7 Best Bike Inner Tubes Compared & Reviewed (2021)

As a cyclist, you should have some spare inner tubes anywhere you go or at least in your garage. No matter where you are going and how you avoid a flat tire, every cyclist will have a few inner tubes in their tool kit.

I know that at a glance all inner tubes appear the same, but they do have differences in some aspects. These differences can affect your bike performance, durability, and other things related to your bike.

So in this article, I’ll review the best bike inner tubes and walk you through the thought process behind how you want to choose the right one for you

Our Picks For Bike Inner Tubes

Here are our top choices for the best bike inner tube.

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7 Best Bike Inner Tubes reviewed

After looking at some products, we’ve compiled a list of 7 common types of bike inner tubes that we think could be a good candidate for your consideration

The tubes in the list vary on the type of bikes, but we will be focusing more on the quality it delivers.

1. Continental Bicycle Tubes Race 28

Key Features:

• Comes with 700×20/25 size with 42mm presta valve and weight 105g
• Made from butyl rubber
• Seamless construction to provide smooth riding
• Claimed to be durable
• Comes with 2 tire lever

This ContiTube comes with the regular size of 700×20/25 that would fit most of the road bikes. It also has the 42mm presta valve which is quite tall so you can fit it with a deep rim.

Your life couldn’t be more at peace when you know you have spare tubes at your disposal that you can use at any time you are in an emergency. This is what is great about this particular product. You get so much with the amount of money you spend on it.

Because of the seamless design, there aren’t much opening nor friction on the tubes, so you can ride for miles and it’ll feel smooth.

Pros

• Compatible with most of road bike tires
• Durable 
• Comes with great quantity
• Hold air quite well

Cons

• Have some issues with the valve cores
• Some of the levers have poor quality

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2. Ibely Bicycle Inner Tube Tires

Key Features:

• 32mm Schrader to fit tire 20″ x 1.75-2.125
• high-quality butyl rubber compound
• Easy installation
• Comes with tire levers
• Refundable

You might want this inner tube for your kid’s bike or bmx  because that’s what this is, although it can also be used for any bike that has small tires. You won’t find it fit if you are going to use this as the inner tube for your road bike that has narrower and deeper rims.

It comes with a schrader valve which is the most common valve that is used in vehicles so it’s easy to inflate it.

The tire levers are pretty helpful when installing the tube inside the tire, that’s thoughtful of them. You can hold the tire in position with the tire levers as you adjust the inner tube.

And you also get two of them which is good because you can have a spare tire that you can use later when the situation demands. Since it’s a package, the price is also cheaper.

Pros

• Perfect size
• The tire levers come really handy
• Packed well
• Durable and almost no pops when used

Cons

• Might not good to ride on hot weather
• Some issues with the valve

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3. Kenda Inner Tubes Black

Key Features:

• Fits Tire Sizes: 26″ x 1. 90″ to 2. 125″
• Schrader Valves
• Quantity: Two (2) Tubes
• Item Weight 13.8 ounces .

Kenda has always been good with tires and tubes. It’s a good pair with your standard issue mountain bike tires. 

The package comes with a bulk package which includes 2 items in a purchase. You can save more by buying more and also it’s always good to have spare tubes of your spares.

Since it comes with a schrader valve, it’s pretty easy to find a pump to inflate it since it’s pretty commonly used. Because it uses schrader valve, it means that it’s a low pressure tube which means you can’t force too much pressure in and to the tubes or else it will blow.

Pros

• Comes with 2 tubes
• Easy to inflate and deflate
• Holds up well

Cons

• Can’t hold higher pressure
• Not puncture proof
• Tough rubber

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4. SCK 2 Pack 20 Inch Bike Tubes

Key Features:

• Comes with 2 pack 20 inch bike tubes and 2 tire levers 
• Widely fit
• High quality and durable
• Made of high butyl rubber material
• 20″ X 1. 75″ To 2. 125″, 32mm Schrader valve/ removable core

Another small bike tube in the list. This 20 inch tube has quite a wide range it can fit in. it can expand from 1.75 inches to 2.125 inches, as long as you are using standard tires it should not be an issue about the size.

This package also comes with 2 tire levers to help you in the process of changing your tubes. You can make an opening between the rim and the tire for enough room for the tire to slide out and in, then stick the lever to the spoke so you can still have that space.

A little trick to install this tire. You need to partially inflate the tube before getting it inside the tire, then fully inflate it when you’ve got it all sitting well and sealed.

Pros

• Good value for money
• Easy to install
• Slides in easily
• Good for kids bike

Cons

• Air leaks issue
• Can’t handle high pressure

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5. Michelin A1 Airstop Road

Key Features:

• Puncture resistant tube
• Holds its pressure through the use of BUTYL rubber
• Fits tires 700c x 18-25c wide
• Weight is 98 grams
• Has a 52mm presta valve

This is another road bike tube in the list. As you can see, it goes pretty well with a wide range of tires. You have a pretty thin tire with only 18mm wide? You can use this. You have a big road tire that is 25mm wide? You can also use this.

It expands well and holds the air well also. No matter how big your tire is, you can easily fit this in without problem. It has a 52mm presta valve, pretty tall and can be used in really deep rims like those for track bikes too. 

