Uncommon tube size?

[ColtWanger]

I'm new to cycling in general, so I wanted to pick up a used bike for cheap to see if I would stick with it. I picked up a hardly used Schwinn Tourist off of Craigslist. It's been fine until I got my first flat and tried getting a new tube (after about 200 mi).

The sidewall on the tire says 28 1 5/8 x 1 1/8, and 700x28c. I looked around online and found the closest thing to what the sidewall said, which was: http://goo.gl/KvcPo

I thought since it said 700x28-35 that it would fit my 700x28, but it seems to be too big, as it bunches up inside the tire itself and doesn't lay flat all the way round. After doing some more research I found that the only tube I can find that fits the exact dimensions on the sidewall is a Schwalbe tube: http://goo.gl/AZQfR . I can't seem to find any other brands with that exact dimension.

Can I buy something smaller than what it says on the sidewall, or am I stuck with this one? I've never seen the "700" before in bicycle tires before I got this bike.

Any help is appreciated -- please get me back on the road! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[davereo]

Are you sure the side wall has 28 and not 27? 700X28 tubes should fit 27" tires.
Whats wrong with patching your current tubes? I have some tubes with 4 or 5 patches on them and still use them out on the road.

 

[ColtWanger]

Thanks for the response, davereo.

Yeah, they say 28, just checked again. I would assume that the 27" ones I bought above would be too small, but like I said they seem to bunch up in part of the tire and when inflated it seems to be pushing part of the tire off of the bead.

I tried some of the patches where you sand the tube a bit before applying the sticky patch. Once I inflated the tire to PSI I heard it release and the tire went flat again. First time I've used any kind of tire patch. However, even if I do get it patched, down the line I will probably need to replace the tube, which would put me in the situation I am in now.

Were the tubes I bought the correct size?

Edit:
Just an update, I tried installing the new tube again and it seems to be okay this time. I think I just installed the tire incorrectly. I think it should be okay now. Thanks for the help /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif