Maxxis Ultralight Tube

3.36/5

(14 Reviews)

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MSRP : $11.00

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Maxxis UltralightTube

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Reviews 1 - 14 (14 Reviews Total)

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Submitted by OLx6 a Racer

Date Reviewed: May 6, 2012

Strengths:    Light weight durable enough

Weaknesses:    None for a tube

Bottom Line:

My DT Swiss rims are not tubeless compatible so I have to run tubes. These are the best compromise I could find between weight and durability. There are other tubes that are lighter, but they do not last as long for me.

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Submitted by benevision a Cross Country Rider from Lake Macquarie

Date Reviewed: November 6, 2008

Strengths:    light - saves significant weight where it counts
holds air pressure surprisingly well
great lightweight spare tube

Weaknesses:    punctures frequently at higher pressures

Bottom Line:

Used these (front & rear with WTB Weirwolfs) for several years now and I find them VERY reliable. First off I had frequent punctures on inside of tube (facing rim) but since I reduced the pressures to 35—40psi they have been very dependable, with only an occasional puncture. They also hold air better than many thicker tubes I've tried.

I ride over lots of tree roots and fallen branches and never seem to get snake-bites — I'm not so light myself, at 187 USpounds... For this to happen (as a previous reviewer described) you would need seriously low pressures methinks.

For XC use I think these are a sensible compromise between weight and durability - the Flyweights seem like they'd be going too far IMO.

I just wish Torpedo& would re-stock these so I could get some more at a sensible price — as with so many bike things, Aussie LBSs don't sell these tubes.

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Favorite Trail:   local firetrails

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $5.00

Purchased At:   Torpedo7.com

Similar Products Used:   various standard weight tubes - Kenda, Tioga etc.

Bike Setup:   Marin HT frame with Thudbuster, everything upgraded...

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Submitted by Daniyar a Weekend Warrior from Tucson, AZ, USA

Date Reviewed: March 23, 2007

Strengths:    Very light.

Weaknesses:    Constant flats and don't hold air very well even when brand new.

Bottom Line:

These have got to be the worst tubes ever. I have used them on a dozen rides and every single time I came back home with a flat. I even managed to get 2 holes on the inside part of the tube that faces the rim. With all the cactus in AZ you are bound to get flats, but not like this. Stay away unless you want to be patching these tubes every day.

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Favorite Trail:   Golder Ranch

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $6.00

Similar Products Used:   Specialized, Bontrager and WTB tubes

Bike Setup:   Jamis Sport, X.7 drivetrain, Marzocchi ETA/TST fork.

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Submitted by Justin Murray a Cross Country Rider from Canberra, ACT

Date Reviewed: January 30, 2007

Strengths:    They are light and cheap (when bought in bulk from torpedo7.com.au).

Weaknesses:    On my first ride with them I had two flats - had to walk home. They pinch-flat very easily.

Bottom Line:

Carry lots of spare tubes with you or be prepared to walk.

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Favorite Trail:   Sparrow Hill

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $4.00

Purchased At:   Torpedo7.com

Similar Products Used:   Tioga, Continental and Kenda tubes.

Bike Setup:   Trek 4500 with Salsa, WTB, Easton and Crank Bros upgrades.

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Submitted by mark a Cross Country Rider from Atlantic Beach,Florida

Date Reviewed: December 5, 2006

Strengths:    Light.

Weaknesses:    Pinch flats, Pinch flats, Pinch flats!

Bottom Line:

I thought I would lighten things up a bit with the ultralights. I'm a 180 pound moderate rider and run high pressure. I bought five tubes and they lasted about fifteen rides total. All pinch flats. I rarely ever flatted before riding the ultralights. I give these tubies four thumbs down! They don't deserve a single chili. I would not recommend these tubes to anyone.

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Favorite Trail:   Razorback MTB Park

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $5.00

Similar Products Used:   All sorts of tubes.

Bike Setup:   Hardtail Kelly.