It’s puncture resistant, so you don’t need to worry about it being randomly slashed or punctured out of nowhere. As long as it’s not a big nail penetrating your tube, it’ll be pretty much okay.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Smooth valve stem to reduce damage
• Last long
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Leak on valve
• Tire need to be pinched and coated
• Rubber deteriorated over time

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6. Bell 20-Inch Universal Inner Tube

Key Features:

• Mold cured rubber for consistent side wall–prevents high pressure blow outs
• High quality, reliably tested inner tube
• Tube Weight – 160g
• 35mm Schrader valve with cap
• Great for kid and BMX tires

This tire is small but it’s pretty durable. Specifically made to prevent blowouts from high pressure. One thing that signifies how durable it is can be seen from how much it weighed. One of these tires can weigh around 160g.

It’s really good for kids and BMX which don’t necessarily need it to be lightweight but more into the stability and the durability. On BMX it can constantly receive pressure from the impacts from all the tricks. Not to mention that BMXs don’t have the shock absorption or suspension that can help lessen the pressure received on the tires.

Pros

• High durability
• Good value for money
• Works as advertised
• A good standard tube

Cons

• Can get bulge
• Leaks issue
• No seal

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7. Goodyear 48mm Presta Valve Bicycle Tube

Key Features:

• Available for 26 inch wheel
• Fits tire width between 2.1 and 2.4
• 48mm Presta valve
• Comes with 2 tire levers
• Durable butyl rubber

You can use this with any tire that has the corresponding size with the tube. It can easily fit any tire you put it in as long as the width is between 2.1 and 2.4 inches.

It’s equipped with a 48mm presta valve so you can use this on deep rims without worrying about the difficulty of inflating it.

It also comes with 2 tire levers as a bonus that will help you install it with ease. It’s also durable and thick enough since it’s made out of durable butyl rubber.

Pros

• Great value for money
• Good for replacement
• Fit perfectly
• Very durable

Cons

• Need to be stored carefully
• Some have leaking issue

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Which is The Best?

After careful consideration, the Continental Bicycle Tubes Race 28 as the best bike inner tube.

It’s truly a value buy. With that price you can get so many inner tubes to your hand and it works good as spare tubes in case of emergency.

The tire levers are also found to be helpful so it’s a nice addition. It holds air up pretty well, even though there are still some issues and you need to be careful with the installation.

All in all it’s a really great item for the price point.

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What to Consider When Buying Inner Bike Tubes

Before we get into the recommendations, let’s get to know what you need to look for on each product.

Type of Bike

First of all, it’s your type of bike. Each bike has their own specifications of how the inner tube should be. You don’t want to ride a mountain bike with an inner tube for road bikes because it won’t work.

Not only the size won’t fit, but also the other aspects like durability and how they handle the stress on the terrain.

Tire Size

Next thing you need to know is how big your tire is. To be specific, the width and the diameter of the tire. You need a matching inner tube that would fit perfectly inside the tire.

The information about your tire size is usually shown on your tire written in a unique manner, like 700 x 20/25c. This means that your wheel has 700mm diameter and the width of your tire can range between 20 to 25 mm.

You need to find the inner tube that has the same diameter as your tire and the width of the tube to be around the range of your tire’s since it would expand and stretch.

Type of Valve

The valve is the metal part of the inner tube where you pump the air in. There are two different types of valves out there on the bike inner tubes:

Presta Valve

This type of valve is the slimmer one out of the two types of valves. The stem is very slim and mainly used in a high-pressure inner tube as in road bikes.

Pumping through a presta valve requires you to unscrew the head of the presta valve. This type of valve is usually used in bikes with narrow rims because of smaller diameter.

Schrader Valve

You would find this type of valve in low pressure tires like in mountain bikes, or BMX. You can say that this type of valve is more commonly seen because it’s also used in other vehicles like cars and motorcycles.

The main characteristic of this valve is that it has a pin at the center of the valve. In order to allow the air to flow in and out, you need to push the pin. The air inside the tube is protected with a spring closure system which makes it easy to inflate.

Valve Length

The length of the valve should also be included in your consideration. You would need the valve to exceed the rim’s depth by at least 1cm. This would make the valve sticks out enough to make it accessible to pump.

Weight and Wall Thickness

Regularly, a bike tube is about 100grams of weight, but there are also lighter tubes that are made of lesser materials to give advantage in a race. However, the lighter tubes are also more prone to punctures than the thicker ones. 

Puncture Resistance

This is actually something that you can add later on by using a sealant agent that works similar in a tubeless tire. But this feature comes with a condition you have to fulfill first with your inner tubes: it has to have the valve with a removable core, which is presta.

Material

Although most tubes are made out of rubber, they aren’t all the same. The most popular and common one would be the butyl rubber tube that weighs heavier and also thicker. The price for this type of tube is also cheaper.

If you want something that lighter, there are latex tube available now. However, it’s not as tough as the butyl rubber tubes.

Rolling Resistance

This is the force needed to bend the tire when it comes into contact with a surface. This includes your inner tube. A thick inner tube will have a higher rolling resistance.

Having a higher rolling resistance means you’ll have to apply more power to travel at the same speed if you had a lower resistance.

Latex inner tubes will have a lower rolling resistance, however they leak faster and will require you to pump up your tires before each use.