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Submitted by
John O'Brien
a
from London
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | i love it all | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | BIKE TRAX | | Strengths: | LIGHT WEIGHT,DURABLE | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | MITCHELIN | | Bike Setup: | MARIN MOUNT VISION, XTR,HUGI 240 HUBS,ONLY USE THE LIGHTEST TIRES, AT THE MOMENT CONTI SPEEDKING SUPERSONIC. | | Bottom Line: | I've used the same air b in my rear wheel for years,i have a mitchelin latex tube in my front wheel.the mitchelin needs to be topped up every ride, the air b hold its air much better, but still needs regular checks.
My friends that ride ordinary tubes get punctures, i dont | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
batman
a Weekend Warrior
from bat cave
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | the joker is gay trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | robins convenience store | | Strengths: | It fits in my bat mobile | | Weaknesses: | catwoman dosent like it | | Similar Products Used: | batmobile supermans undies | | Bike Setup: | just like my batmobile orsm | | Bottom Line: | superman dosent have one hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
johhny crann
a Cross Country Rider
from tralsville
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | canaidian tire | | Strengths: | the tire air tastes relly good | | Weaknesses: | they dont work after u run over nails
| | Similar Products Used: | what? | | Bike Setup: | mountaineer | | Bottom Line: | i dunno | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danny East
a
from Panama City Beach, FL
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Levis Mounds | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Barn | | Strengths: | Last a long time, light weight. | | Weaknesses: | Still leaks air faster than a rubber tube | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 100 | | Bottom Line: | I bought my first set of Air-B tubes when they first came out in the US in 1994 or '95. To keep my tire pressure at a steady 42 lbs, I just air up every week or so. They seem to lose about 2 pounds a week, but that's just a casual observation, no real hard numbers.
So yeah, I just changed out my front Air-B tube on my bike a few hours ago. I've changed my Air-B tubes over with me on 3 bikes now, and this is the first flat I've gotten on these tubes in more than 10 YEARS! That's a lot of cross country miles and not one single flat. I'm going to have to get another pair. Amazing.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J
a
from Seattle, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light and strong! For me, Air-B has been completely problem free for longer than any butyl tube. I've used them on both road and hardtail mountain bikes without any incident. I don't find they require special handling, either -- a light talc, then keep 'em pumped. | | Weaknesses: | Latex tubes lose air slowly over time. If you don't keep them pumped, you will destroy them. Also, because latex is a thinner (but lighter and stronger) material than butyl, you have to be careful when mounting them. But Air-B is as good or better than any other latex tube! | | Similar Products Used: | Just about all of them! | | Bike Setup: | Klein Pulse hardtail; Trek 2300; Trek 7600 | | Bottom Line: | Works great! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lance Armstrong
a Racer
from Texas
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | L'Alpe D'huez | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike shop | | Strengths: | Reliable, light, great tube all-in-all. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Bike Setup: | Trek. | | Bottom Line: | A professionals tube, when used correctly, will last for many a mile. When amateurs use them, like most below, can be unreliable as these guys tend not to talc when fitting, hence not suprised they nearly kill themselves - get to know your bikes!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy Pearson
a Cross Country Rider
from Liverpool, United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Skiddaw | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$8.00 | | Purchased At: | Merlin Cycles | | Strengths: | Nice colour, and lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | In my opinion, the main weakness of the Air-B inner tube is that it could well be the cause of your death. I used these tubes for the first time a few weeks ago. The first tube exploded (and the term "exploded" is not far from the truth), on the way down a steep pass (a paved road) in the English Lake District. The accident left me in a serious mess, and lucky to be alive. There was no impact to cause the tube to disintegrate. After the accident the tyre was checked for thorns etc and there was nothing. Care had been take to powder the tye carefully when the tube was originally put on. OK, I thought, I must have just had a bad tube.
I left the tube in the other (back) tyre for some weeks while recovering from the accident and took the bike away on a caravanning holiday with me. Because of my injuries, the bike sat, unridden, outside the caravan for over a week. During that week I cleaned the bike up and removed, checked and reseated the tube and tyre (again being careful to poweder etc). On the last day of my holiday I decided that I might just be able to ride a short distance again and went to the bike. The back tyre was flat and again the tube was shredded, with an even bigger gash. Air-B tubes, no thanks, I like being alive.
| | Similar Products Used: | Have used a range of light and standard tubes over 15 years. | | Bike Setup: | Specialised Rockhopper, Continental Tyres. | | Bottom Line: | I will never use one of these tubes again as long as I live. I would urge others to be very, very careful and take note of some of the other reviewers comments as well as mine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Meyer
a Racer
from Dillon, Colorado, Summit County
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Colorado Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | A Racer's Edge | | Strengths: | Light weight, durable. | | Weaknesses: | Check air pressure before each ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Delta, Michelin, and Continental latex tubes suck! | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Truth, full XTR, Manitou Elite Air, Chris King Hubs/Headset. | | Bottom Line: | Whoa! I see some misguided Reviews! These tubes work great if used correctly. Massive tube failures are caused by friction between the rim strip and the tube. Use Velox Rim Strips and talc (baby powder), voila, no pinch flats or failures! Buy the "Racer's Favorite" for a rock solid dependable racing tube. Patching must be done with a real patch, not a speed patch kit: speed patches don't stretch, and thus pull off of the tube. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Kalter
a Cross Country Rider
from Norwalk, CT
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light, Cool color | | Weaknesses: | Self Destruct, Can't Patch, Complete Blowouts | | Similar Products Used: | Light Butyl tubes | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher OCLV and soon Sugar 1 under replacement warranty. Two thumbs up Gary Fisher. | | Bottom Line: | My race team all tried these tubes and they quickly started self-destructing. Blowouts while the bikes weren't even moving. Completely shreded tubes.
