normal. They always look like that when you remove them.
Should latex tubes look the same when you remove them as when you put them in? I took out a pair of tubes last night. They had been mounted for about two weeks for about 500 miles. Each little crease and seam in the rim tape caused what looks to be a small deformation in the tube…imagine stretch marks leaving very thin portions of tube afterwards. This was scary to my untrained eye. Is this normal? I’m hoping to re-use them for upcoming races.
When I installed them I put electrical tape on top of the rim tape to make sure everything was as smooth as possible. I gave everything a good dusting with talc then went through the whole bead checking process before bringing them up to full pressure.
Yes…this is normal and is the main reason why I insist that folks who run latex tubes make absolutely sure that the rim tape is PERFECT. Due to it’s inherent high elasticity, the latex tube will be “extruded” into any small crevice or hole.
If your original rim tape was cloth, putting a strip of electrical tape over it is a great idea IME. Without the smooth electrical tape layer, I’ve found that the latex in the rim bed area will actually be extruded into the small holes between the threads on the cloth tape, making later removal of the tube a royal PIA since it ends up being “gripped” by the cloth tape. An alternative to the cloth tape/electrical tape setup (which is also thinner and aids with tire installation and removal) is to use a double layer of fiberglass reinforced packing tape (AKA “strapping tape”) instead. That’s what I use nearly exclusively.
You should also have seen a set of parallel lines where the tube is extended down into the rim bed area. Again, not a big thing to worry about…just be careful with your reinstallation. If there are any areas that look extremely thin, and this is for a race setup, then it might be prudent to put a fresh tube in there.
Also, certain brand seems to be more susceptible to this sort of stretching than others. IME, the Bontrager branded latex tubes are the least susceptible…
You’re a wealth of information, gentlemen. Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for the tip on the strapping tape.
or, you could run a a dsc and hed 3 exclusively. then all you needs is some packing tape at the valve hole.
Awesome! Thanks for the tip on the strapping tape.
BTW, the standard roll is 1" wide, which is typically a bit too wide, especially for older narrow rims…no big deal though, since if you put a small slice in the end of the tape at the width you need, you can easily have it come off the roll at that width due to the glass fibers running the length of the tape acting as a “rip stop”.
Just another “free tip” 
or, you could run a a dsc and hed 3 exclusively. then all you needs is some packing tape at the valve hole.
Why even there?
Thanks again!
While I have your ear, I have a question on tire pressure. I’m doing a road race this weekend on a mixture of rough gravel and paved roads. The only tire I have wider than a 23mm is a 25mm Pro3race. I’m 68kg, so “good road condition” pressure is about 95psi or so. Would you lower the pressure to accont for the “non smooth” conditions, or would I be risking pinch flats? I’m temped to go as low as 80 to 85…
Thanks again!
While I have your ear, I have a question on tire pressure. I’m doing a road race this weekend on a mixture of rough gravel and paved roads. The only tire I have wider than a 23mm is a 25mm Pro3race. I’m 68kg, so “good road condition” pressure is about 95psi or so. Would you lower the pressure to accont for the “non smooth” conditions, or would I be risking pinch flats? I’m temped to go as low as 80 to 85…
Yeah…you’ll have a higher risk of pinch flatting, but lowering to 80-85 psi on a 25C tire isn’t super low pressure. Plus, the risk of pinch flatting is, IME, significantly lowered with latex tubes as compared to butyl. In fact, the only pinch flats I’ve suffered in the last 5 years were with butyl tubes (…and, with a “wide rim”…hmmm…so much for the supposed wide rim “advantage” of lessening pinch flats).
To give another anecdote, during a TT 2 weeks ago I hit full force and at high speed an extremely wide expansion gap that wasn’t marked on the course or warned about…I hit it so hard I was convinced one, if not, both of the tires would go flat (this was with 19C tires and latex tubes). No issues…
In fact, in a way I sort of wish one had gone flat, since that would probably have saved me from the pain of laying down my bike onto the wet pavement at the turnaround that was not long after that expansion gap…doh!
As it turns out the valve hole is not perfectly smooth and has the ability to cut my latex tube near the valve, despite the double layer of latex there. Now I put a strip of tape over the valve hole and poke the valve right through the tape, so there is no chance of contact with a sharp edge.
