Please give me some advice about inner tubes for my emtb

[Flo]

Hi !
After almost 15000km i made a flat on my rear wheel, one week ago. The inner tube has a little hole. My tyres are Schwalbe Smart Sam Classic Skin 29x2,6 , those tyres who has yellow sides.They had protection but they rolle 15000km. I don't know if i must change the tyres because i used them almost on flat terrain. On the sides they are like new, but in the middle has just 4-5mm rubber extra. What do you think ? They must be changed with a new ones ? I changed my inner tube with a new one Schwalbe 19F, it's a light inner tube. After one day my tube just explodes right in the moment when i stopped my ebike. I changed the inner tube again, after 2 days, same story : the inner tube explodes when i stopped my ebike. I already check the tyre but no thorn or glass. Is weird. The max pressure is 45 psi. I pump up 40 psi and explodes 2 times after 15000 km with no problems. Maybe those 2 new inner tubes was from a bad batch...
I use in the past Schwalbe inner tubes but other model, heavier. i am not sure if they was the A+ versions. They came in boxes like cubes and i remember that they was heavier than the usual inner tubes.
That's why i want to receive an advice from your experiences, please. Please recommend me an inner tube who are very good in time, even it's havier than usual inner tubes. I don't want tubeless.
Thank you very much and please excuse my pooor english !

 

[Montana St Alum]

Even though you have checked for thorns or other sharp objects in your tires, it sounds as though there may still be something there.

 

[steve_sordy]

Even though you have checked for thorns or other sharp objects in your tires, it sounds as though there may still be something there.

Yes @Flo drag a cloth gently around the inside of the tyre. What you are feeling for is the cloth snagging on the thorns. If you use your fingers, you may miss the thorn or cut yourself on it.

@Flo It sounds like you have had had good value from your tyres and maybe it's time they were changed. But its Summer, so it isn't as though you need the tread! From that distance covered and the tyre pressure in use, it sounds like you ride mostly on tarmac or relatively smooth trails.

Are you aware that inner tubes also come in different sizes? The size range will be printed on the box and it is important that your tyre width does not sit outside that band. It is not life or death though. I once used a tube rated 1.9" - 2.1" in a 2.25" tyre because it was the only one that I had, but it was a short-term fix. But don't try that tube in a 2.4" tyre! The tube will stretch but may not stretch evenly in all directions. It won't take much extra stretching to open up a flaw and BANG!

If you are riding bumpy trails on your bike as well as smooth roads, then consider dropping your tyre pressure for the rougher stuff. You will be amazed at the ride difference!

 

[Flo]

Thank you for your help ! Yes, the inner tubes was for 2,6 like my tyres but was purchased from the same batch . Both explosions was in the valve area...i don't know what to say. But because of the last explosion, now i must buy rims and spokes and the rear hub and this amount of money was not included in my current buget. I have a rear hub from Shimano and my mechanic told me that it will be good if i will change it with a DtSwiss, maybe 350. He told me that this aquisition it will help me in the future. I already have a problem with my front hub Shimano and i think that the mechanic know well what he talking about. Also the rear hub cost 3 times more than the front hub.
You can sugest a inner tube model, please ?

 

[Montana St Alum]

You are getting new rims, correct? If the failures were at the valve, it could be that the valve hole on the old rim was damaged causing the valve stem to fail at that point. If that's the case, changing rims may solve the problem. Use whatever inner tubes you were already using. Michelin makes heavy duty inner tubes, try one of those.

 

[steve_sordy]

Thank you for your help ! Yes, the inner tubes was for 2,6 like my tyres but was purchased from the same batch . Both explosions was in the valve area...i don't know what to say. But because of the last explosion, now i must buy rims and spokes and the rear hub and this amount of money was not included in my current buget. I have a rear hub from Shimano and my mechanic told me that it will be good if i will change it with a DtSwiss, maybe 350. He told me that this aquisition it will help me in the future. I already have a problem with my front hub Shimano and i think that the mechanic know well what he talking about. Also the rear hub cost 3 times more than the front hub.
You can sugest a inner tube model, please ?

Check the hole in the rim where the tube valve fits. Look for any sharp edges. If in doubt, file it smooth or use fine sandpaper, or emery cloth. Assume it is a simple problem first before believing that suddenly, after 15,000 km, that your wheel is no longer fit for purpose.