Air-B was good and gave us replacements which exploded. Then they gave us the heavy duty replacements. What is the point of having a heavy duty latex tube. I have used it a little but I am afraid.
Light butyl tubes work well. Undersized tubes work well also. I run 1.25 tubes in my 2.1 tires with no problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wiggle
a Racer
from london
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | weight (if it worked) | | Weaknesses: | punctures/blow-outs - don't last 5 minutes! | | Similar Products Used: | a number of lightweight/latex tubes | | Bike Setup: | Specialized S-Works FSR | | Bottom Line: | Fitted 2 of these tubes before training (about 45psi's). Back tyre pinch-flatted after about 5 minutes. Tube couldn't be repaired as patch wouldn't stick. Later the front tube blew out when I landed on a moderately sized rock - wasn't even going that fast. Took tyre off to find that the tube was shredded by about 10-15 centimetres.
Cannot believe both tubes popped so easily. I have never had even ultralight butyl tubes burst like this. Just glad I wasn't going faster at the time.
Don't waste your money. Get something that holds air. No chillis | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy Carrivick
a Weekend Warrior
from Devon UK
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light weight | | Weaknesses: | Split for no reason | | Similar Products Used: | all sorts | | Bottom Line: | The other day I wheeled my bike out of the garage to get the mower
out. Both tyres were pumped up. By the time I wheeled the bike back in again
one of the tyres was as flat as a pancake. So what, this happens sometime
maybe a thorn or something. Anyway I removed the tyre to discover that the
inner tube had split almost half its circumference! I dread to think what
would have happened had I been riding it at the time. It would seem to me
that this sort of catastophic failure indicates a weakness in the tubes
construction. I was able to easily continue the split as far as I wanted. It
is even possible to quite easily rip bits out of the tube. These tubes are
less than three months old since purchase.
Something is very wrong with the construction of these tubes. .. they are
potentially lethal. Dont buy them if you value your life!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Mckie
a Cross Country Rider
from SW Scotland
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Strengths: | light weight | | Weaknesses: | overpriced,leak air and difficult to repair | | Similar Products Used: | panaracer latex tubes | | Bike Setup: | Fat Chance Yo eddy! custom spec | | Bottom Line: | I bought these tubes at a ridiculous price(£25 a pair) to save a bit of weight in the old wheel area.Found to my digust that they punctured as often as rubber tubes and the holes were huge end irrepairable.They also required inflating prior to every ride which gets a bit annoying.I evetually gave up with them and went back to the rubber tubes because at least you know where you stand with those. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Binx
a Racer
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Colorado Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Light weight, more puncture resistant than a standard rubber tube. | | Weaknesses: | Limited life, pressure must be checked before every ride, seem more susceptible to pinch flats than standard tubes. | | Similar Products Used: | Other butyl tubes, Panaracer Greenlight, Spec lightweight | | Bike Setup: | Titus with various XTR, Raceface, etc. | | Bottom Line: | These are nice light weight tubes but they have a very limited life. I only install mine for races and replace them bi-monthly. If you don't replace them regularly they have a tendency to explode for no reason. So if you do the math you will see that I only get 7 or rides out of them. Still, wheels are the most important place to shave weight. If you spend big bucks to shave grams off other bike parts then you can't overlook the tubes. I use standard tubes for training and during the off season. If I didn't race I probably wouldn't use these tubes at all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Deeley
a Racer
from Cardiff, UK
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Afan Argoed Country Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Supplied on Bike from St John Street cycles, Bridgewater, UK | | Strengths: | It's light, resists punctures and doesn't require re-inflating daily (Like my other Latex tubes) | | Weaknesses: | Price and vulnerability to Pinch Flats if under inflated | | Similar Products Used: | Cheap Butyl and Vittoria Latex | | Bike Setup: | Thorn Triplet, Vreidestien S licks (1.3) on Sun Rhyno Rims, 48 spokes at both ends, tyre pressures about 100 -110 psi being ridden by 1 adult at 80kilos and 2 children at about 40 a piece | | Bottom Line: | Unlike most people who've posted on this subject, I'm a roady, running an odd bike, in mostly on road situations.
If you use your beloved mountain bike on the road with slicks, use this tube, it's light and rolls well, but keep it pumped right up !
It's very puncture resistant at normal (High) pressure, but V prone to snakebites if the pressure is too low.
