I bought a bunch of TPU tubes from Ali Express. The larger the quantity the more discounted they are. I paid about $7 US each if you divide the price and shipped for free. No tax no shipping fee no brainer. I have about 800 miles on the first set I put on the bike and haven't had a flat yet. I came from latex so I haven't noticed any ride difference but it sure is nice not having to pump up the tires every day now.
They’re brilliant. I discovered them (24g versions) at the beginning of the year, a neo retro build was a fair bit heavier than anticipated so I went looking for weight loss solutions. Dropped about 100g per wheel and it completely transformed the feel of the (at the time) mid range carbon wheels. I also patched a puncture which is still holding strong. These are almost invalidating tubeless for me.
You are joking about latex tubes. I got four for £26, shopping around. They feel way better than the plastic ones and there is NO WAY I am spending £ 25 on one of them. I really don't mind pumping my tyres every day. Why would getting some arm exercise be a problem?
@@peterwillson1355 who’s is talking about latex? You’re talking to yourself. I’m comparing Poly to normal butyl. Massive improvement. Btw if you consider pumping up tyres an arm workout, you might want to consider hitting the gym to shift some metal.
Love TPUs! Ridenow is definitely the way to go, light, reliable, no performance penalty, and at a reasonable price. I use these tubes for all my bikes, including 40mm gravel tires, to maintain a simple and consistent setup. To be honest, the theoretical advantages of tubeless setups don't make too much sense for me personally. Regardless of whether I use tubes or go tubeless, I still need to carry the same repair kit because sealant alone won't protect against all types of punctures. Moreover, I prefer being able to identify any sharp objects in my tire right away and fix them without being covered in goo. It just means less mess and a more straightforward repair process. Less maintenance too, no need to think about sealant replenishment every couple of months.
@@adammillsindustries. I think the ones you're mentioning (with a cut hole in the middle?) are for valve stems to prevent them from rattling in the rim. Kinda like those little nuts for threaded valve stems in regular tubes and tubeless valves. But I also received complementary patches with one of my orders. So can be one of these.
I had multiple defective tubes, but the company promptly replaced them with new valves. The factory had made changes to the valves, resulting in them getting stuck when using CO2 canisters. To address this issue, the company switched from black valves to clear valves. I'm impressed with their excellent customer service, and I will definitely continue using their products. :P
Great video. For those who are tempted to use the RideNow TPU, be careful. There are things not addressed here, which are important to keep you safety on the road: 1. The quality of the connection between the tube body and the valve base. 2. Permeability of the tube material, aka the amount of invisible holes that can't seen with the naked eyes. I have used tubolito, and while they are the most established TPU brand around, I have one that has multiple leaks that requires 8 patches. Butyl, while heavy, can retain air longer and do not create a sudden burst in puncture situation. And I have the worst experience with the RideNow tube. The hard plastic valve base was torn from the tube, and created an instant puncture and air loss within a second. I was lucky and sustained no injury as I have just moved off from stationary when the tube failure happened. I almost lost control of the bike but was lucky not to fall off. Can't imagine what would happen if I'm on speed. Cheap tubes such as the RideNow are only good as spare for one time use during emergencies. If you need to have durable inner tubes, please use butyl or latex, or a good branded TPU if you really must. Don't depend your life on some cheap tubes. Remember - good is never cheap, and cheap is never good.
I appreciate your helpful comment. 🙂👍🏻 I think your heart is in the right place. However, although cheap is most often not good, it’s not always bad. I have had excellent long term experience with the ride now tubes. So far only one failed and I have had worse experiences with branded latex tubes and similar experiences with traditional tubes. I remember buying about 10 tubes from Decathlon and all but 3 were totally failures. All the valves were faulty in some way, some popped right out the tubes! 😂
I totally agree on all points made in this video. The puncture part is very interesting to mee, I've been using these TPU's for 3 months in combination with Vredestein fortessa senso tires, never had a flat with them... Seriously: EVERYBODY SHOULD BUY THESE! trust me, they are the best budget upgrade you can do!
