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Submitted by
Frank
a Weekend Warrior
from S.D.
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | The next new one I discover | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance (duh) | | Strengths: | Amazingly Light Weight
Holds Air Better Than ANY Latex Tube | | Weaknesses: | Damn Pricey | | Similar Products Used: | Generic, $1 Mystery Grab Bag Stuff | | Bike Setup: | Steel (Is Real) Hardtail, Full Deore (Yes Just Deore), Judy SL Fork, You Get The Picture | | Bottom Line: | Less Weight Means More Performance (No Pun Intended). The Best Place To Cut Weight Is Toward The Outside Of Your Wheels, Since There Rotating Any Ounces Cut There Multiply To Several Ounces Cut Else Where. These Tubes Easily Cut 20-30 Grams, Try Doing That With A Rim For Just Twenty Bucks. Also The Quality Is Fantastic, Being That These Are Made of Real Butyl Rubber, Which Hold Air Better Than A Latex Tube Of Twice The Thickness. Yeah You're Gonna Get Flats, But That's True of ANY Tube, Also If You're Runnin' Around With 25psi What Do You Think Is Gonna Happen. Fill 'em To 50 and Run With The Big Boys. This Tube Is Not Just For Lycra Racer Types, I'm A Fat Grizzly Adams Type Guy Who Flies Through The Back Hills With Nary A Problem. In Short The Best $20 You Can Spend On Your Bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Whidbey Island WA
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Goss Lake woods | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | $7.00 | | Strengths: | Light wteigh | | Weaknesses: | go flat within hours | | Similar Products Used: | various brands | | Bike Setup: | 1990 Diamond Back Ascent Ex | | Bottom Line: | These tubes suck. I bought 2 with my new tires from Performance and I had 2 flats the first day out. These are going ion the trash. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Ca
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Tahoe Rim Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$6.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Weight | | Weaknesses: | Durability, quality control | | Similar Products Used: | Generic, Torelli, IRC, Specialized | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bottom Line: | These tubes are hit or miss. I had two flat almost immediately. I have had one on my front wheel for the past year and it has outlasted the Continental Explorer tire it was mated to. If the quality control was better, it would be a fantastic product.
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Submitted by
Tom
a
from Frisco, CO
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | depends on the day | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Weight, of course | | Weaknesses: | Durability, of course | | Similar Products Used: | Air-B latex, Conti light, many standard tubes | | Bike Setup: | DeVinci Moonracer FS | | Bottom Line: | Keith Bontrager has a quote about component tradeoffs:
"you can have light, strong, or cheap- pick two"
So these are reasonably cheap and extremely light- guess what got left out? I bought three of these as spares for rides. If you pump your tires waaay up to 50 psi, and use lotsa talc, you may not pinch flat these immediately, but what's the point if you have to run your tires so hard you have less traction? On a full-susp. bike you can go fast enough on rough lines that you will flat these- usually in a race, right when you feel pretty good. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from CO
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Light, | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | regular Performance tubes | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Rockhopper, nothing stock but the handlebars | | Bottom Line: | These tubes offer such a weight reduction off any regular tubes. I haven't had any any flats, but I ride fairly hard on the downhills. I used to pinch flat a lot (bad technique and not enough pressure), but as long you ride with some finesse, and fill your tires with 40-45 psi you shouldn't pinch flat on anything but the fastest of technical downhills.
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Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from san francisco, ca usa
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | None- | | Weaknesses: | Too weak and not durable-My tube blew up going down hill on my road bike. Luck I did not wind up in the emergency! | | Similar Products Used: | michelin, continental, specialized turbo | | Bike Setup: | kestrel sci w/ultegra | | Bottom Line: | Better use the larger name brand tube or one that is a few grams heavier for safety's sake! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
the titans
a Racer
from baltimore
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | loch raven | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | flat | | Similar Products Used: | other tubes | | Bike Setup: | schwinn homegrown | | Bottom Line: | Please don't even think about it if you're racing. What's the point of training hard and driving to the race and paying a fee only to stop and fix a flat while the folks you passed go riding by. I tried these once last year with the same result on a full-susp. Please accept an additional 25 grams and get something else. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Racer
from Kindsbach, Germany
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Performancebike.com | | Strengths: | Very light weight.
