Tire#Inner tube

A bicycle inner tube is a container filled with compressed air, the pneumatic tire ( the ceiling) of the inside seal against loss of pressure when the wheel for tubeless tires is not suitable. It is part of bicycle tires and consists of butyl, formerly of rubber.

History

Although that is disputed in recent times, John Boyd Dunlop is considered the inventor of the pneumatic tire and thus also of the bike tube. He has stated the air-filled rubber tires on 7 December 1888 patent, Édouard Michelin has 1889 replaceable rubber tires with air tube for bicycles developed ( Dunlop invented only an auxiliary tire for his son's tricycle ). The vulcanization of the rubber and the hard rubber as the basis for the later bike tires have been invented in 1839 by Charles Goodyear. 1845 he patented air-filled tires for casings as the Scot Robert William Thomson.

Construction

Butylschläuche are slightly heavier than rubber hoses, have a low sensitivity to heat, air pressure are very stable and inexpensive to produce. Rubber hoses are light in weight and lower rolling resistance, but are sensitive to heat and quickly lose air. In manufacturing they are more expensive than Butylschläuche. Recently there is extra light Butylschläuche that undercut the weight of rubber hoses. The reduced wall thickness of these light tubes but they are less stable than standard air pressure Butylschläuche. To prevent sticking of the tube inner walls of the tubes and the bicycle jacket or the rim tape, they are usually provided inside and outside with talc. Tubes are brought to a predetermined pressure with air pumps or compressors.

Bicycles with an inserted tube do not have a bike jacket and a rim tape as individual components. The rim tape covers nipple or nipple holes and protects the hose from damage.

For racing bikes often come the so-called tubular tires for use where tubing and casing are connected as a unit.

A tube does not necessarily keep the air in the tire. For some years there are also tubeless wheels. In these tires, rim and form a tight air chamber, and a conventional tube is no longer needed. However, Tubeless tires contact the bike so far by not.

If the hose is damaged only by a puncture, it can be repaired usually by the cyclist himself. These special bicycle inner tube repair kit ( repair kit ) are available that allow in conjunction with the necessary tools for disassembly of the impeller and the casing also a repair on the go.

Bicycle tubes are now available around the clock from special machines, most of which are clearly visible on the outside wall of bicycle shops.

Sizes

Since about 1995, usually called group hoses are used, which cover a wider area of ​​application than the previously standard hoses with just one size.

Generally important is the use of suitable, especially in the diameter tubes. Too short hoses (wrong scope or wheel diameter ) can be mounted a little more difficult. In the diameter too small hoses ( extreme example: hose for 25 mm tire width in 47 mm wide tires ) can be mounted, but are overstretched. Conversely, let large tubes in the tires introduce, but then are in operation in folds, which increases the risk of punctures.

Furthermore, make sure that the version is procured with the respective matching bicycle valve. A drilling of the rim hole to use a larger valve may affect the stability of the rim and leads to loss of warranty.