Heavy Duty tubes and Slime

[pooks]

This Sunday is the Austin LIVESTRONG race and my husband told me to go buy heavy-duty tubes and slime so he can get our tires ready. He doesn't want to ride on the highway and deal with flats. (He wanted to do this anyway, but now he has a special incentive.)

So, what's your opinion of both/either? Will I be able to tell any discernible difference when I'm riding my hybrid? Will it make it harder to ride? Do they work?

[DDH]

Wow Pooks, I looked at this ride but knew I would not be able to get the funds together. I hope you have a great ride. I live an hour from Austin, if I knew my way around a little better I might drive up there and watch some of the event. Driving in Austin scares me when I don't know where I am going. LOL

[pooks]

I had to scramble to get funds raised for my husband -- he had a family emergency and just didn't try. Suddenly the date was on top of us and oops! (He still has fifteen dollars to raise but I've been told it's coming in by mail.)

[NJBikeGal]

My personal 2 cents...take it or leave it!

Heavy Duty Tubes - Sure, why not...better than ultra-lite racers!
Slime - BIG NO!!!! I would not suggest using this stuff in your tires. It can cause more headaches than its worth in many cases, eg. the slime can pool, making your tires rotate unevenly.

My opinion is...fixing a flat on a ride like that is not a huge deal...lots of support vehicles on the road if you need help (at least there was in Philly).

Good luck by the way...our ride was much fun...hope yours is the same!!!

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hi Pooks - how exciting about your upcoming ride.

Back to the topic at hand...I've been using slime tubes on my bike from the get-go and have mixed feelings about them.

The good: last sunday for instance, I heard the distinct, unmistakable sound of a goathead going through my tire while on a bike path. I was a good 2.5 miles from home and was able to ride back with no problem - there was enough air to get me home.

The bad: they are messy!!! prepare to have green, cliche I know, but slime-looking stuff all over your wheel and tire, not to mention tube and your hands! Thus I have been taking a rag in by bike bag because it is really messy otherwise. Then you have what BikeGal mentioned about tire rotation, plus the simple fact that it is a heavier tube as well as more expensive.

My inclination now is to switch to kelvar tires, ala specialized armadillos, tape, and maybe some Thom thorn-resistant tubes (which are not like the slime ones).

Good luck with your event

[pooks]

Kelar tires? That's interesting. I'll check that out.