Buying Inner Tubes in Bulk

[mike p]

Every year or so I buy a dozen or two of 700x18-23 long smooth stem inner tubes. I would usually e-bay them for a decent price. My source has dried up! Where does everybody buy from? Does everybody buy bulk? Any good tips?

Thanks Much
Mike

[mandasol]

I've used World Class Cycles (http://worldclasscycles.com/index.html) for bulk tube purchases and had pretty good service and prices. PBK (http://www.probikekit.com/index.php) is pretty good too, but the inventory can be spotty.

[thegunner]

would it be out of the realm of possibility for us to put something together on the boards? i would venture that we go through enough tubes in a year that we could get a pretty good deal no?

ignore this if it's against forum policy...

[bike22]

try a patch kit.
$2.49 for a patch kit that contains 6 or 8 patches to make 6 or 8 "new" tubes.

[Ralph]

Your LBS might make you a deal also. Ask old Potato. I usually buy Vittoria Ultra Lights in bulk on E Bay also.

[buldogge]

Price Point... Like $2 a piece.

-Mark in St. Louis

[BengeBoy]

30 cents each:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/336655269/bicycle_inner_tube_700X23C.html

I guess I should have mentioned that the minimum order is 5,000 pieces...

[mike p]

Done this for years!! When I was young I was rarely on a tube that didn't have a half dozen patches on it!! Now a bit older I guess I've got better things to do with my time. I really don't get that many flats anymore either. I think it's a combination of smarter riding, better tires, and I don't run tires till the cords are showing anymore. I give my used tubes to a young kid I race with (he's got plenty of time) to patch for himself. Truth be told the bulk of my tubes go to people I'm riding with that are unprepared!

Mike


try a patch kit.
$2.49 for a patch kit that contains 6 or 8 patches to make 6 or 8 "new" tubes.

[mike p]

I'm all for it. I pick you to organize it and get us the best price. Report back with your findings by the end of the week and thanks for volunteering gunner boy!!

Mike

would it be out of the realm of possibility for us to put something together on the boards? i would venture that we go through enough tubes in a year that we could get a pretty good deal no?

ignore this if it's against forum policy...

[thegunner]

I'm all for it. I pick you to organize it and get us the best price. Report back with your findings by the end of the week and thanks for volunteering gunner boy!!

Mike

how many users are registered to serotta's forums? 5,000 pieces at 3 cents a piece... is under $2000. if even 4 or 500 people want to do this, that's a 10 tubes for $4.

[Pete Serotta]

DO it,,,,


NO DEALERS (UNLESS they are SEROTTA) TO POST THEIR OFFERS ON FORUM THOUGH


I am sure this is not PC correct but :beer:

[jlwdm]

I just don't see the need anymore. I ride over 5,000 miles a year and am averaging a flat a year.

Jeff

[thegunner]

I just don't see the need anymore. I ride over 5,000 miles a year and am averaging a flat a year.

Jeff

i'd be more than happy to see if i can pool a list people to buy an insane number of tubes, but this is actually the truth for me. i save the PR3's for races, and use more durable tires normally... i've had 1 flat in my past 4k miles and i was riding on gravel/glass (so... really, my fault).

knock on wood of course.

[BengeBoy]

I don't mean to bust anyone's chops here, but I am trying to figure out the math of how an individual would go through "a couple" of dozen inner tubes in a year.

I rode 6,200 miles in the past 12 months. If I started the year with 24 tubes, and patched each tube 3 times before throwing them away, that would mean I had gotten 72 flats in the past year, or one every 86 miles. That seems like a lot of flats....a lot more than I experience.

On the other hand, if I am too busy to patch inner tubes, then why do I care what they cost? They're $4 each at the store.

Do you guys really get that many flats, or are you not patching tubes?

[I recently had a "patch party" in my kitchen on a rainy Saturday and patched two years of flats in about 45 minutes -- it was about 10 or 12 tubes, cost me $6 worth of patches. Plus, I got high off the glue, so really all that flat fixing was just cheap entertainment.]

[Hard Fit]

don't remember the price, but i buy a dozen at Performance Bicycle when they go on sale.

[Louis]

Not to rain on the parade, but given the price of tubes it makes more sense to me to try to save on something that's expensive rather than something that's just about the cheapest thing on the bike.

The only thing that really lends tubes to a group bulk purchase is that because they are so generic it's relatively easy to agree on what to buy. If you were to try to do it on tires or shorts (more expensive stuff where you can probably save a lot more) you would find it more difficult to find a choice that most would agree on.

