Slime Lite Tube 48mm Presta Valve Bicycle Tube (26 x 1.75-2.125)
Slime Lite Tube 48mm Presta Valve Bicycle Tube (26 x 1.75-2.125)
The SLiME Lite Tube combines a lightweight butyl tube with a revolutionary breakthrough in sealant technology that prevents punctures up to 1/8″ (3mm). This feather-weight tube with “SliME Lite” sealant weighs the same or less than standard tubes.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Stars Slime Lite Presta Valve Tube
Until I received this, I didn’t know there was more than one type of valve stem on bicycle tubes. Be very careful when you order, this type needs a special adapter on your pump in order to inflate it. The other tube (same brand, etc.) had a Schrader (sp?) valve & will inflate with any bicycle pump. We sent the Presta Valve Tube back and received only a partial refund (they said it was our error, not theirs). It would be really helpful if more information was available in the description so that the buyer would know which one to order. Not likely to buy this kind again, much easier to go with a standard tube.
2 Stars Functionally challenged
Vertical tear caused this thing to become an unpatchable mess. Conceptually sound but, in practice, never got the chance to shine.
5 Stars Much lighter than the regular puncture-resistant tubes!
Haven’t ridden this a long way yet but it’s in my front wheel now and seems much lighter than the regular Slime tubes Slime Smart Tube Schrader Valve Bicycle Tube (26 x 1.75-2.125). The super light NON-slime tubes scare me in that they are probably too thin for much endurance. This looks like a good compromise because you should get automatic sealing capability AND light weight. Give it a try! We’ll see how it seals as I roll on. My Bell 26″ self sealing regular weight tube Self Sealing Inner Tube 20″ failed once on a relatively small puncture and just made a mess. The Slime line might be better than the Bell one since it’s green slime :-D.
4 Stars Provides necessary (if only partial) flat protection in my area
I ride trails and bikeways in the Phoenix area. It’s pretty much impossible to ride any significant distance in this environment without running over a goat head thorn or some other sharp spine dropped by the native plants.
These tubes perform as advertised, plugging pinhole leaks caused by these thorn punctures. Note however, that due to the sheer number of thorns in my areas, I have also found it necessary to use tire liners (in addition to the Slime tubes) to minimize the number of punctures that the slime has to seal. The reasoning for this: the tire liners by themselves do not stop all punctures, and the practice of using the slime by itself results in quickly depleted tubes due to the sheer number of holes (I’ve had over 20 punctures in one tire at the same time, the Slime sealed them all without flatting; however, there’s only so much Slime inside the tube and it depletes quickly with that many holes to patch).
The combination of the slime tubes and the tire liners has virtually eliminated the flats that I experience on the trails. Occasionally, a tire will go flat overnight after riding; however, pumping the tire and spinning it will allow the Slime to seal the puncture.
Note: I use the 26″ Lite tubes on my 29″ Mountain bike with no problems. Slime does not offer a light weight 29er tube as of yet, so I use the 26″ tube to offset some of the additional weight added by the slime and the liners. Installation of the tubes is slightly more difficult but no big deal. Other than that, the 26″ tubes have held up just as well as the “right sized” tubes.
5 Stars I like & recommend these tubes
These tubes are a great way to get some light weight protection against flats. I have been running them for almost two years in my mountain bike.
Kept me from getting a flat and having to make a repair way back up in the hills miles from anywhere on more than one occasion. Won’t protect you from every flat–if you want ultimate protection, go with thorn resistant tubes and tire protectors, but those tubes add way too much weight and the tire protectors reduce the quality of your ride. I’ve heard others comment that it’s had to patch a slime tube because of the slime, but I have never had that problem.
Filed under: Mountain Bike Reviews