Tube too big for tire... arghh

[jdohe]

The tire on the bike is labeled:<br />
700x35c / 37-622 (I suspect this tube has a diameter of 622mm)<br />
The tube I bought is labeled:<br />
700x35 - 44c 27 x 1 3/8 (I suspect this tube has a diameter of 700mm)
I am so confused! The guy in the bicycle shop doesn't know what is going on, so I don't feel too stupid. I'm so glad I didn't order one to be shipped.. that would have been a nightmare to deal with and really not worth shipping back and forth.
The tube itself seems too thin to me, but the problem that makes the tube unusable is that its circumference is considerably larger than the tire.<br />
When I try putting the tube on the tire, it droops off the rim like a skinny person putting on a fat person's pants.<br />
I bought new tubes for my racing bike, mountain bike, and battery assisted road bike. There was no problem with the racing nor mountain bikes.
What went wrong? Is it possible the tube was mis-marked? I know that there are cheap tubes sold in bulk for $1 each. I paid $7 for this tube (which is ironic because the box is labeled $6).
By the way.. my bike shop charges $10 to put a tube on a tire, so when they put the tube on, it's $7 for the tube and $10 installation. Isn't $17 a bit steep for that service? I feel bad for the bike shop because they typically have 4 employees working there, and never more than 2 customers in the store at once. Maybe the reason for that is that they are too expensive?

[Bill]

Hi jdohe,
I'm not the best on this forum , but it does look and sound like you have the wrong size tube. Can you take it back to the store, assuming you purchased at one, and see if they can exchange it for the first size? If not asked for a refund. Worse case scenario take the tire in with you.
As far as Bike shops and prices I really can not say anything about that, except I have seen some shops charge 30.00 fee. I don't have a shop nor do I use them because I only do bikes myself as a hobby. This website has been my main reference to just about any questions that I may have, because there are great people here willing to help out others.
Hope my opinion helps out,<br />
Bill

[cyclerUK]

Sometimes the tube has it's size molded or printed on it some where.<br />
See if that agrees with the box.<br />
Do you still have the old tube that you can compare with?
Do you follow Alex,s tutorial about re-fitting a tire:-<br />
http://bikeride.com/fix-flat-tire/
I do it slightly different as I fit one tire bead on first, then place tube inside the tire and put the valve in valve-hole.<br />
Inflate tube slightly and then fit the second bead.

[DaveM]

Could be the wrong tube in the wrong box, but that's pretty rare. Since the tube is labelled for both 700 and 27&quot; tires, it's made to fit either. 27 is a bit bigger than 700, but you should be able to get it to work.
Are you putting air in the tube before you fit it into the tire? I like to put just a tiny bit of air in, fit it in to the tire so you can tell it's in straight with no big folds or wrinkles, and then mount the tire on the rim. You might need to work the tube around a little to get it in the tire without any folds.
Worst case, maybe try getting a tube that goes UP to 35 (so something like 700x28-35). That may fit better than a tube that is made for 35 wide and larger. Don't worry, the tube will expand to fit the tire. Different brands will vary a bit in size even though they are marked for the same size. Maybe try a different brand tube if you're stuck.