Ouch! Going down is never fun - at least it was at the turn-around as you were likely going a lot slower…
Yeah, I’ve never pinch flatted or flatted at all for that matter using latex tubes over the past 2 seasons. The only reason I’m concerned is the risk goes up a lot more when you are in a peleton, and you don’t see or anticipate a hole - that always makes the impact much more severe. That being said, 80psi is still quite high in the grand scheme of things. I’ll likely do 85psi just to be safe…I just wanted to hear your thoughts.
Thanks again!
I have done that also, good tip!
While we’re on the subject of latex and perceived fragility, does anyone have any experience with latex tubes explosively bursting on long descents? Haven’t heard anything about it so I’m assuming no. But there’s currently a thread on another board where people are swearing up and down that latex tubes overheat under heavy braking w/ clincher rims and violently blow out the tire. Presumably leaving you in a crumpled mess on the pavement.
I’ve been using latex for all my TT’s/tris with no ill effect, but I was thinking of using them for the first time in a mountainous RR next week. Even though I’m normally the first to dismiss 2nd hand internet anecdotes as B.S., when it comes to something w/ a $15k hospital bill attached it never hurts to check if there’s a grain of truth behind it.
While we’re on the subject of latex and perceived fragility, does anyone have any experience with latex tubes explosively bursting on long descents? Haven’t heard anything about it so I’m assuming no. But there’s currently a thread on another board where people are swearing up and down that latex tubes overheat under heavy braking w/ clincher rims and violently blow out the tire. Presumably leaving you in a crumpled mess on the pavement.
I’ve been using latex for all my TT’s/tris with no ill effect, but I was thinking of using them for the first time in a mountainous RR next week. Even though I’m normally the first to dismiss 2nd hand internet anecdotes as B.S., when it comes to something w/ a $15k hospital bill attached it never hurts to check if there’s a grain of truth behind it.
I’ve heard that…and yet, I habitually (as in nearly every week) bomb this particular ~3 mile, 8% average grade descent with no worries or problems whatsoever from my latex tubes…and sometimes I’m doing this after FIRST bombing down the ~3 mile, 10% average grade section (with lots of switchbacks) above it on the other side of Hwy 154.
http://www.youtube.com/user/tanhalt#p/a/u/1/NKJuxIC9dpo
I’m thinking a lot of this *may *depend on the particular tire/rim combo. If the tire fits particularly loose, AND the rim heats up enough that it expands inordinately (carbon clinchers may be more susceptible to this due to poor heat transfer), then yes, it might be possible for the latex tube to “jack up” a bead and then “sneak out” and burst. However, this would also be true (i.e. the “jacking” and “sneaking”) with a butyl tube, although the latex (due to it’s higher elasticity) may be more likely to extrude out and burst…
According to the materials sources I have, latex rubber does have a lower maximum continuous use temperature (180F vs. 300F for butyl rubber), but butyl has a larger “hot tensile strength decrease” with a 57% decrease at 212F vs. 44% decrease for latex rubber at the same temp…so, I’m not really sure what to make of that short of setting up some sort of brake loading test.
Oh yeah…I’ll probably regret this…but, link to the other board? 
At the risk of being a contributing factor to your upcoming aneurysm:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84939
Rruff is mounting a valiant last stand, but I fear he may soon be overwhelmed . . .
FWIW, I’ve had this happen and I root caused it to the rim heating up enough that it “melted” a hole in the tube near a spoke hole (the rim tape was a polymer type (PE I think) and completely melted). It sounded very much like the “pops” I’ve had when a latex tube extrudes out of a cut in the tire and pops (i.e. catastrophic and loud). That said, I’m sure that it would have happened with Butyl too (the rim was hot enough to boil water, as it sizzled when I sprayed it with my water bottle). And since we’re measuring, it was down a 1.8mi 18%avg decent (25%+max) with switchbacks and frost heaves
Just another note on good rim strips for use with latex tubes, the tape sold by Stans no-tubes for use converting conventional wheels for tubeless use is excellent rim tape. Light and extremely smooth and strong. A double layer does the trick quite well and lasts forever.
I used Veloplugs for 2 years on my Hed Jets with Latex tubes and they worked beautifully.