Wonderful!!! I actually had bad luck in my first month and got 2 flats, then nothing for 7 months. Then I did a gravel ride on my gp5000s (not a smart thing to do) and got a small leak that I didn’t notice til the next day. 😁
@@reginaldscot165 yes, i really liked your explanation about the hole staying small and not growing bigger as with butyl and latex tubes, never even thought about that.😅
It seems maybe TPUs do lose more slowly air after a puncture. This happened to me: I had Schwalbe Aerothan TPUs mated to my 32mm GP5000s. While riding, I ran over a thorn and the tire began losing air, though I didn't realize it. Then I crossed train tracks and felt the tire bottom out. Oops, I thought, it must be a pinch flat. Doing a roadside repair, I quickly installed a Cyclami TPU tube. Five miles later it went flat again. This time I checked the tire and found the thorn. Fortunately, I had an extra Cyclami TPU tube, so I was able to fix it and finish the ride. When I got home I found that both tubes were punctured in the same place. Thinking back about it, it seems the loss of air was more gradual than usual. Or, it took a long time for the thorn to pierce the tube. Or both.
I ordered them from Ali Express, paid €13,45 for two, including shipping. I use the 36 grams version for my rim-brake, alu rimmed wheels. On my scale they weigh a little under 34 grams for the 65 mm valve version. I always carry 2 spare tubes with me, so I save 260 grams on total system weight compared to light-weight butyl. That weight saving costs me €0,10 per gram, which is an insane value for money compared to other weight savings on my bike (carbon seatpost, wheels, bottle cages, saddle). I also like that they are small and, best of all, they are pink!
I feel the same way! I paid $1,680 for carbon wheels and only saved 17g over my aluminium wheels! So TPU are such a good investment when you compare. 😅
I'm a (moderate) fan of RideNow tubes. Why not a "big fan"? One of two I've installed initially have had a slow leakage (2-3 days to visible flat). I would say "ok, this must be normal with TPU" if not the other wheel without any signs of the leak. Replaced it. Then on the next ride, I got a proper flat (and couldn't really find why). So you could understand why I was a bit disappointed. Eventually, after replacement, no issues for 2000km. Since then I tend to recommend them... But also recommending to have always two spares 🤣
Here is my experience with TPU Ridenow tubes (pink ones) in my Bontrager 32mm clinchers. Since it isn't rideable here in winter, I have tested them without riding and get to the conclusion that I will never get far outside with those tubes. Super lightweight is appealing for sure at 36g, that's 1/3 of a butyl tube. Saving 150g for both tubes is awesome but what about reliability? I installed 4 TPU's, none of them was satisfactory. 4 failed out of 4 ! Without pinching it at the installation, 2 got pinholes (so tiny, almost invisible) after inflating, the other 2 were leaking at the valve. Problems were observed not instantly but overnight or several days after with dramatic lost of pressure. I wouldn't go out with such unreliable tubes and probable lack of pressure through a 2-3 hour ride. I didn't test other TPU brands but the ones with metal stem may be better, I don't know?
I'm very happy with the Pirelli version of TPU, the P ZERO SmarTUBE. My only - slight - issue is that the smooth plastic valve stems make it hard for the head on either of my 2 floor pumps (one is brand new) to stay attached without having to hold it secure onto the valve stem with one hand while pumping with the other to get that last 10-15 psi. I usually run 25c tires at 80-85 psi.
Humm that does sound like a problem? Sounds like it’s the fault of the tube, try the RideNow ones, I don’t have any problems pumping them up with any of my 5 pumps. 🙂👍🏻
Roadside repair is essential, so ease and effectiveness is great. I'm old school EMTB and use butyl + liner. I considered tubeless but I could never stand the idea of all that gross sticky stuff slopping around, waiting to get all over me some cold rainy night when I get a tear/slice in my tubeless setup. Thanks for this interesting review. I like your simple but effective puncture resistance test. I'm definitely moving to TPU, thanks.
I like them, I can't see the benefit of tubeless. It's over compensating for beginners fear of having to change a tube. With a Pedro's tire lever, a Genuine Innovations Ultraflate CO2 Inflator and a medium sized hand pump you can fix almost anything in minutes. The time lost is so minimal that even if you get a puncture on a long ride with a conventional set up you lose hardly any time. If things go badly with a tubeless set up with sealant you are going to be out there for ages trying to fix it. With TPU tubes you actually get an improvement and no downside unlike most new tech. I'm thinking of testing them on my Ebike which has an all up weight with me and gear of around 150 kilogrammes. If it works on that it'll work on anything.
Tubeless has been a godsend. Have it setup on road, gravel and all mtbs - never get punctures. The bit of metal and that glass would have almost definitely gone unnoticed on any of my bikes.
True, maybe, I work in a bike shop and I’ve heard all the horror stories and seen them first hand, also I know plenty of people who tried Tubeless and went back to tubes. I see more disadvantages for me than advantages going Tubeless, video to come. 🙂
And the weight is much higher for tubeless; it’s not inly the tubeless milk (40-60grams), tyres themselves are heavier, and often the rims also… al together a lot of weight.