[AngryScientist]

i get the 3 for $10 deal at my local shop. that said, i'm a patcher too. i save them up for the winter and patch them in the basement while tuning up my bikes, etc. its kind of relaxing. the glue fumes and good scotch help :p

[Don49]

i get the 3 for $10 deal at my local shop. that said, i'm a patcher too. i save them up for the winter and patch them in the basement while tuning up my bikes, etc. its kind of relaxing. the glue fumes and good scotch help :p

+1

I tie a loose knot in the flatted tube so it doesn't get back into circulation, then throw it into a bag. Once a year I patch them all in the same session, maybe 6-8 counting mtb tubes too. This also allows me to discard all those unopened but dried out tubes of glue from the patch kits that keep accumulating.

[CaptStash]

Back to the topic at hand, I buy tires and tubes from "nicebiketires" on eBay. They seem just fine. Tubes on sale now are three for $8.95. The guys are pretty easy to get a hold of so I suspect you could get a deal for a "bulk" purchase.

CaptStash...

Tubes on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/3-ea-Road-Bike-Tubes-700x18-25-Midlength-48mm-long-PV-/350362114641?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5193359a51)

[pdmtong]

bonktown sells the "cutter" branded version odf said tubes in question...smooth valve stem... for 4/$12...

for me, flats come in waves...periods where flatting a lot, periods where no issues at all. but, I have my stash of tubes and tires ready...

[AndrewS]

12 tubes a year! I think I have tubes that have been in multiple tires! Some may have a patch, but I think my hobby would really be suffering if I was spending that much time changing flats.

I do buy 3 or so tubes a year at whoever's super sale. No shipping costs.

[toasttoast]

hmm you guys don't know how flats work

once you start talking about them -- especially if you say you rarely get them -- the flats come in hordes :beer:

it's just science

[Bud_E]

I've asked this before but didn't get a response. Anyone tried tubes from this place ? : http://biketubes.net/ . They're in downtown L.A. and claim to be a sponsor of the UCLA bicycle team. 10 tubes for $36 including shipping seems like a good deal if they're of decent quality.

[victoryfactory]

don't you guys know anything?
Flats come in threes!
also,
the only time I use a patch is to get
home after a flat. I really can't bring
myself to leave a patched tube inside
a tire. It sits in there all night laughing
at me, planning it's own failure at an
inconvenient moment, killing itself just
to spite me. I can hear it hissing quietly
in the midnight silence, waiting, scheming
for it's pathetic little moment of glory
when I'm 30 miles from home.
Patches? I think not.

VF- borderline excessive compulsive

[martinrjensen]

a properly patched tube is 100% as good as an unpatched tube and will last the life of the tube.. And just to qualify my meaning of "properly patched", I mean something that any 14 year old can do....don't you guys know anything?
Flats come in threes!
also,
the only time I use a patch is to get
home after a flat. I really can't bring
myself to leave a patched tube inside
a tire. It sits in there all night laughing
at me, planning it's own failure at an
inconvenient moment, killing itself just
to spite me. I can hear it hissing quietly
in the midnight silence, waiting, scheming
for it's pathetic little moment of glory
when I'm 30 miles from home.
Patches? I think not.

VF- borderline excessive compulsive

[Louis]

I have three reasons (excuses?) to not patch.

The first was explained eloquently by VF above.

The second is that I hate to pierce the seal on the glue tube because I know that eight months later, when I get another flat, all the glue will have hardened and thus be useless. I suppose I could save up tubes and have a patching party, but that seems a bit too obsessive-compulsive to me.

The final reason is that back in the days when I used a Silca pump with the friction-chuck (where you have to pull using a force of about 1000 lbs to remove the chuck) one of my most common tube failure modes was a leak at the valve stem and tube joint. Now that I've gone to a Joe Blow pump with an excellent lever-lock chuck I no longer have this problem, but I still worry that eventually, if I use a tube long enough, it will fail there.

Just a few random thoughts...

L

[rugbysecondrow]

a properly patched tube is 100% as good as an unpatched tube and will last the life of the tube.. And just to qualify my meaning of "properly patched", I mean something that any 14 year old can do....

This might be true, but doesn't mean it is a good value. When tubes are 2.99 a pop, there are better things I can do with my time than dick around with misc. tubes, glue etc. Also, I like the piece of mind of knowing that I have a new tube, fresh out of the box, and that I got my 2.99 out of that other one.

So, to answer two questions...2.99 at the local shop, and since they are 2.99 at the shop there is no patching in the Peterson household.

I just reread this and realized that I typed 2.99 a lot...I think I was trying to emphasize that tubes are cheap, only 2.99.

[BengeBoy]

a properly patched tube is 100% as good as an unpatched tube and will last the life of the tube.. And just to qualify my meaning of "properly patched", I mean something that any 14 year old can do....

After I hold my annual "patch party," I inflate all the tubes that got patched and hang them on a bike rack for a few days. Anything that doesn't stay fully inflated gets re-fixed, as necessary. In my experience the number 1 cause of poor patches is not letting the glue sit long enough before putting the patch on.

