Change tube with every tire change?

motoGleamer
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motoGleamer
Changing my rear tire and found the tube to be a little worn but no hole. Is it common to change the tube with each new tire or is the old tube fine to use? Thx.
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Ake89
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Ake89 6/13/2021 4:37pm
6/13/2021 4:37pm
I do.Not worth the $15
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Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 6/13/2021 4:52pm
6/13/2021 4:52pm
I don’t. All I do is Wipe the tube down. Sometimes there is rubber from the inside of the tire carcass. You can rub that off easily. Use baby powder liberally when reinstalling. Make sure the rim is clean and the rim strip is still good. That’s it.

Hammer 663s
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Munson'd
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Munson'd 6/13/2021 5:38pm
6/13/2021 5:38pm
If I get the tube out without putting a hole in it, you bet your ass I’m using it again.
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Jbulz
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Jbulz 6/13/2021 5:45pm
6/13/2021 5:45pm Edited Date/Time 6/13/2021 5:46pm
No way. I get a year or 2 out of a tube no problem! My last bike still had the OE Dunlop tube in it when I sold it!
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Stewable
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Stewable 6/13/2021 5:56pm
6/13/2021 5:56pm
I'd always reuse unless it's damaged.
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yz133rider
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yz133rider 6/13/2021 6:02pm
6/13/2021 6:02pm
Munson'd wrote:
If I get the tube out without putting a hole in it, you bet your ass I’m using it again.
This 100%.
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LungButter
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LungButter 6/13/2021 6:36pm
6/13/2021 6:36pm Edited Date/Time 6/13/2021 6:39pm
Ake89 wrote:
I do.Not worth the $15
Try spending a little more than $15 and get a quality tube and you won’t have to waste so much money.

I have a bike that has Michellin Ultra Heavy duty tubes that have over 200 hours on them. Thats probably 20+ sets of tires at least.
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Falcon
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Falcon 6/13/2021 6:49pm
6/13/2021 6:49pm
I re-run mine for 2-3 tires, then replace.
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LouisianaMotocross 6/13/2021 6:54pm
6/13/2021 6:54pm
Ake89 wrote:
I do.Not worth the $15
LungButter wrote:
Try spending a little more than $15 and get a quality tube and you won’t have to waste so much money. I have a bike that...
Try spending a little more than $15 and get a quality tube and you won’t have to waste so much money.

I have a bike that has Michellin Ultra Heavy duty tubes that have over 200 hours on them. Thats probably 20+ sets of tires at least.
I like running the ultras but it’s a little more challenging to change the tire. I do motocross and can’t tell any weight difference as some have suggested before.
LungButter
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LungButter 6/13/2021 6:56pm
6/13/2021 6:56pm
LouisianaMotocross wrote:
I like running the ultras but it’s a little more challenging to change the tire. I do motocross and can’t tell any weight difference as some...
I like running the ultras but it’s a little more challenging to change the tire. I do motocross and can’t tell any weight difference as some have suggested before.
They are very hard to pinch though which is nice.

I’ve found that Michelin & Bridgestone are substantially easier to deal with than the cheaper UHD available. The quality rubber seems more pliable to me.
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McG194
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McG194 6/13/2021 7:14pm
6/13/2021 7:14pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
I don’t. All I do is Wipe the tube down. Sometimes there is rubber from the inside of the tire carcass. You can rub that off...
I don’t. All I do is Wipe the tube down. Sometimes there is rubber from the inside of the tire carcass. You can rub that off easily. Use baby powder liberally when reinstalling. Make sure the rim is clean and the rim strip is still good. That’s it.

Hammer 663s
The bonus is that the tube is lighter when you shake all that rubber out of the tire.
profeshenal125 6/13/2021 9:59pm
6/13/2021 9:59pm
I changed front and rear tires every week. Stock tubes last forever. I had spare tubes I never used them. I bought a heavy duty tube once, never again. They make it harder to change a tire. I tried baby powder once, I had it all over and it stinks. I used a gallon of Napa tire conditioner, until one night it got wild in the box van. I poured it on 2 chics, real neat slick stuff. Switched to wd40, just spray the whole tube and bead. I can change 2 tires in 5 minutes, On a 125 of course. Get the tires in the sun and warm them up, it’s so easy then.
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ctbale
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ctbale 6/14/2021 12:32am
6/14/2021 12:32am
When I changed the original tire on my 1971 Honda CT70, I re used the original nitto tube. What?!?
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chump6784
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chump6784 6/14/2021 2:58am
6/14/2021 2:58am
I change tyres to suit the track I'm riding in the weekend, I never change the tube unless I pinch it
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Vet57
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Vet57 6/14/2021 4:56am
6/14/2021 4:56am
I leave mine out...less unsprung weight.
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yak651
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yak651 6/14/2021 4:59am
6/14/2021 4:59am
Only when I pinch them...
Zeke27G
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Zeke27G 6/14/2021 6:12am
6/14/2021 6:12am

Great topic, here's my experience over the last 10 years or so...

...so I went through a period of time where I was getting a lot of rear pinch flats, and I finally realized it wasn't my riding, it was the cheap Malcolm Smith and STi heavy duty tubes that I was buying from my local shop. I asked a friend who's son was racing supercross at the time and he said they prefer Dunlop or Bridgestone heavy duty tubes. The Dunlop HD tubes were hard to get, but the Bridgestone HD tubes were readily available. The difference in the quality and feel between the two tubes was incredible. The STi tubes felt like hard plastic and the Bridgestone tubes felt like actual soft pliable rubber and they were twice as thick! Eventually I found that IRC heavy duty tubes are nearly as good as Bridgestone HD tubes and are a lot more affordable. I've used the same IRC tubes for 4 or 5 tire changes without issue, but they aren't $15 tubes, they're more like $25 or $30, so it hurts a little more to swap them each time, and honestly, that would probably be a waste in my opinion.
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MX915
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MX915 6/14/2021 6:49am
6/14/2021 6:49am
Zeke27G wrote:
Great topic, here's my experience over the last 10 years or so... ...so I went through a period of time where I was getting a lot...

