Racing Tubes

Arrow Racing Hi Performance Tubes
Cost: $11
Contact: 541-471-7212; www.arrowracing.com

Widely known as advocates for the 24-inch wheel in gravity racing, Arrow Racing also acknowledges the standard wheel size with 26-inch products like these DH racing tubes. Given the delicate balance of traction and air pressure in competition, preventing pinch flats is the name of the game in DH, so these tubes are 2mm thick to resist snake bites. They are also heavy, weighing 454 grams in a massive 2.6- to 3.0-inch size. Weight aside, DH racing is a sport where an entire weekend of practice can be ruined and $60 worth of entry fees can be lost by a single pinch flat. For rocky courses where weight is less of a concern than snake-bite flats, a thicker tube will help bring riders one step closer to the podium.--Nick Wood

Specialized Thorn Resistant Racing Tubes
Cost: $8
Contact: 877-808-8154; www.specialized.com

Specialized's Thorn Resistant Racing tubes are an unusual offering. Normal thorn-resistant tubes are heavy items more likely found at a Wal-Mart than on a cross-country race bike. The problem is that despite their weight, thorn resistant tubes are still great for areas infested with cacti and other plants determined to deprive tubes of air. To help with the strength-to-weight ratio, Specialized has developed a rubber that contains Aramid (Kevlar) fibers to help keep weight down and thorns out. They retain the characteristic thick-thin profile of most thorn-resistant tubes, but are much lighter, tipping the scales at 165 grams for the 2.3-inch size. --N.W.

Maxxis Flyweight Tubes
Cost: $8
Contact: 800-462-9947; www.maxxis.com

Cross-country racing tubes are featherweights--and the Maxxis Flyweight is one of the lightest tubes out there, weighing in at 88 grams for a 26x1.75-inch size. It also comes with a special rim strip--light and thin like the tube itself.

The name of the game in cross-country racing is maximum performance, and a competitor with his or her eye on the podium must be willing to sacrifice certain creature comforts for speed on race day--and this theory can apply to tires and tubes as well. A racer looking for every available edge, needs to lose those wide, high volume tires that can be comfortably run at cushy air pressures, and exchange them for the lightest tire and tube combo with a lower rotational weight.

While a thinner, lighter tube such as the Flyweight should be run at a higher psi setting to reduce pinch flats, the roughly 70 grams it saves is significant. Combined with a the proper XC race tire, the Flyweight is one solid way to getting your bike down to a competitive weight class.--Ron Ige

Kenda Heavy Duty Extreme Tubes
Cost: $8
Contact: 866-536-3287; www.kendausa.com

For the everyday hucker, reliable tubes are a must. Riders need to feel that their rims aren't going to taco on every overhead drop because of a blown tube. Folks of this nature are concerned with weight, but it is not as important as durability. Kenda's Heavy Duty Extreme tubes offer a happy medium between freeride reliability and cross-country lightweight performance. The Heavy Dutys are available with a Schraeder or Presta valve and weigh in at 380 and 358 grams respectively for the 26x2.35-2.75 size. With a tube thickness of 1.2mm, the likelihood of a pinch flat is greatly reduced.--Pat Corran