Dual Sport Inner Tubes - Confusing

[Boatguy]

I was just reading heavy duty and ultra heavy duty tubes shouldn’t be used on the road.

Where does that leave a dual sport bike?

Found some regular Michelin 90/90-19 tubes pretty easily, but the 110/90-17 tubes don’t seem to be too common.

What brand and type of tubes should I get for my Lifan x-pect?

While we’re at it, any spoke wrench recommendations? I saw torque wrench versions and simple ones. But I also have no specs on torque needed for my spokes.

Any suggestions on best spoons for working tires off too?

I seem to know nothing about wheels. Guess that makes sense for a boat guy. Ha ha.

Trying to get together my tube changing kit for longer trips.

[idle_purr]

The HD tubes won't be a problem with your bike as it will not be reaching speeds of 100+ mph It's a friction issue at high speeds which cause heat and can allow soft spots in the rubber over time.

Michelin tubes are very well trusted and there is another forum, I won't mention, where the dual sport riders swear by the Michelin UHD for the long haul, even with riders who have driven in the 100's on the hottest pavement etc...

Below are some non affiliated purchase links:

Front Tube 90/90-19

Rear Tube 120/90-17 10mm larger in diameter, will still work just fine.

Spoke Wrench

Other Tire Tools:

Bead Breaker and Lever Tool Set | Valve Core Remover

Not sure on the spoke torque specs, I always gave them a generous snug

Watch this for more info on spoke adjustment:

[Megadan]

There is nothing wrong with using heavy duty tubes on the road. Yes, in theory they can be more prone to heat by friction, but this is easy to mitigate in two ways. 1, don't skimp on the baby/talcum powder when installing the tire. This greatly cuts down on the friction between the tire and tube and reduces a lot of the heat and wear. 2. Don't run low tire pressures on the pavement at high speeds. The loose tube and added flex of the tire introduce even more internal friction. Run street pressures on road, especially if you are going on a longer ride and/or at highway speeds.

I have put a lot of miles on heavy duty tubes on the road without a single problem.

Last bit of advice, when you get new tires, get new tubes. Re-using tubes isn't worth it.

As far as tire spoons go. I have used several styles, and without a doubt this style has been my favorite to work with. They aren't the most compact, but they are smooth and easy to use, are almost impossible to damage the rim with, and I have never once caused a flat using them due to the control and leverage they give. As I said, the only downside is, probably not the most portable option. https://www.amazon.com/20601A-Profes...a-869259563707

They do make shorter versions as well, though you will lose a little leverage. Motion Pro makes a 2 pc. set that would probably be a bit more portable. https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08...FKR55TXA9DAM31

[Boatguy]

It’s absolutely crazy how much you guys know and how helpful people in this forum are.

Thank you so much. Even with the links. I didn’t expect that.

Buying all these now to be prepared and practicing some tube changes while here at home.

[Boatguy]

Looking at the toolkit side, I’m wonder why the tire spoons don’t come with big wrench ends to fit the axle nuts.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

Looking at the toolkit side, I’m wonder why the tire spoons don’t come with big wrench ends to fit the axle nuts.

Motion Pro makes sets like that too, but nothing small enough for our bikes. They make 22mm and larger though.

[Boatguy]

Ok. Cool. Learning lots fast here.

One think I learned today is the cost of our bikes is just barely the beginning. Ha ha ha.

Question: my tires say 40psi, but I keep reading tubes should be at 30psi.

I’m running at 40 and everything seems fine. Is that the right pressure generally unless I’m purposefully deflating for sand?


Also been reading a lot of frightening material on why tube tires are going to make the tire fly off the rim and throw me under a bus. How accurate is all that? Lots of places make it sound like tubes immediately pop, the tire pops off the bead and you’re going down.

[Boatguy]

So I got some absolute junk tubes. The Goodyear ones won’t be in in time for my big ride.

I got these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CQ...b_b_prod_image

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0023...b_b_prod_image

New approach will be to put one of these in if I get a flat and take it somewhere that can put a good tube in directly after I put the junk tube in.

Do you think these bikes all come with bad tubes stock?

[TxTaoRider]

The guys at the shop that put my new tires on the tbr7 said it had some good thick stock tubes.

[gwowzer]

I got 4300 miles on the stock Brozz tubes, and nothing apparently wrong with them when I changed them out.
When I pulled the stock tires off, the front rim strip was not in place all the way. I was more worried about that than the condition of the tubes.
I went with BikeMaster HD tubes for replacements. They are available in the sizes you are looking for.

[Megadan]

The only bikes that really seemed to have cheap tubes were the early Hawks. I am sure the Brozz comes with some better qualuty stuff. The shifted rim strip is a common cause of many tube problems though.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

Ok. Cool. Learning lots fast here.

One think I learned today is the cost of our bikes is just barely the beginning. Ha ha ha.

Question: my tires say 40psi, but I keep reading tubes should be at 30psi.

I’m running at 40 and everything seems fine. Is that the right pressure generally unless I’m purposefully deflating for sand?


Also been reading a lot of frightening material on why tube tires are going to make the tire fly off the rim and throw me under a bus. How accurate is all that? Lots of places make it sound like tubes immediately pop, the tire pops off the bead and you’re going down.

If the tube manufacturer specifies a max pressure, then do not surpass it. I ran my tubes/tires at 40psi on the rear of my last Hawk when it was loaded down with me and my bag(s) quite often. My current Hawk with the shinko 700s specify a max tire pressure of 33psi. I tend to run 32 rear and 28 front.

As far as rapid decompression with a tube blowout. Yes, that is a thing with tubes and spoked wheels in particular. Spoke wheels aren't very air tight, so if a tube bursts, the air escapes rapidly. It's not a very common thing, but it can happen. Most tube punctures will deflate slow enough for you to come to a safe stop. That being said, you can put down some strong sealing tape around the spoke holes under the rim strip to help reduce the decompression effect a bit. I usually put 1 or 2 wraps of gorilla tape or 3m sealing tape around the inside of the rim before I put the rim strip on. It does work.

[Boatguy]

I love all these responses. Learning so much. Thank you.

The idea about putting down some sealing tape is a good one and I think it’ll help me feel a little better about the possibility of a tube letting go at road speeds. I’ll do that when I practice changing out tubes on this bike before going on this trip.

Is butyl tape a good idea that interfere too much with the tube itself, causing more problems than it would solve?

I was reading online that tubes should be like 30 psi. I don’t know what tubes are in my Lifan. Chinese ones, I’m sure. The tires themselves say 40psi.

[RussellTA]

Regarding the pressure, go by what Lifan recommends for the X-Pect which is 29-32psi for the rear. What the tire says is the max for that tire.

TR

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by RussellTA

Regarding the pressure, go by what Lifan recommends for the X-Pect which is 29-32psi for the rear. What the tire says is the max for that tire.

TR

Ok. Thanks. I’ll back it down to 32 (I tend to like tires pretty well inflated).

So the tubes DO dictate the pressure, rather than the tire. Interesting stuff. I’ve never had tubes before.