How to Pick the Right Tire Tubes for Your Bike

Bicycle commuters and avid cyclists will agree that a punctured inner tube can bring a long bike ride from a smooth ride to choppy stop in an instant (ouch!).

To prevent a ride gone haywire, you need to find the best inner tube size for your wheels. But there are quite a few tube sizes out there. Before you head to your local cycling shop or sporting goods store, take a look at your tires and remember the size written on the rubber.

Bike inner tubes are inflatable rubber or latex tubes that sit on the inside of your bike tire and help keep your ride safe and smooth, according to the Evans Cycles purchase manual. While there are tubeless tires out there, these structures are an essential part of most bicycles, whether you're riding a road or mountain bike.

To find the right inner tube for your bike, you need to find one that will fit the diameter and width of your tires, which is written on the tire. When you buy an inner tube, the packaging will usually list which diameter and width it fits, according to Evans Cycles.

For example, if an inner tube says it's best for 26 x 1.95-2.125", that means the tube should be used for a 26-inch tire with a width between 1.95 and 2.125 inches.

Some road bikes use 700c tires, which use millimeter-sized inner tubes. If you see an inner tube package labeled 700 x 18-23c, that means the inner tubes work with tires that are 18 to 23 millimeters wide.

The best tire tube depends on the size of the tires on your bike. While you can find a variety of bikes with wheel sizes ranging from 16 to 27.5 inches, the most common sizes include 26 inches, 27.5 inches, 29 inches and 700c.

Tubes can range anywhere from 1 to 3 inches or 19 to 45 millimeters, depending on the type of wheels you have. Because tubes are flexible and stretchy, they're typically sold in a range of widths. You just need to make sure the tire diameter for the tube is exact.

Let's say your wheels have a 26-inch diameter and a 1.3-inch width. As long as you buy tubes made for a 26-inch diameter wheel, you can buy any range of tube width that covers 1.3. If you find a tube that's 26 x 1.1-1.5", for instance, that will fit your tires. Or, if you find a tube that's 26 x 1.2-1.7", that will work, too.

Your bike's wheels will likely be compatible with either a Presta or Schrader valve, which attach to the inner tubes to inflate the tire. Your bike already comes with one or the other, so you'll need to buy a tire tube compatible with the right valve.

However, you can always buy new tires and tire tubes with a different type of valve if you'd like, depending on the type of cycling you're doing, according to Boston Bikes. For instance, Presta valves are usually found on high-performance racing bikes where the rims are more narrow.

‌Pros:‌

• Maintains better pressure and requires less air to fill up
• Needs less maintenance
  
• Doesn't require an air pump to deflate (can release with your finger)
• Provides a more air-tight seal
• Comes in different valve lengths

‌Cons:‌

• Fragile
• More expensive
• Isn't compatible with a standard air pump
• Hard to find replacements and tubes

‌Pros:‌

• Standard on many brands of bikes
• Better for commuter bikes
• Less expensive
• Easier to install
• Compatible with any air pump

‌Cons:‌

• Loses pressure more easily over time
• Requires valve caps
• Lets air out when you put on or take off the pump
  
• May get bent in the rims
• Length of valve may be a problem, depending on your rims