[Touch0Gray]

I have it from a VERY RELIABLE source that for those of you who buy Bontrager tubes, make sure they are from Taiwan...NOT China...

There are quality control issues with the Chinese. (defects, pinholes etc)...

 

[immerle]

Does it say on the box where they are manufactured?
All my LBS carries in Bontrager. I'd have to go out of my way to get something else.

I will say that last fall I got a flat, put in a Bontrager replacement tube, and while pumping it up it burst at the seam. At the time, I didn't carry a patch kit and had to walk about 5 miles in my bare feet. Who would expect 2 flats in one day? I do now.

 

[Touch0Gray]

It does I believe, otherwise my friend wouldn't have told me to choose one over the other...(he works for Trek)

 

[Rubber Lizard]

It says on the box where they are manufactured. No need for super secret insider tips. There are three places in the world that make tubes, two are in Taiwan (CST and Kenda) and there is a facility in China. The Chinese tubes seem reliable enough, I've seen seams burst and pinholes on Chen Shing and Kenda tubes too. No need tor a post that the sky is falling.

 

[Touch0Gray]

I was just passing information given to me by one of the guys handling this nightmare for Trek......a HUGE number of failures and warranty issues
take it or leave it

 

[BackRoadsBiker]

Who would go to the trouble of filing a warranty on a tube?

 

[Touch0Gray]

dealers.......when they get hundreds of returns

 

[NealH]

I have had super good luck with the Kenda tubes. Just no problems....or flats. Salsa tubes appear to be equally as good. Maybe they are made by Kenda.

 

[russotto]

I've got some tubes marked as made in India.

 

[hclignett]

Yes, I bought 10 from an LBS and not one of them was any good. It sure was frustrating. I didn't notice were they were made though. I really liked the Giant brand I bought with the smooth valve stem but they stopped getting those.

 

[The Human G-Nome]

tube defects

I had 11 flat tires over a two day period. 2 of these flats were front tire blowouts on descents. After carefully examining all the tubes, I noticed the defects... little pinholes, about 10 of them, all lines up in a row as if they had been run through a sewing machine. I marked them and pointed them out to my LBS who agreed that it looked like something was amiss.

In any case, I've been a crappy descender ever since. Front tire blowouts on 40mph descents do not inspire confidence. They were Specialized, pre-talc'd tubes btw. I'm since switched to another brand. Can't comment on Bontrager though.

 

[stickney]

This is funny -- I just had two Bontrager tube issues in the past two weeks on tubes I just bought -- one was a pin-hole issue and the other was that the valve was to wide to fit into my rim hole. I got each replaced. So no worries for me, but interesting none the less. I don't know where the tubes were made however.

 

[DMFT]

Imo

- No Tube finer than a Specialized Talc'd Turbo UL Tube.

 

[de.abeja]

It says on the box where they are manufactured. No need for super secret insider tips. There are three places in the world that make tubes, two are in Taiwan (CST and Kenda) and there is a facility in China. The Chinese tubes seem reliable enough, I've seen seams burst and pinholes on Chen Shing and Kenda tubes too. No need tor a post that the sky is falling.

Michelins were made in France up until recently when they built a factory in Thailand.

 

[edorwart]

Michelins were made in France up until recently when they built a factory in Thailand.

I have had zero problem with my Made in Tailand Michelin Tubes.

Erik

 

[de.abeja]

^^^^^^^^^
Me too.