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Submitted by MIKE a Cross Country Rider from NEW ENGLAND

Date Reviewed: November 4, 2006

Strengths:    LIGHT,DURABLE

Weaknesses:    NONE YET

Bottom Line:

SURPRISED AT HOW WELL THESE HAVE PERFORMED FOR ME DUE TO ALL NEG REVIEWS HERE.ALL I CAN SAY IS IT'S BEEN 4 MONTHS OF RIDING HARD ABOUT 3 TIMES/ WEEK IN NEW ENGLAND ROCK GARDENS AND NOT ONE PINCH FLAT. I DO KEEP THE PSI AT AROUND 32 AS THE MIN RECOMENDED FOR MY TIRES (NEVEGALS) IS 30PSI.THE KENDAS THAT CAME WITH THE BIKE DIDN'T LAST 3 WEEKS.
MY GUESS IS MOST PEOPLE ARE RUNNING TO LOW AND OR USING THEM FOR SERIOUS DOWNHILLING AND HUCKING.(IN THAT CASE NEED A DOWN HILL TUBE)MAYBE I HAVE BEEN LUCKY, BUT NO REASON TO USE ANY OTHER TUBE FOR ME.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $5.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   LOTS

Bike Setup:   SC HECKLER ALL MOUNTAIN BUILD

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Submitted by mumps from Japan

Date Reviewed: May 14, 2006

Strengths:    Light

Weaknesses:    Way too fragile

Bottom Line:

Installed 4 of these last spring 2 on my girlfriend bike and 2 on mine. By autumn the last one was in the trash.
Multiple pinch flats (not running particularily low pressure) Muliple punctures. Due to the fact I was reinflating these tubes on the trail so often with my minipump (pump head attached to pump bdy so stress on presta valve) I managed to split 2 of them where the valve meets the tube (most tubes are reinforced in this area). I do not ride that hard and very very rarely get punctures with regular tubes.
My experience with these tubes have lead me to believe these and probably all lightweight MTB tubes are useless. Probably the worst cycling product I have purchased.
They might save you 2 seconds in a race but are far more likely to cost you 5 minutes replacing your flat tube. There is no way you can trust them.
Have since gone UST which has been great.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   Regular tubes, UST

Bike Setup:   GF hartail built up

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Submitted by joyitas rider a Racer from the pine forest

Date Reviewed: March 2, 2006

Strengths:    it´s light,

Weaknesses:    it´s very thin

Bottom Line:

NOTE: only used it in the front wheel, and i am a rider with finesse. The tube worked fine in a race I had in flat terrain through fireroads and pavement.
Last sunday, first real cross country race of the season and the tube snakebited on my second lap after a relatively easy descent. These ultralight tubes are a bunch of lies and serve as boutique trash for ideatic weight weenies that get sold on the idea that 100 grams will make them go faster, well think again!, I´d never recommend these tubes, just too risky and fragile, and the just work for rides on easy flat terrain with no rocks, but not on the mountains or XC racing!!!! I stick to regular thick tubes from now on.

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Favorite Trail:   any well preserved singletrack

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $6.00

Purchased At:   local store

Similar Products Used:   panaracer greenlites, michelin c-4, torelli latex, regular taiwaneese tubes.

Bike Setup:   habanero titanium frame, sid 2001, old xtr, mavic517-xtr wheels, canecreek susp post.

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Submitted by Clifford a Cross Country Rider from City of Lights

Date Reviewed: April 15, 2004

Strengths:    Quick followup to the post I did below to give credit to Jeff. Tubes are light,durable

Weaknesses:    None that other tubes don't have.

Bottom Line:

Credit where credit is due. Yeah, found MTB review by the guy who said he was slitting the lightweight tube, adding sealant, using a good patch, then ending up with a flat resistant tube at a normal tube weight. Good old MTBR, review was from Jeff, XC rider from Milwaukee, back on 5/2/1997. He was reviewing a Hutchinson Lightweight tube. Thanks Jeff, I owe you a beer (Milwaukee).
I still don't really notice the extra weight of the approximately 60 grams of sealant in the Maxxs lightweight tube for intermediate XC level riding - but other components are also lightweight. I would give the same "mod" to some Maxxis flyweights but just don't think the few grams savings (10 grams) and extra cost would be worth it to me except maybe for racing (don't do that anymore).
BTW both the flyweight tubes and Ultralight tubes are still available online at Maxxis and they, Maxxis, do show the 26x2.125 Presta at 125g which is what my scale showed. Either they updated the weight or I was looking at the smaller size in my previous post. These tubes are a great way to cut down rotating weight and still stay reliable although you might have some snake problems if you like to run lower air pressures. OK, ride more... wrench less.

