This is a great tube with a premium valve stem. The stem is metallic and threaded for the full length. It comes with a valve stem cap as you'd expect but also with a small ring nut. When you install the tube you can then put the ring nut on the stem and spin it down to contact the rim. Typically inflating a tire with no air is challenging because the valve stem is unstable and tends to push down away from the air chuck. With these Continental tubes the valve stem is just as solid and stable with air or without air.
I've been riding Conti tubes inside the Conti Gator and Grand Prix for years and have been relatively flat free. Yes, we've all picked up the road debris that eviscerates the sidewall and tube, but day in and day out, 100 miles a week, 50 (ish) weeks a year these tubes perform great! Not too heavy, not too thin, easy to mount. Terrific all around performance training tube. I purchase a new set with every set of new tires and pass the still good used tubes off to folks in need.
I needed to replace my tire and tube so I purchased this tube. Set up and instillation was very easy and I've had no issues yet with the tube which I've been using for about a month now. For context, I ride about 5-15 miles a week for commuting, and general getting around town purposes.
I read many reviews before deciding on these tubes; it�s been a while since I bought tubes/tires and I didn�t know if I�d need tire liners. The reviews from another rider were what convinced me to try these; I did splurge on the second best tires I found here and one of your phone representatives assured me they would deliver more than enough for my needs. No one wants to be stranded with a flat and these tubes looked like an ounce of prevention to a pound of cure!
Installed the tube on new tires purchased at the same time. If you need a refresher on how to install tubes, read the instructions on the website before you damage the tube. I have had the tubes in for over 2 months now and have not need to add air. My tire are 700c x 42mm. I have put on about 100 miles, so not very much. Tube is holding up well and I like the metal stem.
Decided for comfort reasons to upgrade from 23mm tires to 32mm tires. Tried several local bike stores for tubes meant for wider tires with no luck. The biggest advantage to these is that the 23 mm tubes in 32 mm tires leak air much faster. These can go several days without needing to have air added.
