These tubes are very light but durable. I've used them for years and gone thousands of miles without a flat. Of course, they won't protect you from a nail or a piece of glass, but in my experience, they don't fail from ordinary wear and tear. They weigh 75 grams, which is not as light at the Continental Supersonic at 50 grams, but they aren't as fragile either. They also come in shorter stem lengths for those of us who aren't using deep dish wheels. I also like the threaded option which locks the stem in place but seems to be missing from many newer tubes. All and all, these tubes are a great compromise between light weight and durability.
One final piece of advise: Most modern tubes come with a removable core. Some manufacturers leave them loose from the factory. That means they can come out when you unscrew the inflator. This is especially disconcerting when it happens on the bike path and you've just used your last CO2 cartridge. Continental is pretty good about tightening the core at the factory, but I always tighten them as soon as my order arrives. That way, I have no surprises when I'm out on a ride changing a flat.
Use these tubes in a racing or training application. They have a great feel, and conti makes their tubes without seams which makes patching a breeze.
I have these mounted inside my Conti GP5000s and they have held up perfectly over the last 452.7 miles (when I installed them with my new tires). They are a solid product, light, compact, and thus easy to carry. I always have 3 tubes on me because I ride long distances every week, and you never know when a friend is going to need a tube. They hold air perfectly. After a 68+ mile ride today I checked the pressure when I got home. The pressure was still just above 90 PSI as I had inflated it before I left my home.
I like these lightweight tubes, they hold air really well and are not prone to punctures like many lightweight tubes out there.
I used these tubes with Continental GP5000s. From the start they lost a lot of air overnight and lost more air the older they got. For example, if I ran my tires for a ride at 80psi the tubes would gauge at 40psi the next day. I took them out to check for leaks and all of the tubes I bought (save one that I just decided not to use) had thin patches in which there were literally 10s of little bubbles where the air was seeping through. I wonder if these sat too long in a warehouse and the butyl became degraded, or if this was a manufacturing error.
I had a customer that kept getting flats so I put on a Gator Skin 650c and this tube with removable stem, and added Stans a tire liner.
Not the absolute lightest tube you can get. But these are light enough to be used on your lightweight project but used in most road conditions. They are durable, easy to pack in a small toolbag , and aren't expensive. These have been my go to for many years and will not switch unless I decide to dive into TPU tubes. But I'm good with these until then.
Tube failed quickly. I know I didn't pinch it on installation, because it went on entirely without tools, using just the heel of my hands, AND it was slightly inflated and I was really careful. Plus, when it went flat in a few days, the problem turned out to be a pinhole on a flashing line with no sign of a crease. I think that's close to 100% chance that it was a manufacturing defect.
I've also noticed that both tires are losing air slowly (bad tube replaced), and they're only a few weeks old.
These tubes went on with brand-new Michelin racing tires, by the way, and rims and spoke tape were checked carefully before installation.
I had no problems installing these tubes, and so far about 1500 trouble free miles on them. To insure no twists or pinches or other seating problems, after installation I always pump my tires up to 20-40 psi initially, then deflate them all the way to let the tubes resettle naturally on the rim and within the tire casing. I then pump them up to full pressure. This seems to work for me as a standard practice. For backstory, I have new 700x23 continental 5000 tires on a Giant TCR with with Easton aluminum rims with 20K miles (on the bike and rims), and I'm about 160lb rider (on a good day). Between rides (every day or two) these tubes may lose a couple of psi, but certainly not much. Before every ride I inflate the rears to 120psi and the fronts to 115psi. I know this is high by most peoples standards, but I have ridden thousands of miles, hitting occasional potholes and road debris, with essentially zero flats, no broken spokes, by following these simple procedures. I honestly can't remember the last time I got a flat, and so far (1500 miles) these tubes don't disappoint.
This is my go to road tube, its light weight and a good deal when on sale. I might get 1 or 2 flats a year but usually can patch it and lasts. I would recommend this tube for road riding but be sure to bring glueless patches with you.
I have Zipp 404 NSW wheels. These are the only tubes that fit without valve extenders. I ordered the the 80mm length and they work great with my 58mm rims.
I had been an exclusive Michelin tube person but their longest tube is 60 mm and it doesnt work with my 404s.
It is really nice not to have to bother with valve extenders.
Have been using these tubes for few years and now have had 3 of them just blow when riding which blows the tire off the rim when this happens. Two days ago I had just put new tires on my bike and 8 miles into the ride on a steep hill descending the front tube blew instantly. Bang it went at 20 mph I was on the ground in a flash on my left side. After a visit to ER room and multiple stitches in left knee and right hand I took a look at the bike to see if I could tell what happened. Tire bead was good and no damage on it. Rim OK no damage. Tube had 6 inch slit in a straight line were it blew. It was not twisted when installed. So my advice is the weight savings is not worth the risk of these blowing and causing a crash. I now have a lot of damage to my 10,000 bike to repair besides months off the bike recovering. I see other riders had the tubes blow also on a ride. I would not trust this product!
They are good tubes & decent quality. Oddly, the stem lengths vary up to 5mm. If this matters, suggest you account for it.
Compared to standard tubes (e.g., Conti Race) the Lights save 30g and about 1 watt per wheel (per bicyclerollingresistance.com). All for a couple of bucks extra. That's amazing value for money. I am using Conti Lights on both my road bikes, paired with 25mm GP4000 SII and GP5000 tires. I find the Lights to be very reliable, and not noticeably more prone to flats than standard weight tubes. I do always check to make sure the core is securely installed - I have had a couple of flats, with other tubes, caused by removable cores that weren't tight and leaked.
After ordering these tubes I did lots of reading about how lightweight race tubes are horribly unreliable & require daily inflation. Nothing could be more untrue about these contis I got them as a set with Ultra Sport II Folding tires & I ride every day. The rim has bottoms out sometimes twice a day, and I dread a pinch flat each time it happens, but so far the tubes have held up lovely. I've begun stocking up on tubes & conti tires bc I think they have the best product & reputation in the sector.
Good tube that is light and easy to install.
Faster tires because of these tubes, no flats so far
I use this tube on an old Softride Firestorm converted to a trailroad bike on Spinergy rims. Lots of gravel and road debri. No issues so far.
I've been running these tubes for a few years now and I've had zero issues.
There's a reason I keep using them. I used them on my old bike and liked them so much that when I started running tubes again on my new ride I bought these specific tubes.
These are pretty much risk free in spite of their weight. I rarely flat. Every once in a while, a tube will burst during inflation after installation. Probably user error...
