Vittoria Latex Road Tube

These tubes are very supple & light. They improved the ride quality of the tires I generally train with & in my experience they don't flat any easier than butyl tubes. Having said that, you can find butyl tubes that are almost as light for less money. If you aren't already in the habit of airing up your tires before every ride, you'll find that it's a must with these tubes. They are more porous than butyl tubes & therefore loose air at a faster rate. If you can find them on sale, they are worth a try.

I wanted to try these latex tubes that are advertised to have slightly better puncture resistance than other, lighter latex tubes. I also moved from Michelin Pro3 Race tires to Continental 4000s for the same reason. You still have to be super careful putting these tubes on. Don't even think about using a tire lever. Given how fragile they are, the fact that you have to put air in them every time you ride, plus the fact that I'm still not convinced they give weight and rolling resistance benefits you can feel, I'm not sure they are worth the cost and effort. Maybe if you are Pro Tour level it is worth it, but doubtful for the rest of us.

A little more money, likes the way they rolled. Seemed smoother, my Synapse rolled up the hills a little easier.

Tube very light, I had no problems so far, although I've only used in triathlon races. We must be careful to inflate a couple of hours before competing since deflate pretty quickly. It can be inflated by overnight.

They need to be topped up daily, but they provide a really nice ride.

Surprised at how long this tube retains air. Typically, previous latex tubes lost air much faster than these. They're not the lightest latex tubes available, but they work very well, especially for race day.

These are unlike any other tube I've used. I've tried other so-called light tubes, but they just don't hold up under ordinary wear and tear or are defective. I can't tell you how many I've popped, just by inflating them. These, by contrast, are not only light, but strong. During Day 1 of Cycle Oregon 2012, I was unexpectedly caught in a 2 12 mile uphill, on gravel. I fully expected the gravel to shred the tubes, but to my surprise, I made it up the 8% climb, and completed the remainder of Cycle Oregon without any flats. Even as I write this, the tubes are still great. Where the tubes shine, though, is in the weight savings. Rotational weight at the wheel is the worse place to have weight on a bike. As the wheel rotates, the tire and tube get heavier. Think of an astronaut traveling progressively faster, round and round on a centrifuge, and you get the idea. Just as the astronaut gets heavier, so too does your tire and tube gain weight, the faster you go. That's why its a great idea for increased speed and starts to go with light weight tubes, tires, and wheels. I definitely feel the difference. I would buy these again. They are worth the extra cost.

I use these Vittoria latex tubes inside Vittoria Open Corsa Evo 320 tpi tires. On clincher wheels, that's as close as you can get to Vittoria tubulars (which I use during racing). Enjoyable, comfortable ride, rolling fast. Highly recommended.

makes tribike ride feel like a road bike

Used these on my tri bike for training and racing this season along with the Vittoria Open Corsa tires. This combination has been very durable. No flats.

While others complain about having to keep pressures in check and the weight, I would like to counter these claims.

I have been using these tubes with Vittoria Open CX 25s for two years now. I have had Zero flats. Last year I took my tire off to glue cuts in the tire and discovered a piece of metal wire that had embedded itself in the tube. Did I flat before hand, no. The nature of latex is to bend and not break like butyl does.

I'll add that I also use Stans latex sealant in the tube. I had a puncture during a race and it sealed itself extremely quickly. I had minimal loss of pressure. I took the tiretube off that evening only to discover that I could not find the hole - even after airing it up! I put the same tube back into the tire and have raced it since.

If you're going to go latex, the Vittoria brand is a good choice.

does improve your ride quality, smoothing chatter, maybe faster? I have found them reliable with a better ride quality than butyl, so if they are maybe a few watts saved too, great. Decent price on biketiresdirect.

Latex looses 40psi overnight - at the least. These weigh in at 85 grams. Heavy for a premium tube. Get your weight down to 76 grams with Continental Race Light for 23 the cost. Get the weight down to 75 grams with Michelin Air Comp for 12 the cost. I use both the Conti and the Michelin after trying latex and won't go back.