Contrary to previous posts I've had no problem patching, by preparing well, using a quality adhesive and patch (non of this Leeches cr*p) and they seem quite happy under the carcase. All the punctures I have sustained I got on one trip, I knicked a stone which caused the first hole, then as the pressure got lower and lower I picked up a further SIX snakebites!, being so far forward it's had to feel the rear going down (honest!).
Excellent piece of kit, only wish SJSC had fitted smaller tubes (they fitted 2.1's into a 1.3 tyre - reason for all the snakebits????)
jkd | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AC
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$14.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Mail Order | | Strengths: | Light & Tough | | Weaknesses: | Slowly leaks down | | Similar Products Used: | Slime tubes, Specialized, Wrench Force, Torelli | | Bike Setup: | 32 Lbs. Uzzy SL 4.5" X 5", 2.4" Motoraptors | | Bottom Line: | I have the Schrader valve tubes, reported to weigh 135 gms. Last year I put one of these in my rear wheel, and simultaneously put a new Slime tube in the front. I run 35-40 psi. in the rear and 40-45 in the front. The rear Air-B tube needed re-inflation on a daily basis, while the slime tube never needed to be topped off. Yesterday, the Slime tube developed a pinhole leak that the slime wouldn't seal. It's usual for me for a slime tube to last about one year, and then the slime loses effectiveness (dries out ?). The Air-B tube looked brand new. Incidentally, I ride in an area thick with goathead thorns, I can pick up a dozen just wheeling through my front yard. Even if the tube were to blow a seam today, I'd still be happy with the one year's service, especially at such a low weight. The price on these varies, as does their availability, but if you can get them for the $13.99 I paid at Cambria, I can heartily recommend them for trailriding. Not so sure about downhill/freeriding, if you check previous posts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Good all round trail protection | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, difficult (if not impossible to repair). | | Similar Products Used: | Standard tubes | | Bike Setup: | Orange Vit T2 Titanium, Pace RC36 Pro's, Mavik CrossLinks, IRC Mythos 2.1 | | Bottom Line: | Just had a 30 mile weekend ride across the worst overgrown thorny rough forest terrain imaginable and I was really suprised just how weel the tubes worked. I didn't get a single puncture and it wasn't till I got home I noticed a half inch slash straight through the centre of the tire - not a mark on the tube though.
I'm 190 pounds and on my hardtail I'm running 50 psi on 2.1 inch tyre. In 25 hours riding on rocky terrain I only had one pinch blowout doing a fast decent - I attacked a simliar descent on a normal tube and it shredded in seven places within a few minutes.
Expensive but I know I'd rather be riding than mending punctures!
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Submitted by
mike
a Racer
from machesney park, il
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | it holds air
its a tube how many strengths can it have?
| | Weaknesses: | noneso far | | Similar Products Used: | cheap tubes
kenda tubes | | Bike Setup: | giant mcm team | | Bottom Line: | good tubes i have 600 miles on mine and no flats yet! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | illegal #2 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | relatively light,135g, doesn't leak over time, seems to roll pretty smooth | | Weaknesses: | explodes, cannot patch, explodes | | Similar Products Used: | Slime tubes, specialized turbo | | Bike Setup: | SC Superlight, 00'Sid SL, stratos xcpro, hayes, raceface, king hubs | | Bottom Line: | I rode this tube on my front wheel with ~40 lbs. pressure with WTB Motoraptors and Specialized tires on it. They were good for the first few races and I started to like them. But in one race on flat section the tube completely exploded along the inside seam. I had no more tubes and was going to patch until I saw that the whole was TWO FEET long. I cannot understand why these tubes blew. I'll keep using my turbos. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hollywood
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Doesn't lose pressure any more than regular tubes
Relatively light (118g in my case)
No punctures at all until it exploded | | Weaknesses: | Quality - the layer where the valve is attached started to come unstuck
Expensive - £12 in the UK for one tube | | Similar Products Used: | Butyl | | Bike Setup: | SC Superlight, Z2 BAM, Hope XC4, XT / XTR | | Bottom Line: | Maybe I've been unlucky, but... I rated these until one blew up on me this weekend. On a regular butyl I would probably have got away with a snakebite, but the Air-B just split about 3 inches along the seam. However they do hold pressure well, but I'm going to give the Performance Lunar Lights a go instead - if I have a similar outcome with those, then it's back to standard butyl! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Edwin
a Cross-Country Rider
from Gld, Netherlands
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: |
Single trail | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: | Durability, light | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, I paid 15$ | | Similar Products Used: |
Vredestein latex
CST | | Bike Setup: |
Frame trek 970 SHX
Setup: XT,rock shox SID 98, mavic crosslink | | Bottom Line: | These are the best tubes I have ever used.
They dont lose pressure as fast like ordinairy latex tubes and I dont have any snakebites anymore.
I give them 4 stars because they are soooooooo expensive | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kristmundur Guðleifsson
a cross-country rider
from Iceland
Date Reviewed: December 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I used to have these on my bike and thought they were pretty cool until one day the seam came apart on the rear tube. Didn't have a spare and had to hitch a ride home. Don't buy this crap. | | Overall Rating: |
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