Late here to the TPU party, but posting just because I searched/googled for it before, and almost nothing came up:
TPU tubes DO work with valve extenders, and with no special tricks or worries.
Just note that at least as of right now, most of the TPU tubes you get do NOT come with removable valve cores (these are coming very soon though apparently!)
You can use the valve-extenders that don’t require you to remove the valve core. You just loosen the presta valve, screw on the valve stem, and then pump through the tip of that extender while leaving the valve open. I’ve used them on my deep 88 wheels, and they work perfectly fine at 100psi.
At least for me, the TPU tubes you get on ALiexpress and/or Amazon both worked fine (the Aliexpress ones cost less but take a lot longer to arrive 3-4 weeks).
Also, the valve extenders I got on Aliexpress worked totally fine too, without teflon tape. Was surprised at this, but they work so well that I now wonder why even bother with the removable valve core extenders, especially since the non-removable ones will work on ANY tube, so if you flat on the road and can only use a donated tube with no removable valve, you’re still good to go.
Good to know.
But, 100 psi? That is awfully high.
Just to add to your point, the Ridenow TPU tube has removable valve, but the stem is very soft and so “standard” extender that replaces the valve does not seal well (impossible to tighten properly). So using the other kind of extenders that go over the valve (as described in original post) solves the problem.
Oh and BTW, don’t waste $20-25 buying it from Amazon or online bike stores, its less than $5 on Ali express (same exact product).
Good to know.
But, 100 psi? That is awfully high.
Why do you think that 100 psi is high?
Oh and BTW, don’t waste $20-25 buying it from Amazon or online bike stores, its less than $5 on Ali express (same exact product).
Per Aerocoach’s posted data. The best TPU is about as fast as latex and the slower ones as slow as butyl. There is significant variation.
If you think they’re all the same, go ahead and buy the trash ones.
Oh and BTW, don’t waste $20-25 buying it from Amazon or online bike stores, its less than $5 on Ali express (same exact product).
Per Aerocoach’s posted data. The best TPU is about as fast as latex and the slower ones as slow as butyl. There is significant variation.
If you think they’re all the same, go ahead and buy the trash ones.
I didn’t see the RideNow (AliExpress) ones in the Aerocoach data, so it’s not a given that they’re the worst (although not an unreasonable baseline to start with an untested one not being the top of the pile).
Seems like it depends on what your use case is - for racing, the Vittoria latex seem like an easy yes as your primary tube. Carrying around a cheap (or two) TPU tubes for training/not having to wait for the SAG wagon also seems reasonable. The small size is one of the bigger appeals for training as you can get two in a saddle bag for about the size of one regular tube.
Ride now is in bicycle rolling resistance tpu reviews, and it is comparable to the best ones
Also, they recently released an aluminum valve (making the extender dramatically easier to use and the valve less likely to leak)
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