Feedback on TPU tubes. Which brand? More puncture resistant ?
Just flatted today and was carrying Schwalbe Aerothan TPU tubes. I really wished I was paying better attention when I purchased them. The stem on this model is plastic and although I was able to thread in a valve extender, I was able to pull said extender straight out (with the head of a mini pump attached). I also found out this afternoon (in the hot sun, baking on the side of a country road) that there is next to no wiggle room with sizing. Unlike butyl of latex tubes, these Aerothan TPU tubes I purchased do not “stretch” to accommodate a 28c tire.
To be fair, Schwalbe does make their Aerothan TPU tubes in various volumes and with various stem lengths and I could have saved myself a lot of frustration if I was more up to speed with how TPU tubes worked.
So… know what you have; get the size you’ll need.
RideNow tests well, has up to 85mm stems and has aluminum stems with removable valve cores. (they are a Chinese brand, so also way cheaper on aliexpress… Just make sure to get the ones with aluminum stems). This is also limits many of the leak issues some have had, becuase the leaks were coming from the metal valve deforming the plastic stem.
They’ve been great for us so far
I’m a big fan of latex tubes.
My limited experience so far is not favorable. I have only been running them for a couple weeks and already had two flats. One is my fault but it’s not something I can patch. The other one I tried patching with the supplied patch kit and that didn’t really work. So far I’m not impressed.
I’ve used RideNow and Vittoria TPU tubes this year. I had multiple flats and repairing them using the supplied patch and electrical tape is challenging.
I’ve switched back to latex and tubeless.
I’ve had great (albeit limited) results with the 65mm RideNow TPU’s with the clear valves. 3 months with zero flats. Incredibly light (saved 180g over butyl’s) and hold air much better than latex. One size is 18-32c which covers every road tire I ride.
Plan to stick with 'em for training, and if I want the extra watt, go latex for racing:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/tpu-inner-tubes
-Scott