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Favorite Trail:   one track dirt

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $4.00

Purchased At:   maxxis.com

Similar Products Used:   Lots with varying success

Bike Setup:   1 hardtail and several full suspension and a couple of spare tires/wheels. Wheels are usually narrower lightweight - Mavic 517 or Bontrager Valiant/Race. Tires are at mostly 2.1 size, Maxxis, Panaracer, WTB... No rigid forks

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Submitted by Cliff from Las Vegas

Date Reviewed: March 30, 2004

Strengths:    Lightweight, durable (see below), no problems front or rear running in desert.

Weaknesses:    None specific to this particular brand/type of tube. Thorn flats, plenty of stickers around here. Doing the Mohave Mod on the tubes is a little time consuming but well worth the effort. Hey Maxxis, how about making one like this out of the box??? See below

Bottom Line:

Great tubes but for around here the thorns/goatheads, etc were giving me fits with flats (let me think about this... Mohave desert, thorns and stickers...) Went to the thick, cheap, thorn strips and slime and NO FLATS but way HEAVY.

Trying to find a better lightweight tube here on MTBR, I read the review by a guy who sliced a small hole in the tube (needed for adding stopleak), added just an ounce or two of sealant, then patched it up, installed and rode without flatting problems. Doing this, he ended up about the same weight as a standard tube and with flat resistance.

I tried it with the Maxxis ultralight tubes - claimed to be 115g although my uncalibrated scale shows about 125g new out of the box - OK by me.

Having weight weenie tendencies can make life complicated. Trying to save a couple of grams, I sliced, slimed then used some lightweight patches on two new tubes - one was flat the next morning. Yup, lightweight bike tube patches don't patch very well. So over to WalMart to get some innertube patches for car tires - that 'otta do it. It did, NO FLATS from leaky patches. BTW, I just weighed one of the patches and it's about a gram or two - Victor brand and they use rubber cement in addition to the patch adhesive.

Maxxis lightweight tubes with the stopleak added: Weight about 165g. I check air pressures before riding and may have to add a few lbs on average over a week, but haven't yet flatted other than one nasty snake bite riding a steep, sharp rock garden with 28 lbs of air. I'm about 185lbs and now run 37lbs of air in both front and back tires. Note: If it looks like a lot of thorns are broken off in the tire, it needs to be ridden fairly often to keep the sealant over the holes. The Bell Tire sealant as well as Slime seems to work OK. No biggie. I've gone lots of weeks and tires without having to add any air. Many thanks to the guy who originally posted the idea. Overall, I'm doing a lot more riding and spending a lot less time and $ on new tubes.

These tubes are great quality rotating weight savers for riding intermediate level XC; plus can't see a better way to stay aired up in thornland and reasonably lightweight if you take a few minutes to do the Mohave Mod sealant trick; especially new out of the box. Don't know about using this tube for racing or all mountain. Ride on...

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Favorite Trail:   dirt

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $4.00

Purchased At:   maxxis.com

Similar Products Used:   Many over many years of riding

Bike Setup:   Bikes are lightweight XC, typically M517 or Bont Valiant size/style rims, 2.1 tires, Maxxis Ultralight tubes 26x1.90/2.125 3 FS and 1 hardtail (sx-r fork on hardtail). Kevlar XC tires.

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Submitted by Sprocketeer a Cross Country Rider from Narashino, Chiba, Japan

Date Reviewed: May 30, 2003

Strengths:    These are the first tubes I've ever used which don't lose pressure too quickly. First I checked them before each ride because any other tubes I used required this, but then I pumped them up to a specific pressure, rode for three or for days, and when I checked them after that they were still at the same pressure. Compared to other tubes, that's amazing.

