The Knapp’s Tube Advantage
What makes our tubes better than our competitions’? It’s all due to the manufacturing method…Specialized tubes are mold cured vs. many others who autoclave, or bulk cure them.
Mold cured tubes have these advantages:
- Every tube is inflated during the curing process, so they are automatically checked for leaks
- Mold curing gives the tube a more even cure and reduces the granularity of the rubber. Stretch a cheap tube and stretch ours. Look closely. You can actually see this phenomenon.
- The reduction in granularity effectively makes for a stronger tube
- Stronger tubes can be made thinner, and therefore lighter. Our standard tubes have a 0.8mm wall thickness, while many others are 0.9mm. Our Turbo tubes are 0.6mm. This is the thinnest tube possible that can still be used with standard rim strips
Valve Types
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Schrader:
Schrader valves are the most common on entry level bikes and utility bikes and look like the valve that is on your car. The main advantage to this valve is that you can fill it up at the local gas station if you don’t have a pump. However, they do tend to slip into the rim when flat while pumping them up. There is no locking mechanism to keep them in place.
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Presta:
Presta valves are found on most mid level to high end bikes. These are also sometimes known as a “French Valve”. Presta valves have built-in valve caps, which must be opened before you can pump them up. Since there is no spring in a Presta valve, this knurled nut must be retightened after inflating the tire, or the valve may leak slowly. The valve is also threaded on the outside so that you can use a lock washer to keep the valve in place. Presta valves are light, and don’t require as large a hole in the rim. Since the don’t use a spring, they can be easier to pump with a hand pump. Because of the shape of the valve you won’t be able to fill them up at the local gas station.
We have all Kinds
Tubes come in all kinds of sizes. Make sure that you know what size you need before you come in. It is usually written on the side wall of the tire.
We have standard tubes as well as many specialty types with various valve lengths, and thorn resistant qualities.
If you need any tire sealant, patch kits, or rim strips, we have you covered as well.
And Most Importantly
Always keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure, believe it or not, this will eliminate most flats from even occuring in the first place.
