Quote Originally Posted by PamNY View Post
It's possible -- even likely -- that the woman who explained tubes meant to be helpful, not patronizing.
This. I work for a large chain bike shop. It is amazing how many people (including apparently experienced cyclists, who ride far more than I do) don't know what size tubes they need. I had someone (who rode a metric century the previous weekend) ask if a certain tube (with the size range printed on the box) would fit his tires. It's safer for her to assume that you don't know. (I'm not entirely sure how she didn't get "road bike tire, 23", though.)