I knew that when I was 14, too, but sometimes get in a rush...

[AndrewS]

You guys are using patches that come with tubes of glue? Is the glue made from boiled horse hooves?

[monkeywobble]

I have a mish mash of patched tubes I've collected from various sources over the years. Some patched some virgin. Lately I tend to just buy the Bonktown special whenever they offer the 4 tubes for 9.99. I usually order 2 or 3 sets. The latest one just showed up and I noticed I haven't even come close to going through all of the old ones. All my tubes tend to go to one of 2 places: new bikes/wheelsets or riding buddies who forgot their spares and somehow I just don't feel right handing out a patched tube on the off chance it might leak. Ever since I went to GP4000 tires on everything except the cross bike I'm down to 2 flats/year ( knock on wood ). Course my last flat was caused by my water bottle bouncing out of its cage knocking off my leg and falling into the rear wheel snapping off the valve stem. Luckily the paceline was just starting to form up as we rolled away from the light.

[Louis]

Course my last flat was caused by my water bottle bouncing out of its cage knocking off my leg and falling into the rear wheel snapping off the valve stem.

Your lucky day!!!

Andrew, I don't know what your experience has been with pre-glued patches, but mine has been that they are only good enough to get you home. Might as well put a new tube in while fixing it on the road.

AFAIK the "horse hoof" glued patches (aka vulcanizing fluid) will outlast the rest of the tube. (if done properly)

[nahtnoj]

I scour CL for used tubes. I refuse to pay more than 25 cents for a patched tube, but I will go up to one dollar for an un-patched tube.

[BengeBoy]

Your lucky day!!!

Andrew, I don't know what your experience has been with pre-glued patches, but mine has been that they are only good enough to get you home. Might as well put a new tube in while fixing it on the road.

AFAIK the "horse hoof" glued patches (aka vulcanizing fluid) will outlast the rest of the tube. (if done properly)

+1

That's my experience as well. I keep a pre-glued patch in my seat bag only as an emergency patch to get me home.

[AndrewS]

I think I'm going on 4 months with one of those clear Park pre-stick patches. I won't show it this thread - its courage may finally give out! ;)

[victoryfactory]

Borderline excessive compulsive part 2:

I also am apparently incapable of throwing out
any old tube or tire once I take it off the bike.
They decorate my rafters like Spanish Moss on an
oak tree in New Orleans.
Too bad to use, too good to throw away.
I have a few riding friends who know where to go when they need
free wheel goods, though. So they do some good.

And to answer martinrjensen above:
When I was 14 I did know how to patch tubes. I just forgot...
(insert smiley face winking emoticon here)

VF

[palincss]

a properly patched tube is 100% as good as an unpatched tube and will last the life of the tube.. And just to qualify my meaning of "properly patched", I mean something that any 14 year old can do....

"Properly patched" means the old way: sand the tube, apply glue, let it dry, put on the patch. Rema TipTop, in the aqua box: Old Reliable. Glueless patches, on the other hand, will do exactly what victoryfactory said:


It sits in there all night laughing
at me, planning it's own failure at an
inconvenient moment, killing itself just
to spite me.


Just say NO to glueless patches.

[fiamme red]

I can't see that patching with glue is difficult or time-consuming. Roughen the tube with sandpaper, apply glue, give it five minutes to dry (during which time you can do something else), and apply the patch. Done.

I've had tubes with defective stems straight out of the box, so just because it's new doesn't mean that it's better.

[Louis]

Back to the glue drying out problem once the seal has been pierced - how do you prevent this?

[fiamme red]

Back to the glue drying out problem once the seal has been pierced - how do you prevent this?I don't have a problem with this. I get so many flats that a tube of glue is used up pretty quickly. :crap:

[Louis]

Oh. Bummer. I get one, maybe two a year, and every now and then will go for over a year without a flat. (I really should not say that - I'll probably get two tomorrow)

[chuckroast]

There are plenty of things to do with old tubes once you decide they can't take any more patches. Cut the stems off and use them as bungie cords, or to stake new trees or as bare metal protection.

[michael white]

I get at least 10 a year. I think I just don't slow down when I really should. fk it I say.

Also, I'm getting a little tired of the "patch party" thing. I guess I just don't have that much fun at it any more. It's the waste that makes me patch these days. If anyone wants to go in on a bunch of tubes, I'm down for whatever it takes.

[woolly]

I dunno, I like a good deal as much as the next guy, I guess. But, I use buying tubes as an excuse for going to the bike shop. Sometimes I buy some other stuff too, sometimes not.

[godfrey1112000]

I scour CL for used tubes. I refuse to pay more than 25 cents for a patched tube, but I will go up to one dollar for an un-patched tube.

buying a patched tube for 25 cent, is like buying used underwear

for safety and piece of mind pay the $3.75 a tube

[TMB]

I don't mean to bust anyone's chops here, but I am trying to figure out the math of how an individual would go through "a couple" of dozen inner tubes in a year.