Less weight in the most effective area | | Weaknesses: | More prone to pinch flat? But if you are running light tubes, what do you expect? | | Similar Products Used: | tubes, tubes, and other tubes | | Bike Setup: | Dean Duke, race set up with Schwalbe 1.9 (they look skinnier than that) Black Shark light tires. | | Bottom Line: | I've raced and trained, when using my race bike, on these tubes for three years now. Never have I noticed an increased tendency to pinch flat, or flat in general. A thorn in the tube will flat the tire no-matter-what (ok, unless you've got slime or liners). I run unusually high pressures (50-60 psi) mainly due to the small tire choice, not the light weight tube. My racing rig sits idle for the entire winter, and yes there is still air in the tires after several months of inactivity! If your tires go flat or explode after mounting, then you've obviously damaged the tube. There is a saying that probably applies here: "If you don't know what those two little screws on a derailleur do, then don't mess with them!"
Bottom line: Light weight is for racing ONLY! Not for "dink'n" around the neighborhood. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Walden | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$7.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | lightweight | | Weaknesses: | very poor durability, several tubes had problems right out of the box | | Similar Products Used: | torelli, specialized, blackburn, continental, etc. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Sugar 2+ Disc, Superlight with Disc | | Bottom Line: | Do yourself a favor and don't buy these tubes. They are light and extremely unreliable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bufulo
a Cross Country Rider
from Grass Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Hole in the Ground | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive unless purchased when on sale. Pinch flat easily; especially when used with narrow tires. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Super-Thin tubes. | | Bottom Line: | Worked great for months with 2.1 Mythos XC. Went to 1.95 Mythos XC in the rear and pinch flatted alot. Seemed to hold up to thorns as well as any other tube I've tried (even tubes that were twice the weight). I'd still be using these if I hadn't discovered Stan's tubeless system. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Monarch Crest, Rainbow, Government | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$9.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Still waiting | | Similar Products Used: | Torrelli(Not dependable), basic tubes | | Bike Setup: | 01 FSR Pro, XTR/XT, Thomson post, Sella SLR, Avid Mags,Avid Flackjacket cables, Mich Comp S | | Bottom Line: | I've been forunate, have run the tubes for two months and the stem has only busted on one while removing the trail pump. Performance said that it was a defect and replaced it for free. I'm 195lbs and run them at a very high PSI. I do deflate them a little after each ride. Great way to drop weight in a noticable area. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$6.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | The tubes are light, hold air well, and are affordable. | | Weaknesses: | Just not dependable enough. | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC DS1 w/SRAM 9.0sl rear der and shifters, Hayes Hydraulic brakes, Truvativ cranks and BB. | | Bottom Line: | I'm suffering many more flats over the same trails I've ridden in the past. The inner tube walls seem too thin to take the pressure of riding. Almost all my flats are caused by the tube exploding rather than a puncture. This almost never happened to me in the past. I've just changed bikes and I'm having the same problem with my new rims. As soon as the last tube I have pops I'll be time to try something new. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | their bike shop | | Strengths: | it IS light | | Weaknesses: | flat easy, shred easy, too fragile | | Similar Products Used: | performance ultra-lites w no problems | | Bike Setup: | Pro~Flex "959" full suspension, disk brakes, xt, xtr, RF, Easton, Thompson, Panaracer | | Bottom Line: | blew my front tire today, it popped like a gun going off. they say to run a good rim strip. it was the abrasion/friction on/around the rim strip that made this tube go "POP". maybe they work only with Velox. they are light but way to fragile and thin, for my taste. i have had no problem with the ultra-lights so back to those | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Racer
from Newport, NH
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | The orange stem caps match my wheels. Loud and crisp bang when they blow up. They are light. | | Weaknesses: | They blow up for no good reason. Once doing 25mph on the road home from the trail and once on the car rack! | | Similar Products Used: | Plain old boring generic butyl tubes. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | I find these tubes to be unsafe. Only my extreme riding talent (note sarcastic grin) saved my ass on the downhill road explosion. Not worth the risk. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Key Largo, FL
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Crystal Mountain, WA | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$8.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | light weight | | Weaknesses: | look cross-eyed at them and they go flat | | Bike Setup: | K-2 WayBig FS | | Bottom Line: | These tubes really blow (out). I have been through three in two weeks, just cross country riding on trails. Would never consider using them again, period, for any type cycling. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dude
a
from baltimore
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$7.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | flat | | Bike Setup: | rocky race fs | | Bottom Line: | bought 4 tubes 2 weeks ago. only 1 left. pinch flats and a thorn. i only raced on them but i cannot see the advantage of the paltry weight savings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from chicago
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | lightweight
in stock | | Weaknesses: | leak air, flat easily | | Similar Products Used: | WTB | | Bike Setup: | GT XIZANG | | Bottom Line: | Bought them at the local performance store becuase no one else in the area carried a lightweight performance tube and I didn't want to wait for mail order. I bought four tubes and here are the results less than 1 month of use for each one:
#1 Still works and holds air
#2 flat after three rides would not hold air even after patching
#3 Went flat after one ride, repatched and installed Ok so far
#4 I put the damn thing on and before I unmounted my bike from the stand was already flat!
