Looking for an inner tube? Hollandbikeshop has a wide range of inner tubes!

What inner tube do I need?

To find out what size inner tube you need, all you have to do is look at the side of your (outer) tire. The tire size should be printed there. The size of your inner tube should match with the size of your bicycle tire. 

Tire sizing is based on the wheel diameter and tire width and can be measured In three different ways: using inches, the ETRTO system or the French system. 

The classic sizing in inches could look something like this: 28x1 5/8x1 3/8. In this example, the tire size is made up of the outer diameter, and the width and height of the tire. The height of the tire is not always included in sizing. 

French sizes, like 700x25C, are primarily used for road bikes and (roughly) indicate the outer diameter of the tire (in this example, 700 mm) and the tire width (25 mm). Here, the letter C stands for the tire’s inner diameter (622 mm). 

The most accurate sizing system is the universal ETRTO system, now often known as the ISO system, which is used as the standard sizing system. ETRTO stands for “European Tire and Rim Technical Organization”; ISO stands for “International Organization for Standardization”. The universal sizing system was developed to provide an international standard for tire sizing and eliminate confusion.

The ETRTO size consists of the width and inner diameter of the tire, and may look like this: 28-622. A tire with this size is 28 millimeters wide and has an inner diameter of 622 millimeters. As inner tubes are stretchy, they’re often suitable for more than one bicycle tire size. 

The appropriate tire sizes are stated in the inner tube’s product description and also often on its packaging. 

Beside the right size, it’s also important that you keep the valve type in mind. Before buying a new inner tube, we recommend checking what valve your current inner tube has. The most commonly used valve types are the Presta valve, Schrader valve and Dunlop valve. These valve types are known under various names, as we’ll explain below: 

Presta valves
Presta valves are often used for the narrow rims of road bikes, since Presta valves are 2 mm narrower than other valves. They are also known as French valves and Sclaverand valves. This valve type is available in different lengths, so keep the height of your current valves in mind when shopping for a tube with a Presta valve.

Schrader valves
Schrader valves are used for bicycle tires and car tires, and are also known as American valves. Schrader valves are most often used for mountain bikes.

Dunlop valves
The Dunlop valve is the most well-known valve type and it is most common on city bikes and electric bicycles. It is also known as the Woods valve or English valve.

If your bicycle pump doesn’t fit on the valve you chose, we recommend purchasing a valve adapter. With a valve adapter, you won’t need to buy a new bicycle pump for every valve type. 
 

What is the best inner tube?

Now you know what size inner tube you need, the next question is: what inner tube do you want? Factors that may come into play here are the weight of the inner tube and the material it’s made of, and whether the inner tube is suitable for more than one tire width. 

Material-wise, your choices are often either butyl rubber or latex. Inner tubes made of latex usually have lower rolling resistance, though they are more prone to sustaining punctures. Our customers find inner tubes by Continental, Michelin and Schwalbe to be the best inner tubes. Inner tubes made by these brands are known for their low rolling resistance and good puncture resistance. 
 

How do you mount an inner tube?

Replacing your inner tube? First, you’ll need to remove the wheel. As soon as you’ve removed the wheel, you can begin replacing the inner tube. 

First let any remaining air out of the inner tube through the valve. With Dunlop valves, you will then need to remove the top ring and inner mechanism. 

Proceed to remove the bottom ring that keeps the valve in place. Press the valve down as far as possible to create space to maneuver the bicycle tire. Older tires in particular tend to stick to the rim. If this is the case with your tire, push the tire away from the rim using both thumbs. Do this on both sides of the bicycle tire. 

This should create enough space for you to comfortably maneuver the bicycle tire. Insert one tire lever between the tire and the rim, opposite the valve hole, by pushing the tire aside. Use the tire lever to lift the tire off of the rim and use a spoke to anchor the lever. Repeat this step about three spokes further along, using another tire lever. 

Once the tire is sufficiently separated from the rim, you can use the first tire lever to repeat the previous step a few spokes further along. When the tire is sufficiently “loosened”, you can manually remove the tire from the rim on one side. At this point, you should be able to remove the inner tube from the tire manually. 

The tire should be pushed aside a little near the valve, to create enough space to remove the valve from the rim hole and push it past the tire. The inner tube can now be removed. 

Before mounting the new inner tube, it is important to check the outer tire for damage and, in case you’re replacing the inner tube because of a puncture, check it for remnants of glass or other sharp objects that may have been left behind. 

Insert the valve back through the valve hole and screw on the bottom ring until it’s about halfway down the valve stem, leaving enough space to push the inner tube down further into the rim base. Lightly inflate the inner tube, until the tire fold is almost invisible. Feed the inner tube into the bicycle tire completely and make sure that the tube fits evenly. Now you can start to put the tire bead onto the rim.