A typical bicycle tube fits inside the tire. When you're looking at a fully assembled tire, the only piece of the tube you actually see is the valve stem, which fits through a hole in the rim. The major differences in tubes for standard tires involve their valve stems. In addition to standard tires with separate tubes, there are tubular tires, in which the tire and tube are one.
Woods Valve Tubes
The Woods valve tube was a popular tube in the British Isles and Asia before the Presta valve took over. The Woods valve tube, also known as the Dunlop valve tube, is thick at the bottom, like a Schrader, but narrows down to the size of a Presta valve. Woods valve tubes are aired up using a Presta pump or adapter.
Presta Valve Tube
The Presta valve tube is often known as the French valve. Presta valve tubes have the thin valve stem you often see on performance bicycles. The valve stem comes with a built-in valve cap in the form of a nut that must be opened before air can be let out or pumped in. Presta valves can be aired up using a Presta pump or by using an adapter to convert the valve tip to a Schrader-style valve. Performance cyclists use Presta valves because the tube is lighter than the standard Schrader tube.
Schrader Valve Tube
The Schrader valve tube is the standard tube in the United States. These tubes have the valve stems that are seen on automobiles, riding lawn mowers and wheelbarrow wheels. They can be aired up using a standard air pump found at gas stations or at bicycle stores.
Tubular Tires
Tubular tires are bicycle wheels that are also a tube. These tires are glued onto the rims and are often used in performance and racing bicycles. These tires are also commonly known as sew-ups.
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