I have had a 1cm cut on the sidewall of my gp5k running ridenow tube. Patched the same tube up using ridenow's patch kit. Surprisingly, i have no problems with it after using it for months.. I am a believer of ridenow tpu tube now (and not going to waste any money on tubeless)
Thanks for the Video - i've been considering changing from Conti Race Lights to TPU tubes for a while now. Wasn't quite sure about the repairability (which is quite an important point to me, as i have been patching my butyl tubes every time since about 2 years). Your Video answered all my questions, and i really enjoyed the detailed material analysis. Unfortunately, they have gotten a little pricey(er), but i think i am gonna go for it soon!
one final question: i heard that the newer Ridenow tubes come with a fixed valve insert. Do you now anything about it? I think often the most leakage comes from a not fully tightened valve insert, so i'd like to be able to fix this on my tubes...
Was tempted to look at tpu but heard mixed things. Since I haven't had a flat in a good while thought maybe don't break my lucky streak. But you made me reconsider. Thanks Reg.
I’m really glad you didn’t have any flats for a long time. 🙂 I was unlucky the first month trying TPU, I had 2 flats, but then nothing for 7 months and only recently after a extreme bad road ride did I get another. 😁
@@reginaldscot165 - Not extreme with a tire choice, using Vittoria Rubino Pro control. Not Gatorskins thick but not the pure smooth performance stuff either. Not uncommon in these parts to come across debris and smashed glass. I'd never make it. Thanks for this in-depth report. I'm looking to try some TPU.
I had these tubes in SOCAL, I couldn't get 2 consecutive weeks without flats and went through 4 sets of tubes with Conti Grand Prix 5000s. They're not the best/most durable tire, but insane how many flats I had commuting. Flipped to Tubeless and 4 weeks without a flat and 2 races down. If you get a flat, its often a rapid decline in pressure. You'll also want to cary the TPU specific patch kit. Patching is easy thankfully. If you have a pristine riding environment these may work, but glass, and other debris were getting past the Conti. ALso watch out some of the ride now have plastic stems and leaves a gap. I didn't use levers to install the TPUs to be safe, but I pulled out one RideNow with a hole in it from the factory. Absolute garbage.
The problem might be the tyre choices. You can’t really expect much from the GP5000, it has zero side wall protection. Unlike the TL version. You would get the same problem with any tube system if you have debris on the road. I switched to 4 seasons tyres for training and have had not issues. Save the racing tyres for race day. 🙂 As for faulty tubes out the box, that’s happened to me with standard tubes and latex… so it’s just something that happens with all products.
I use them (ridenow) as a backup for my tubeless , As far as tubeless difficulties to me it depends on the equipment you have (eg some tire brands are easier to mount). Found it very easy to setup a Hutchison with a track pump
@cornelhughes6763 I love Hutchinson tyres! Fusion5 11 Storm 28c F and 30c R for me. Have you tried milKit sealant? It doesn't dry out and because of this it makes a formidable setup; I only have to add air every 1 to 2 weeks or so.
Been riding tpu ridenow 38gr with pirelli p7 + on my gracel as well with pathfinder tires...1500km on the roadbike and 500km on the gravelbike...super no punctures and feel much faster😊
I've moved to the pink tube cause they are cheaper, but still have some tubolitos on one of my ebikes for courier work, if you get punctures for tubolitos you can use a slime patch kit on them, for some reason combining the brands makes for the perfect seal.
This convinces me that TPU is the superior material to use as a tube. However the price that I found when checking on a couple of online bike stores located in USA and UK I find that the price for the average TPU tube is $30-$35 and for a butyl tube is $5-$10 (latex is around $15-$25). Also the local store I frequent doesn't stock TPU and I like to go to local stores for such consumables. I will most likely try them out but it looks to be quite a hurdle with regards to price. The continental tubes (700 x 20 - 25 light version) I use are about 90 grams and fold up quite small.
Just discovered these today, albeit in the 29” 56g version for my 622-42 allroad touring wheels (we’re not all compensating for something 😜 - I ride tarmac too, but love fire roads). Then came across your video. I didn’t know about the repairability of these things yet - thanks for that. Will put some patch kits on my purchase list. The biggest thing for me beside the weight is the 100% recyclability. Not sure if _all_ the bits are, of course, but even if ’just’ the tube itself is recyclable, that’s an enormous win over butyl. 👍
Good point, it’s mostly plastic, the valve is brass and that’s easy to melt down and reuse ♻️ so I would think it’s almost 95% recyclable. 🙂👍🏻 Safe riding!
