Heavy duty tubes

[thetimkirby]

I'm after a bit of advice about off-road tubes for an @.

Got some off road tyres for an upcoming trail ride, and asked the wheelman to fit heavy duty tubes. The tyre supplier advised against the 4mm tubes unless they were strictly used for off-road only. He also said the medium type (2.5mm I think) should only be used on the road at limited speeds (he said 30mph or so). For normal road speeds only the road type 1.5mm was recommended, as the thicker ones will overheat. He was quite adamant about this, so I was reluctant to quiz him further.

I'm sure members here have used thicker tubes on the road, so what are your experiences, and views of this advice? *rse covering caution, sensible and accurate, overly fussy or complete bollox?

I'm planning a longer foreign trip, mixing on and off-road, and was hoping to use heavy duty tubes for the whole trip. I don't fancy changing tubes every time I leave the tarmac. Help.

[StumpyFingers]

When I had my tyres replaced I had a heavy duty tube fitted to the back wheel.
I can't remember what thickness is was but it certainly has not had any problems with heat.

[Treadtrader]

He's giving you the correct advice. Competition tubes are exactly that, for comp bikes.
Unofficially i've allways used comp tubes including long haul trips to Spain.

It's your bike and you can fit what you like, but if you want them fitted you may have to find another dealer.

[AlanH]

Pro-Tyre in Bristol fitted a Michelin 4mm tube to my front road tyre (Avon RoadRider) presumably 'cos they didn't have standard in stock. Are you saying this is dangerous for 70mph cruising?

EDIT: Just fired off an email to Michelin. After all the hassle I had with them not fitting the tyre properly, it would be very interesting to see if they'd done something else dangerous too.

[jasonbc]

I'm after a bit of advice about off-road tubes for an @.

Got some off road tyres for an upcoming trail ride, and asked the wheelman to fit heavy duty tubes. The tyre supplier advised against the 4mm tubes unless they were strictly used for off-road only. He also said the medium type (2.5mm I think) should only be used on the road at limited speeds (he said 30mph or so). For normal road speeds only the road type 1.5mm was recommended, as the thicker ones will overheat. He was quite adamant about this, so I was reluctant to quiz him further.

I'm sure members here have used thicker tubes on the road, so what are your experiences, and views of this advice? *rse covering caution, sensible and accurate, overly fussy or complete bollox?

I'm planning a longer foreign trip, mixing on and off-road, and was hoping to use heavy duty tubes for the whole trip. I don't fancy changing tubes every time I leave the tarmac. Help.

I use the xr and gasgas on and offroad and always use heavy duty tubes i normally use the 4mm Vee Rubber brand seem to be the most popular down here and are around £10. Continental to a 6mm ultra heavy duty tube that some people use and are around £18 but they are a ******* to fit.

Just another useless bit of info for you i didn't know until a few months back it is illegal for a dealer to repair a tube for you something to do with the rubber cement make up and the rubber in the tube, don't exactly understand it though

[digitalcaptive]

I fitted heavy duty (4mm) tubes to my AT and noticed when I changed the tyres a certain amount bobbling to the tubes.......I consulted a certain dealer of tyres not unknown on this forum and he confirmed this heat theory

[AlanH]

The reply from Michelin regarding 4mm tubes for road use...

With reference to Michelin Off Road Tubes (UHD ultra heavy duty etc) we would advise that they are for off road use, however although it may not be illegal to fit off road tubes to a road going motorcycle, it is still not to our recommendations

So basically it is against the manufacturers recommendations if you're on the road.

[thetimkirby]

Thanks for the reply, Alan. Interesting...

So it seems its not dangerous enough to make it illegal to fit them, but concerning enough to not be recommended. Hmmm. Don't the thick tubes get hot when used off road, where the lower pressures result in more sidewall flexing, where the heat is generated? Or is it just that a failure in these conditions is less of a drama than a high speed puncture?

Perhaps fitting the medium duty (2.5mm I think) is an acceptable compromise. Maybe dust the tube/tyre well with chalk or talc when fitting? Time to experiment a bit.

The chap who is rebuilding my wheel inflates the tube outside the tyre first, to check for quality. Some cheaper ones have thinner areas and show up as very distorted when inflated. He gets more problems with cheap tubes than thick ones (he rides on and off road, and does first class wheel work), and prefers to use Continental tubes.

I guess the lesson is, never mind the thickness, feel the quality.

Please don't make me regret saying that.

[Treadtrader]

Lets clear up any confusion.
Competiton tubes are for comp bikes.
Thicker tubes such as these will heat up more due to friction. Not so much a problem with an off-roader. But on long high speed road journeys, could be a problem.
For long high speed runs a higher pressure will allow the tyre to run cooler.
Using good quality tubes from a major manufacturer is the best choice. Even better match the tube to the tyre, e.g. Michelin tyre use a Michelin tube.
Dusting with french chalk or even talc helps combat friction.

All of this is advice, not law.

I've used Michelin comp tubes fitted to Anakee tyres for many years without a problem.

[AlanH]

All of this is advice, not law

And it's all good advice. However, I wonder what an insurance company view would be.