When did they forget how to make tubes that hold air?

[dirtman]

I've got a dozen bikes here, two of them are all original, tires and tubes and all from the early 1950's.
One is a Columbia Newsboy bike that my dad owned since new. Its well used, but still has its original tires with what's left of the tires. The funny thing is they never go flat. The same goes for one old Schwinn Racer I've had since I was a kid. Its got its original tires, dryrot and all, they never go completely flat.
I do have to ad air when I use them, but they never go completely flat, even if they sit for several years.
The old Columbia hasn't been ridden in 10 years, its sitting in the basement in the same spot since the last time I got it out for ride. Meanwhile, I bought new tires for a newer Speedster and I put new tires and tubes on a 60's Typhoon I have and those go flat in a couple months.
I even went so far as to buy thorn resistant tubes but it makes no difference. It seems all modern tubes loose air over time.
I've gotten to the point now where I add slime to nearly all my tubes to slow the leakage. Even then they still loose air. The older tubes loose pressure but never go 'flat'.

 

[GTs58]

Years ago a picked up a 1965 Varsity that sat in an attic for 30 years. I put it in the stand and ran it thru the gears and everything worked fine. I decided to take it for a quick spin and just squeezed the tires to see if I needed to pump them up. Cool, didn't have to add air, they seemed like they had the usual 60 PSI and stuck stiff to the rims. I hopped on and got to the end of the driveway. The tires had no air, but they were hard as a rock, literally, and it sure fooled me! Even looking at the tires there were no flat spots, felt and appeared to be fully inflated. So some old tires get hard and they keep there inflated shape with 0 PSI and can even be rolled around as if they were inflated.

 

[morton]

.

When did they forget how to make tubes that hold air?​

.....one word GHINA

 

[locomotion]

I've got a dozen bikes here, two of them are all original, tires and tubes and all from the early 1950's.
One is a Columbia Newsboy bike that my dad owned since new. Its well used, but still has its original tires with what's left of the tires. The funny thing is they never go flat. The same goes for one old Schwinn Racer I've had since I was a kid. Its got its original tires, dryrot and all, they never go completely flat.
I do have to ad air when I use them, but they never go completely flat, even if they sit for several years.
The old Columbia hasn't been ridden in 10 years, its sitting in the basement in the same spot since the last time I got it out for ride. Meanwhile, I bought new tires for a newer Speedster and I put new tires and tubes on a 60's Typhoon I have and those go flat in a couple months.
I even went so far as to buy thorn resistant tubes but it makes no difference. It seems all modern tubes loose air over time.
I've gotten to the point now where I add slime to nearly all my tubes to slow the leakage. Even then they still loose air. The older tubes loose pressure but never go 'flat'.

buy the high end tubes that are NOT made in China
expect that when you pay for cheap tubes, they will be cheaply made
buy the little tool to check the valves also, sometimes the valve is a little loose

 

[bloo]

Have you owned any recent production tubes of any type or price that held air? If so, which ones?

 

[coasterbrakejunkie1969]

I have used close to 20 sets of various new tubes, bell,goodyear and a few no names and have had only one tube bad out of the box. Perhaps some of the tubes on bikes I sold didn't hold up but I have had no comments as to the fact. All products made today run a higher chance of failing out of the box because quality is out gone across the board. Once it is consumers hand good chance they will eat the bad product. Companies knowingly selling inferior goods banking on the majority of people not making returns due to cost and inconvinence. I see it in when remodeling homes. A bad $300 shower valve out of the box can kill your production time and bottom line. If tubes were $.50 apiece would not be such a big deal. That is not the case.

 

[bloo]

Failures sure, but what of them going slowly flat over weeks, even when there is no hole, and even if you put sealer in them? Whats up with that? Seeping through the rubber maybe?

 

[coasterbrakejunkie1969]

Failures sure, but what of them going slowly flat over weeks, even when there is no hole, and even if you put sealer in them? Whats up with that? Seeping through the rubber maybe?

I would guess more so faulty valve.

 

[J-wagon]

New tubes most often have a removable valve core, air will leak around seal, not airtight. Many my old tube, valve core integrated not removable. Hold air better

 

[J-wagon]

Variety of removable valve cores for schrader. On fubar tubes, I remove core and save spare parts. Once in a while replace faulty core. Blue metal is core removal tool.