I'm going to try Maxxis and order them direct while the other two still have air. These are not worth it at any cost, nothing but not being able to ride. Yes, I do use talc with 50 psi and no,I don't take 6' drop offs.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles Coker
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | can't tell you, it's secret | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | lose air, flat easil | | Similar Products Used: | all | | Bike Setup: | custom racerx | | Bottom Line: | pass...
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BVBR
a Racer
from Ocomukowonowaukesha, WI
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Not for free-riding | | Bottom Line: | Great for racing but definitely not for free-riding. I haven't had any problems racing them. I talc 'em before I install them and run high pressures ~50psi. No problems. I have blown a few free-riding but it was my own fault...not enough pressure, sloppy bike handling.
There really isn't much reason to use these unless you are racing. Just stick to the regular Butyl tube for everyday riding and save your $$. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl Morse
a Racer
from Hortonville
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Can can't handle it | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performancebike | | Strengths: | Holds air great!
Superlightweight | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Heavy stuff | | Bike Setup: | Mavic and Bonty Tires | | Bottom Line: | These are great. I run them high at 50 or so but they hold air great and didn't pinch or puncture them yet. i see no loss of air on the gauge yet. hills and flats feel easier. I don't have to work as hard to keep the wheels movin. I try just as hard. I just ride faster! They are good and you should get them if you want an edge. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kw G
a
from Sack of Tomatoes
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | MR. TOAD'S | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$6.00 | | Purchased At: | PERFORMANCE | | Strengths: | LIGHT | | Weaknesses: | THEY ALL BLOW'D UP | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized | | Bike Setup: | I use Tuff-Boy liners and rim tape. | | Bottom Line: | They suck! I kept 'em at 45 psi, 50 psi, 55 psi, then 60 psi and still I got mo' pinch flats.
Lunarlight tubes = blowouts + frustrated rider + late getting home to wife = no kitchen pass.
I see that some people didn't get flats. Either they don't ride on anything but pavement and butta smooth paths or they're looney-lites. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a
from Arlington, Va
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | most anything | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light weight | | Weaknesses: | flats too much - blows out at the seam. | | Similar Products Used: | specialized, michelin and continental - much better | | Bike Setup: | Specialized carbon frame, Ultegra gruppo, Spinergy Spox
S | | Bottom Line: | My biking bud and I both tried using the road tubes and they kept blowing at the seam. Four out of six blew within first 30 mi. Must be poor quality control. Won't waste my money again on them. Went back to Michelin and Continental. They may be heavier but haven't had blowouts at the seam.
I've not had problems with the Performance brand MTB tubes, just the lunarlight road tubes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | very light (90g on the scale) | | Weaknesses: | fragile valve-tube connection
expensice (9$)
does not come with talc | | Similar Products Used: | specialized, cheap taiwanese stuff. | | Bike Setup: | stumpjumper'98 | | Bottom Line: | Those tubes are very cheaply made. The valve stem broke while I was installing the tube twice. Performance gave me my money back without asking a word. I agree with a previous review that those tires are very variable in quality.
