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Source of inner tubes

I try to avoid purchasing anything from China, particularly following the devastation caused by the Wuhan Virus.
Does anyone know of a brand of inner tubes made anywhere but China?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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27 comments

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Nick T | 3 years ago
1 like

Vittoria tyres and tubes are manufactured in Thailand 

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Edward08 replied to Nick T | 3 years ago
0 likes

Many thanks Nick. Michelin are made in UK & Europe, Schwalbe in Vietnam and Indonesia, so I'll be able to get everything I need without contributing (even in a small way) to the funding of such a vile regime.

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fukawitribe replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
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Actually - fuck that reply  - you rock on mate.

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srchar replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
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Shame we can't see it. Was it supportive of the totalitarian regime that runs China, or against?

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fukawitribe replied to srchar | 3 years ago
5 likes

It was supportive of Edwards08's choice to refuse to deal with goods from one whilst happily buying from such bastions of civil rights such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia "with a clear conscience" without blinking. The tone was unhelpful though and, frankly, I couldn't be arsed continuing with it.

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ktache replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
2 likes

Your post had made me wonder if there were actually any "nice" countries, there is a list of "good" countries on Wiki, based on what they were doing in 2018, as some of those near the top have done some really quite iffy things, some longer ago than others.  At the top comes Finland, so Nokian is alright, I suppose, but they probably don't make their own inner tubes in country.  Very excellent studded bicyle tyres, they know snow.  But it would seem my Conti Spike Claw may never die, and the Nokians are double or more the price.

I like latex tubes, and they will have meant destruction of forest at some point, same for the latex in my tubeless gunk.  That's where the european dandelion obtained latex comes in, maybe.

If a country is too nice I suppose, someone would probably have invaded it and if the subjugated continued to be nice, stayed.

There is a also very little we can buy on that is completely virtuous, partly the nature of capitalism I suppose.  Some things less bad than others.  I do like to buy some veg from the Hardwick Veg Shack, very organic, don't even use manure, but how did they obtain their large estate on the banks of the Thames in south Oxfordshire?

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srchar replied to ktache | 3 years ago
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ktache wrote:

There is a also very little we can buy on that is completely virtuous, partly the nature of capitalism I suppose.  Some things less bad than others.

Countries are inhabited and governed by humans. Companies are owned and run by humans. We humans aren't completely virtuous; we all have our foibles, particularly when incentivised to act iniquitously. So we shouldn't be surprised that it's difficult to buy products that don't adversely impact someone, somewhere.

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srchar replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:

bastions of civil rights such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia

Quite.

OP, Tubolitos are made in Europe. Also, I hope you ride Campag; pretty much everything Shimano makes comes from China, whereas Campag manufactures the low end groups in Romania and the higher end stuff in Italy.

Interestingly, one of the reasons that northern Italy suffered so badly with CV at the start of the epidemic is that it hosts tens of thousands of Chinese workers in clothing factories. Working in Italy, in conditions not much better than those in their home country. This means that companies get low manufacturing costs, but are able to slap a "made in Italy" sticker on their goods.

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KingWilliam1690 | 3 years ago
1 like

Like the OP, I too am boycotting Chinese goods due to many reasons. Hopefully if enough people start boycotting then we can get these scrupulous companies to manufacture at home or somewhere that practices ethical standards. Please wake up everyone, don't fund the CCP machine. If not then you're as guilty as the CCP.

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srchar replied to KingWilliam1690 | 3 years ago
2 likes

The Chinese government's vast holdings of USTs will be inflated away over the next 5-10 years. The west won't allow China to export their deflation anymore.

The Chinese people are furious at their handling of coronavirus.

No cash + angry people = revolution.

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Edward08 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Thank you all for the responses. To clarify, my concern is not about contracting the virus from components shipped from China.

For a number of years I've tried to avoid Chinese products because they are out-competing other nations on price due to atrocious labour conditions. We've seen european textile workers losing their jobs (with decent welfare conditions) while the same garments are now made in Chinese sweatshops.