I cannot recommend an inner tube brand as I have been tubeless for many years. But Continental, Schwalbe, Maxxis and Michelin all make tyres and tubes and are good quality. Avoid budget brands like Decathlon or cheap ones from a supermarket.

 

[Flo]

Check the hole in the rim where the tube valve fits. Look for any sharp edges. If in doubt, file it smooth or use fine sandpaper, or emery cloth. Assume it is a simple problem first before believing that suddenly, after 15,000 km, that your wheel is no longer fit for purpose.

I cannot recommend an inner tube brand as I have been tubeless for many years. But Continental, Schwalbe, Maxxis and Michelin all make tyres and tubes and are good quality. Avoid budget brands like Decathlon or cheap ones from a supermarket.

Thank you for your advices ! I will check the valve hole from the rear rim for my curiosity, but now i must change the rim because has a crack like a star in the opposite side of the valve hole, right at the base of a spoke. That crack wasn't 'till the last explosion. I asume that my MD30 Syncross rims are not a good quality rims like the big names in the industry. Suddenly i must take out from my pocket like 400 euros to fix this situation.

 

[Montana St Alum]

It's unlikely, but possible that you exceeded the maximum pressure for your rim. Tires are labelled with a maximum pressure. Rims usually are also. Do not exceed the lesser of those two values and expect tire pressure on the road to be a few PSI higher than at home as they heat up. Check the maximum pressures allowable on your current and future rims.

For example, the max pressure for the tires on my wife's front rim is 50PSI, but the rim is restricted to 40PSI.

 

[mike_kelly]

Flo, Look for tiny metal splinter. Car tires are reinforced with metal wires and when they wear out the wires can be left on the street for bikes.
Your Shimano hubs lasted a long time. You probably got your moneys worth? The DTswiss hubs are good hubs but are they worth that much more than replacing the Shimano hubs with the same model that lasted you 15,000km? It seems getting replacement Shimano hubs will be more budget friendly.

 

[Flo]

Flo, Look for tiny metal splinter. Car tires are reinforced with metal wires and when they wear out the wires can be left on the street for bikes.
Your Shimano hubs lasted a long time. You probably got your moneys worth? The DTswiss hubs are good hubs but are they worth that much more than replacing the Shimano hubs with the same model that lasted you 15,000km? It seems getting replacement Shimano hubs will be more budget friendly.

Thank you for your help and advices, thank you to everybody !
The Shimano hubs has no bearings. One year ago the front hub rolling weird, was fix in the bike service but they told me that the Shimano are cheap but they are low quality for be used on the emtb at high speeds. You know some rims models good for my emtb ? 29 , 30mm inside, for 150-180-kg (yeah, i put some bags sometimes and my ebike has 27 kg and i am a big guy -100kg) , 32 spokes ?

 

[Montana St Alum]

15,000 km on a 27Kg E-bike at your weight, at that high of a pressure doesn't seem too bad!
Not knowing your budget, or what is available in Romania makes it difficult to give advice on a wheel (sounds like you need a hub and rim, might as well just get a wheel unless you plan to rebuild it yourself). If you were willing to run tubeless, I'd suggest adding in an insert, such as Turbolight, but you seem opposed to tubeless (which is fine).

 

[Flo]

15,000 km on a 27Kg E-bike at your weight, at that high of a pressure doesn't seem too bad!
Not knowing your budget, or what is available in Romania makes it difficult to give advice on a wheel (sounds like you need a hub and rim, might as well just get a wheel unless you plan to rebuild it yourself). If you were willing to run tubeless, I'd suggest adding in an insert, such as Turbolight, but you seem opposed to tubeless (which is fine).

I search some rims who can support 150-180kg and i found few dt swiss models who have good prices just in Germany. I will buy a new pair of Smart Sam same model because was very good for me ('till now i try Maxxis and Johny Watts but Smart Sam are the best all around tyres, good puncture protection, good behaviour at rolling resistance and with offroad abilities) and some A+ inner tubes from Schwalbe, front and rear hubes from dt swiss 350 because those cone hubes from Shimano was not my cup of tea. And maybe spokes from Sapim. Do you have other ideas ? I don't want tubeless because it's such a messy thing and i don't have trips in the woods or on a technical terrain.