I have a hybrid bike with 700c x 35mm tires. I want to buy an extra tube to carry along on rides in case of a flat, but when I look online all I see are 700 x 23, 700 x 25, hardly ever 700 x 35. Will a 25mm wide tube blow up to fit a 35mm tire?
Also I see ads for Michelin 'Airstop' tubes with Presta valves that aren't threaded on the outside, which makes them easier to fill. That sounds like a good idea to me! Do they make these in 700x35c? I haven't found any anywhere, except some ads have no width on them at all, just 700c. Does that mean 'one size fits all'? I'm confused.
Thanks in advance.
nodopenomore2012-10-31T19:00:42Z
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It is a good idea to carry spares and do the patching at home. I do patching when I have 6-10 tubes to fix.
You need to look a bit closer to the tubes. After the 700 x they will indicate a range (min. size - max. size). The min. size - max. size indicate the range of tires that that particular tube can fit. For instance: a tube marked 700 x 30 - 35 will fit your tire. Or a tube marked 700 x 32 - 37, or 700 x 35- 40.
In principle, a tube made for a 25 will be too small to fit a 35 unless it is designed for it and is so indicated.
The threadless valves still have a little thread to hold the plastic cap over the little nut, so not so much advantage there for pumping. The lack of threads on the body of the valve, makes them much easier to introduce through deep V rims used today in racing and many road bikes. You save a few seconds fixing a flat on the road and the deep V rims holds the valve in place so you don't need the nut. I would not think those are made for 35 mm.
Buying on line will not save you any $ in small items like those. Visit your Local Bike Shop, about 300 bike shops close each year in the USA.
in 32-35 mm width that might offer lower rolling resistance. Panaracer palsea 35 has my vote Schwalbe Marathons are nice and last quite a while. Or Continental TopTouring 2000 -- reliable, durable, very puncture resistant, really expensive and apparently never discounted. 5000 miles from a rear with no flats, the matching front is now on the rear piling up even more miles. Comes in an optional ($4 extra) reflectorized sidewall that makes your bike stunningly visible in headlights from the side at night.
Panaracer Pasela TG -- used on the rear of the above bike, many flats -- punctures, pinch-flats, the works. Threw the tire out after less than 500 miles. Concluded that sidewalls are too flimsy for this 210lb rider to use as a rear tire. The front is doing fine, no flats. On the plus side, these tires are increadibly easy to get on and off my Mavic T519 rims without the use of tools.
Avocet CrossK -- 6000 trouble-free miles, but yes, kinda slow, kinda noisy, and towards the end tended to square off too much and the tread started to separate. Never a flat, though.
Specialized Nimbus EX ("Flak Jacket," not Armadillo) -- These are actually 700x35c, a size no longer made, that I bought for $12 each a couple of years ago on clearance when all the mail order places had to stop selling Specialized. These are surprisingly good commuter tires. Nearly slick, inflatable to 100psi, but fat and comfy and round. The first pair I bought are still going strong on the hybrid I sold to my officemate; he's got umpty-ump thousand miles on them now, with nary a flat. I've got maybe 800 miles on this second pair and am amazed at how fast they are, given how soft they ride.
Go to your local bike shop (LBS). This is the only sort of place from which one aught to be purchasing items which are to be depended on to not risk your safety. If they don't have them, they can get them in less than a week, usually. No one-size-4-all. You can go with a slightly smaller tube relative to the tire, but tube sizes larger than the tire are more likely to pinch-flat.