The global impact of this virus, coupled with the absence of any form of apology from the Chinese Government, results in me trying to avoid purchases from China.

Thank you for the tips on Schwalbe and Michelin; I'll contact both for clarification. Conti tubes are made in China, but the tyres are from Germany.

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fukawitribe replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
2 likes

Edward08 wrote:

The global impact of this virus, coupled with the absence of any form of apology from the Chinese Government, results in me trying to avoid purchases from China.

Apology ?

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Edward08 replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
2 likes

Yes, the virus originated in unhygienic cruel food markets in China, and was not properly controlled before it spread beyond its borders. We've yet to hear any apology or offer of redress.

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mdavidford replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
5 likes

Presumably you'll also be avoiding purchases from the UK, US, Italy, Spain, France, etc., etc., etc. until they apologise for failing to control the spread of a highly contagious virus as well? I think your choices are going to be rather limited.

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srchar replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
3 likes

The Chinese govt has outright lied to the rest of the world. It's estimated that they under-reported the number of cases by a factor of forty. In January, they were still saying there's no evidence for human to human transmission. In December, they were arresting medical workers who reported suspicions of a new SARS-like illness.

Let me know when the governments of those more enlightened states do the same thing.

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jacknorell replied to srchar | 3 years ago
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Any verifiable and reliable sources for that astonishing claim?

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fukawitribe replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
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Exactly this.

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Edward08 replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
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As srchar has stated above, there was a cover-up coupled with a lack of early action that could have averted this situation. 

No state is perfect, but very few have the appalling track record of China. This is just the straw that breaks the camel's back. To defend China now is political correctness gone insane.

So I'm content to source from UK, US, Italy, Spain, France, etc. as I already do for food, clothing etc.

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mdavidford replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Well not purchasing from China because you don't want to support a secretive, oppressive, uncooperative regime that exercises tight control over information is a fair enough position, but that isn't what you originally said. You said

Quote:

the virus originated in unhygienic cruel food markets in China, and was not properly controlled

which was unrelated to any of that.

If the nature of the regime is your main concern, then bringing the virus into it is a bit weird. As you say, they have a 'track record' that goes back decades - long before this virus emerged, so I'm not sure why you'd be avoiding purchases from there now any more than you would have been six months ago.

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Edward08 replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
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I don't see it as weird at all. For many years I've opted for the non-Chinese option wherever possible, but wasn't so diligent for cheaper items like inner tubes. The Chinese Govt's dishonesty and incompetence in dealing with the virus causes me to be more diligent. Simple.

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mdavidford replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
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Except that, as I said, they don't seem to have been any more incompetent than many other countries that you'd apparently be happy to buy from (and why would incompetence at dealing with epidemics be a reason to boycott their goods anyway?). And by your own reckoning, dishonesty is nothing new for them. So where is the reason to be any more diligent now than before?

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Edward08 replied to Edward08 | 3 years ago
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Thank you all for the responses. Vittoria, Michelin, and Schwalbe all make their components outside of China, so I can purchase with a clear conscience.

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Simon E | 3 years ago
2 likes

I think Schwalbe and Michelin both manufacture in Indonesia. However, I'd suggest that worrying about your bike components is misguided. They are surely some of the least likely items to carry Covid-19 all the way from the Far East. They would have been shipped from there quite a while before the outbreak while the virus only appears to remain active for around 24 hours on hard surfaces and less on porous materials.

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
2 likes

Not sure how SARS-CoV-2 is relevant, though. If you're worried about catching it off your inner tubes, (a) that's highly unlikely, and (b) wherever you get them from is likely to have an outbreak (unless you can find a supplier in Kiribati or somewhere like that).

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ktache replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

I don't think they tend to rush order them direct from china in 3 days.

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srchar | 3 years ago
1 like

You'll probably find that most tubes are made in Taiwan anyway, not China.

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