I rode 6,200 miles in the past 12 months. If I started the year with 24 tubes, and patched each tube 3 times before throwing them away, that would mean I had gotten 72 flats in the past year, or one every 86 miles. That seems like a lot of flats....a lot more than I experience.

On the other hand, if I am too busy to patch inner tubes, then why do I care what they cost? They're $4 each at the store.

Do you guys really get that many flats, or are you not patching tubes?

[I recently had a "patch party" in my kitchen on a rainy Saturday and patched two years of flats in about 45 minutes -- it was about 10 or 12 tubes, cost me $6 worth of patches. Plus, I got high off the glue, so really all that flat fixing was just cheap entertainment.]


I have to agree with this one.

I ride about half my time on tubulars and half on clinchers.

I have not flatted a tubular in probably 5 years or more.

I had, to the best of my memory, 1 flat on a clincher last year, and none so far this year.

If I do flat, I repair them.

[fiamme red]

I have to agree with this one.

I ride about half my time on tubulars and half on clinchers.

I have not flatted a tubular in probably 5 years or more.

I had, to the best of my memory, 1 flat on a clincher last year, and none so far this year.

If I do flat, I repair them.You probably don't ride on glass-strewn city streets.

[TMB]

Back to the glue drying out problem once the seal has been pierced - how do you prevent this?

Put the lid on the tube.

[BengeBoy]

Put the lid on the tube.

The most interesting outcome of this thread is the revelation that Our Great Nation has lost its collective will to patch inner tubes, or the skills.

Ever since we moved away from muzzle-loaded rifles, things have gone downhill.

[TMB]

The most interesting outcome of this thread is the revelation that Our Great Nation has lost its collective will to patch inner tubes, or the skills.

Ever since we moved away from muzzle-loaded rifles, things have gone downhill.

Yeah, what is it with you guys??

You missed a great event on Saturday, sorry to say. The weather held and we were in and dry before the rain hit.

But on the subject of this thread - I have never seen so many people on the side of the road with flats on any group ride as I did Saturday.

The first one I saw pulled over was 3 blocks from the start line.

Makes me wonder if people actually ever inspect their bikes before heading out on these rides.

[bshell]

Remove any air space from the little metal glue tube when you finish your patch by starting at the bottom and slowly flattening upward. Air bubbles will present at the opening. Wipe/break them with the cap if you fear getting it in your fingers. Replace cap.

Voila, no air space=no drying out. Don't let the sandpaper or anything else wear a hole in that glue tube and it's good until you run out.

I'll use the same tube of glue for a year or two until it's empty. I'll patch the same tube 6-7 times before I throw it out. It's not because I can't afford tubes, it's because I see tossing them out as wasteful and a sign of laziness. Most of the world cannot afford the "luxury" of throwing useful things away at the rate we Americans do. It's catching up, and even little things matter.

There, that's my enviro rant.

[Blue Jays]

"...I use buying tubes as an excuse for going to the bike shop.
Sometimes I buy some other stuff too, sometimes not..."Woolly, you are 100% correct. Throw the LBS a well-earned bone and purchase cycling items there.

[fiamme red]

Back to the glue drying out problem once the seal has been pierced - how do you prevent this?This has just been discussed on the iBOB list (http://search.bikelist.org/query.asp?SearchString=%22Gonna+send+a+nastygram+t o+Rema%2DTip+Top%2E%22&SearchPrefix=%40msgsubject&SortBy=MsgDate%5Ba%5D).

In short: don't fold or roll the metal tubes, or tiny cracks will appear, and the glue will dry out.

[Louis]

Look like I'm not the only one with the problem.

This has just been discussed on the iBOB list (http://search.bikelist.org/query.asp?SearchString=%22Gonna+send+a+nastygram+t o+Rema%2DTip+Top%2E%22&SearchPrefix=%40msgsubject&SortBy=MsgDate%5Ba%5D).

In short: don't fold or roll the metal tubes, or tiny cracks will appear, and the glue will dry out.

[PETER REID]

Aahhh. I ride tubulars and wear the tread out before I get a flat. It helps to look where you are going and stay out of the crap on the side of the road...

[Louis]

It helps to look where you are going and stay out of the crap on the side of the road...

Interesting. I ride clinchers, but never thought of doing this. ;)

[Pyramor]

Back to the glue drying out problem once the seal has been pierced - how do you prevent this?

Had the problem also. Now I save the tubes of cement for road emergencies after I use my spares (I usually carry two spare tubes) and bought a 4 ounce can of tube cement from the auto parts store. It cost about $4.00. I have some unopened tubes that are still good after 8 years.