Also, I never have that problem where I attach the pump to the valve and the damn thing wont let air in until a couple of tries later.

And it has a good valve stem instead of what most presta tubes come with which is some weak cr@p that bends after a few times attaching the pump.

Weaknesses:    None--not even something I just consider a normal weakness, such as loss of tire pressure over a couple of days. Other tubes I've used lost air just sitting in the house.

These are the only problem-free tubes I've ever used.

Bottom Line:

The bottom line is, I'd never bother writing a review about tubes, but these are just awesome.

I would have bought the Flyweights, but the store didn't have them in the size I wanted. I could have ordered them, but then maybe I wouldn't be as happy with their performance as I am with these. Who knows? Maybe all of the Maxxis tubes are this good.

It's nice not to have to worry if I've lost too much air in my tires before heading out the door on a sudden whim to ride, and that I don't have to treat the valves with care so I don't bend the stem.

These tubes are everything a tube is supposed to be, and lightweight besides.

Who could ask for better?

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Favorite Trail:   Dirt, no stinkin' car noises, and trees.

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Seo Cycle, LalaPort Tokyo Bay shopping mall, Minami-Funabashi, Chiba, Japan

Similar Products Used:   I've used a lot of top-brand tubes.

Bike Setup:   2002 TREK 8000, ZR9000 frame (bought stock but changed the following); Shimano XT crank and BB; Bontrager Race Lite titanium rail saddle; Panaracer Trail Blaster tires; Shimano XTR brake shoes (installed on stock Avid SD3 brakes); Shimano XTR cables and housings (wish I did this first); Shimano 959 pedals; planning on a Thompson Elite seatpost next.

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Submitted by PiroChu a Cross Country Rider from Bay Area (California, USA)

Date Reviewed: October 9, 2002

Strengths:    light (Mine was actually 129g, not 115g as claimed, though...)

Weaknesses:    weak(er) especially when used in rear

Bottom Line:

I bought 4 "Ultralight MTB Tubes" ("IB63829000, 26x1.90/2.125, Presta, 115g, $3.99") at Maxxis online.

The one in the front is still going (a few months now), but I'm going back to some generic/cheapo WrenchForce tubes for the rear.

My rear got a slow leak by a thin thorn, which I patched, and it was OK for a bit. But, then, I just got a pinch (though I pumped 40psi for my light 155lbs) on the trail last weekend. Threw in another Maxxis in there and rode away. When I got home, the rear was flat by the time I took a shower & had a beer - another slow leak (this time on the rim-side).

To much trouble for me...

I'll just use these only on the front (so far so good) to shave a bit of weight, but I'm gonna use the regular-thickness rubber tubes on the rear. I feel like I can't quite trust these thin tubes as much...

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $4.00

Purchased At:   http://www.maxxis.com/

Similar Products Used:   generic/cheapo WrenchForce tubes (these are actually 70~80g heavier, but much more durable)

Bike Setup:   N/A

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Submitted by DCS a Cross Country Rider from New York

Date Reviewed: February 21, 2002

Strengths:    Light, durable, no leaks, reasonably priced

Weaknesses:    None

Bottom Line:

Excellent product. I have used 6 of these tubes (on 3 sets of wheels). None of them have leaked or gone flat. I have gotten flats with the Panaracer and other brands.

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Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $4.00

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer, other brands

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Submitted by Dave a Cross Country Rider from Sunnyvale, CA

Date Reviewed: February 20, 2002

Strengths:    Light, durable (no punchers so far)

Weaknesses:    None

Bottom Line:

Works very well and it's light enough (115g). Since I started using them six months ago, I had no flats (knock on wood). Definitely recommended.

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $4.00

Purchased At:   www.maxxis.com

Similar Products Used:   Torelli, Specialized Turbo

Bike Setup:   Sugar2

Reviews 1 - 14 (14 Reviews Total)

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Maxxis Ultralight Tube

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