Great topic, here's my experience over the last 10 years or so...

...so I went through a period of time where I was getting a lot of rear pinch flats, and I finally realized it wasn't my riding, it was the cheap Malcolm Smith and STi heavy duty tubes that I was buying from my local shop. I asked a friend who's son was racing supercross at the time and he said they prefer Dunlop or Bridgestone heavy duty tubes. The Dunlop HD tubes were hard to get, but the Bridgestone HD tubes were readily available. The difference in the quality and feel between the two tubes was incredible. The STi tubes felt like hard plastic and the Bridgestone tubes felt like actual soft pliable rubber and they were twice as thick! Eventually I found that IRC heavy duty tubes are nearly as good as Bridgestone HD tubes and are a lot more affordable. I've used the same IRC tubes for 4 or 5 tire changes without issue, but they aren't $15 tubes, they're more like $25 or $30, so it hurts a little more to swap them each time, and honestly, that would probably be a waste in my opinion.
I agree about the STI vs Bridgestone HD tubes. I had an STI tube split at one of the seams in the middle of a hare scramble following a race on rocky terrain the week before. When you feel the Bridgestone tube vs the STI its pretty eye opening. Bridgestone tubes are made in Japan too so thats a plus.
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Bruce372
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Bruce372 6/14/2021 7:31am
6/14/2021 7:31am
After reading all the air fork threads, I've realized that air is unreliable so now I fit all my tires with springs instead of tubes
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LungButter
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LungButter 6/14/2021 10:09am
6/14/2021 10:09am
MX915 wrote:
I agree about the STI vs Bridgestone HD tubes. I had an STI tube split at one of the seams in the middle of a hare...
I agree about the STI vs Bridgestone HD tubes. I had an STI tube split at one of the seams in the middle of a hare scramble following a race on rocky terrain the week before. When you feel the Bridgestone tube vs the STI its pretty eye opening. Bridgestone tubes are made in Japan too so thats a plus.
Yep, there is a big difference in how the rubber feels on a Bridgestone or Michellin (never tried Dunlop HD) compared to the other HD tubes. You can just tell they are better, it makes them easier to deal with than the cheap ones too.
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Crossup
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Crossup 6/14/2021 11:54am
6/14/2021 11:54am Edited Date/Time 6/14/2021 11:56am
motoGleamer wrote:
Changing my rear tire and found the tube to be a little worn but no hole. Is it common to change the tube with each new...
Changing my rear tire and found the tube to be a little worn but no hole. Is it common to change the tube with each new tire or is the old tube fine to use? Thx.
No. As others mentioned, with a cleaned up tube and inside the tire (and I also use plenty of Armor All sprayed on the tube and inside the tire during installation), I go 4 new sets of tires before a tube change. Check out the base of the valve stems on the tube because a lot of the time, that is where they go first.
Steve125
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Steve125 6/14/2021 11:59am
6/14/2021 11:59am
I put in a heavy duty tube then leave it in the next time.
GuyB
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GuyB 6/14/2021 12:06pm
6/14/2021 12:06pm
Seems like cheap insurance.
backinthesaddleagain 6/14/2021 1:38pm
6/14/2021 1:38pm
MX915 wrote:
I agree about the STI vs Bridgestone HD tubes. I had an STI tube split at one of the seams in the middle of a hare...
I agree about the STI vs Bridgestone HD tubes. I had an STI tube split at one of the seams in the middle of a hare scramble following a race on rocky terrain the week before. When you feel the Bridgestone tube vs the STI its pretty eye opening. Bridgestone tubes are made in Japan too so thats a plus.
LungButter wrote:
Yep, there is a big difference in how the rubber feels on a Bridgestone or Michellin (never tried Dunlop HD) compared to the other HD tubes...
Yep, there is a big difference in how the rubber feels on a Bridgestone or Michellin (never tried Dunlop HD) compared to the other HD tubes. You can just tell they are better, it makes them easier to deal with than the cheap ones too.
Harley Davidson tubes? I guess if they can hold up those heavy bikes they can handle a couple tire changes. sarcasm
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kage173
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kage173 6/14/2021 1:41pm
6/14/2021 1:41pm Edited Date/Time 6/14/2021 2:12pm
Hayle no. This sport is expensive. I save where I can. If I was racing at a national, ir even regional level, then maybe...or if I was going on long trail rides and might end up hrs away from the truck. Other than that, run it till it dies bro
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spimx
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spimx 6/14/2021 5:35pm
6/14/2021 5:35pm
I have some tubes with several patches. Still good!
profeshenal125 6/14/2021 9:02pm
6/14/2021 9:02pm
ctbale wrote:
When I changed the original tire on my 1971 Honda CT70, I re used the original nitto tube. What?!?
Yeah right on, I had the same bike. Heal toe shifter, 4 speed with a clutch. I think everyone knows, to toss the rubber strip. And use 1 or 2 wraps of duct tape on the inside of the rims front and rear.
cloud41
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cloud41 6/15/2021 4:14am
6/15/2021 4:14am
There’s no point in throwing out a good tube.
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