Yes it’s when installed.
Brian had some very wise words on this topic as well.
Enjoy your TPU’s!
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I just mouth inflated a bit, and I’d say you have to be marginally more careful. But the bright colours make it easy to see.
For racing, I’d say a tube and a co2 is less than the size of butyl tube on it’s own though, which I didn’t appreciate really until seeing them!
I’ve been riding RideNow and 2 or 3 other Chinese TPU’s for 2 years now. All my bikes are rim brake (2 Ti frame, 1 carbon and 1 Reynolds 853 steel). I still have several Vittoria latex tubes in their box that I’m not likely to use. Yeah, I’m so sold on this technology for air bladders in road cycling tires, I honestly can’t think of any reason NOT to use TPU innertubes. They’re dream tech for climbers! Anyone know of the UCI’s stance on them? Any of the pro teams converted?
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Where are you buying the TPUs from?
I’ve bought tubes from different vendors that use AliExpress as their broker to markets in the west. Intrigued for years by the technology, I couldn’t talk myself into the $25 to $35 per tube that the branded products were getting through dealers in the U.S. and U.K. I doubt the reliability of the Chinese tubes are any less. The tubes I use are rated for tire sizes ranging from 622x19mm all the way to 35mm and weigh in at under 32gms. Unlike one rider, I find the suppleness factor equal to that of latex, AND, more puncture resistant. At one tenth the price of Schwalbe or Pirelli, what’s not to like?
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Yeah I’m thinking along the same lines as you. I’ll grab some via AliExpress. Thanks.
Bought about 12 from Ali express, but found them very unreliable for me. A few hard defective valves or already punctured out the box. Then the ones that worked seemed to puncture pretty easy. Back to tubeless for me going forward.
Funny how peoples experience with the same product can be so different.
Currently done about 6000kms on mine. One puncture. Overall very happy with them.
I use the “heavy” ones. I have had bad experiences with the ultra light versions of TPU tubes from different brands.
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I’m guessing that defective batches slip under the qc radar. Sounds like you were sent a bad run. Again, though I’m not the pinnacle of tactile sensitivity on the bike, I can discern the difference between butyl and latex, vastly preferring the latter. For me, the urethane tubes surrender nothing to latex on that score.
I’ve got 2 sets of 2 TPU tubes from randomly-named amazon vendors. I’m trialing them in my rear tire this year. They install very easily. Good experience, though the first one got a flat after about 1000mi of use. I couldn’t find the leak roadside and eventually just put in the other brand which I had in the saddle bag. This one is probably closing in on 1000mi itself. I think each tube averaged about $12 each on amazon. I like them for the small storage size and light weight, but I’m concerned I couldn’t patch it. Still meaning to check it over closer at home to see if I can find why it failed.
Just bought, fitted and tried some tubes from Ali express. Two week delivery, easy install, despite fitted with no air in the tube prior to instal. Ride quality was better than my standard tubes , £2.14 each. Standard tube , 105gram , TPU tube 32gram. Best gram/£ you can make.
Just bought half a dozen, thanks all.
Quick question for those using RideNow TPU tube. There’s a few patch size stickers (two that looks to be for the valve stem) provided with the tube, should they be use to protect the valve stem when installing? What are they for exactly? Thanks!
Yes, they seem to just be value stickers to stop them rattling on the rim.
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Funny story. I recently had a TPU tube (rear tyre) explode in the middle of the night. Sounded like a gunshot and took me about 15min of walking around the house, inside and outside, flashlight in one hand and a pool cue in the other, before the penny dropped and I checked my bike tyres.
I’ve had a few fail now, going back to Butyl.
what brand?
I ended up buying a pair of Pirelli Smart tubes, crazy expensive. And a pair of ridenow for another set of wheels. The RideNow feels considerably cheaper. The material isn’t great, the valves are a pain to inflate and measure the pressure as they don’t quite fit into my pressure gauge or my floor pump.
The RideNow does the job, but I’m not sure I would rely on them as spare or main tubes. Pirellis look well-made, uniform, good valves.
I use ridenow tpu and the first one I used was odd. It was fine after installation and no issues. I’d leave my bike unattended and 2-3 days later it would go completely flat. Took it out, checked for leaks, nothing. Pumped it back up and this time I checked daily and there didn’t seem to be any pressure loss but a few days later, completely flat overnight again. Tossed it out, and installed a new ridenow tpu. Haven’t had any issues with this one yet. It’s been a year now, put about 1000k on it and did a bunch of crit racing with it and had absolutely no issues with this one.
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Exactly, I think the quality control isn’t great. The material in my pair looks uneven. I don’t know how to explain it, it just doesn’t feel/seem like a good product. Although it doesn’t affect the usability. It rides as good as the Pirellis.
What isn’t very pleasant is the valve. They don’t fit my floor pump and pressure gauge. They leak when I try to measure, and inflate is also an issue. It does not lock into the head of the pump.
It works, and for the price, I’m ok with these small issues, but the Pirellis are way better.
Don’t buy from Amazon, way overpriced. Amazon is just a more expensive aliexpress at this point anyway so may as well go to the source. (Chinese speakers may say that aliexpress is just a more expensive Taobao…?).
Based on reports from other forums, the current best cheap tpu tubes are cyclami, not ridenow. Better built around the valve attachment point, removable valves. I have a bunch in use as spares, but I use tubeless and haven’t had a flat that’s needed a tube in 3 years so can’t comment on them yet.