I'll get the Michelin next. 40g extra but I cannot tell the difference. Change your tires if you want to climb faster. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | light, cheap (for what you get), holds air | | Weaknesses: | ummm... they're thin? | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized ultralights, various standard tubes | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager Race wheelset, Onza Honch/Aggro tires | | Bottom Line: | Good stuff so far. Since I'm kinda heavy at 200 lbs, I run my tire pressure pretty high--50-55 psi. Maybe that's why, but I've not had any problems with these tubes. The one incident I had was my own fault. I was inflating my rear tire, misread the guage, over-inflated and blew out the tube. It actually hurt my eardrums more than my opinion of these tubes. Climbing hills feels significantly easier. Also--and I think this helps--every time I put a tube in a tire, whether it's a new tube or a fixed flat, I first coat the tube with talcum powder. It seems to reduce friction and possibly prevent pinch flats. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colton
a Racer
from Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | lightweight | | Weaknesses: | flat all the @#*%!^$ time | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed Vortex | | Bottom Line: | Not worth the extra money for something that won't last. Sure I've checked my rims, rim tape, etc. But these are not as dependable as regular butyl tubes which last 3 times as long.
I'd rather carry a extra 50g in my wheels and finish the race than lose out to a flat. Put your money into something better like lighter tires. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Racer
from Quebec City
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Somewhat fragileto puncture | | Similar Products Used: | Specialied light tubes, Torelli ultra light | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR-Comp | | Bottom Line: | I've been using these the last 2 seasons and had good luck with them. Make sure your rim strips are in good shape tough. At one point I started to have flats on the back wheel and found that the strip was nut fully covering the edge of the spoke hole. That was enough to create a puncture. For the rest, they have been fairly reliable. They are so light that your bike feel much quicker. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BUTCH
a Cross-Country Rider
from VERMONT
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
LIGHTWEIGHT | | Weaknesses: |
NONE SO FAR | | Similar Products Used: |
VARIOUS TUBES, ALTHOUGH NEVER ANY THIS LIGHT | | Bike Setup: |
96 STUMPJUMPER HT
MAN. SX 9.0sl LX & XT | | Bottom Line: | ONLY TESTED FOR ABOUT A MONTH BUT SO FAR SO GOOD. I AM RUNNING THEM WITH SPECILIZED DIRT CONTROL AND DIRT MASTER TEAM TIRES. I AM VERY SATISFIED SO FAR | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DirtRoadie
a Cross-Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 14, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Cayonlands in October | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Light, holds air, and can be durable.
100% Satisfaction guarantee | | Weaknesses: |
Spontaneous self-destruction | | Bottom Line: | See my previous posts. Time is telling.
The bottom line is that if you get one of these that isn't defective it is great and does everything that it could reasonably be expected to. I now have several with hundreds of trouble-free miles on them. On the other hand, the percentage of defective tubes seems to be high. With a defective tube you can count on spontaneous flats which are the result of small slits which appear along visible seam/ mold lines as the rubber separates. The product is (or can be) good but quality control is marginal. DO NOT use NEW one for any mission critical application such as a race. If it survives the first week of regular use then it probably has a decent chance of lasting quite a while. Note that Performance does have a 100% Satisfaction guarantee. It's probably appropriate to let them know that they need to improve their product.
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Submitted by
Lee
a Cross-Country Rider
from Mass
Date Reviewed: July 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Trail of Tears | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Light weight, relatively cheap | | Weaknesses: |
relatively cheap | | Similar Products Used: |
Specialized, Torelli | | Bike Setup: |
Alum HT, marz z-2 bam | | Bottom Line: | I haven't experienced all the flats that people mention here. When I was using Torelli's I would have a flat at least once a week, without ever having ridden over thorns. Once I started using the Performance tubes (they're like 3 for $13 or something), I have had about 1/8th of the flats I had before. They don't hold air for very long- I have to pump about 5lbs of air in them before every ride, but so f |
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$ 8.99