@@reginaldscot165 Thank you. 👍 Can I ask how much the TPU inners you use generally stretch volume-wise when pumped up inside the tyre? I’m trying to find out if there would be significant downsides in using _slightly_ larger volume TPU inners inside somewhat smaller-volume tires. I’m specifically looking at using a 622 TPU inner intended for 1.95-2.5 width tires on a 622-1.6 tyre. The circumference of the wheel would still be the correct one, so I’m trying to find out if that would simply mean lower stretch tension inside the tyre, a bit more material as well as weight, but also potentially additional puncture resistance? … or if it would be somehow otherwise detrimental. My reasoning says that it would be fine if I can live with the weight, but have no experience with TPU inners as of yet. (There’s a whopping _95g_ MTB TPU variant available in the ’OFFBONDAGE’ brand line-up, which I’ll be sure to try first simply for the brand name alone. 😁)
GREAT Video: The best way to repair butyl tubes is to use contact cement. Cutting a 18mm diameter (or so) round patch from an old tube (thinner tubes work best for the patch) and using contact cement will make a permanent patch that will almost never fail. The key is to make sure that the patch has all the powder removed and the tube being repaired is thoroughly cleaned before applying the patch (I use isopropyl alcohol). The contact cement is applied to both the patch and the tube (as thin a coat as possible; I use a toothpick to apply the cement) and the contact cement should be allowed to dry (at least 15-20 minutes). This is obviously a repair that is made at home, not roadside but you can save lots of money repairing tubes this way. My rule of thumb is that I will repair the tube no more than 3x before it is thrown away. I use the TPU tubes in my tool container on the bike because they take up much less room and I can fit three of these to one butyl tube. No need to worry about keeping a patch kit if I get a second flat and I still have another backup beyond that. If I do use the TPU tube I remove it when I get home and repair the butyl tube and reinstall it. As far as weight savings, it is really way overblown. Light wheels are not faster than heavier wheels (within 500 grams). Heavier wheels do take longer to accelerate but once you exceed the moment of inertia they are actually easier to keep rolling and they hold on to the speed for longer. Lightweight wheels spin up faster (so they feel faster) but they also spin down faster as well. For crit racing, where you are constantly accelerating out of corners then lightweight wheels are important, for most other riding it really is not beneficial. Even climbing, they may be heavier going up hill but they are faster coming back down as well. If you do a little research you will find that this has been proven over and over again. Here is one site that explains it pedalchile.com/blog/light-wheels But if you research you will find countless studies that report this same conclusion.
I think my problem is the humidity here prevents the glue from working well, in the UK I never had a problem, my tubes looked like they were going through puberty because they had so many spots! 😆 But when I moved to Asia I found that most of my repairs failed. I don’t seem to get that problem with the TPU. 🙂 Yes I prefer the lower system weight for climbing. 255g is not to be dismissed in my opinion, pro riders have said they prefer rim brakes to disc because of the 300g difference in weight so it clearly makes a difference. And yes you are right heavier wheels hold speed better, but I find In racing when it comes to closing gaps there is nothing better than a light wheel for acceleration. It’s a bit like In motor sport, most of the F1 cars never hit top speed, what makes the car successful is it’s ability to accelerate the fastest to take advantage of every opportunity. If you are commuting down a long flat road or doing a TT then heavy might be better, but I will take light for anything else. 🙂 Also you are forgetting TPU has lower rolling resistance and better comfort over butyl. 😉 So your test of heavy Vs light wheels might come out different if the reason for the weight difference is the TPU tube. 🤓 Great comment! Thank you! Safe riding!
@@reginaldscot165 I live in Florida. There are few places on earth more humid than Florida in the summer. Contact cement is not like vulcanizing rubber cement that is found in patch kits. It works completely differently. Once the two surfaces to be bonded have completely dried, the contact cement will form an instant and permanent bond when the two surfaces are firmly pressed together. I'm not sure of the availability of contact cement in countries outside of the US but it is readily available here. The only time I had a patch fail was when I applied too thick of a coat and did not allow it to dry completely. If the cement is applied too thick, the outer surface will dry but the cement underneath will remain liquid and when the patch is applied it will not hold. As I said, this is not something you can do roadside but it does allow you to patch tubes once you get home and saves a ton of money. I actually run tire liners and have noticed zero effect on ride quality or rolling resistance but have cut my flats by about 500%. They won't stop screws, nails or tacks but most of the small bits of broken glass, flint or bits of steel belting from shredded car tires (i.e. stuff too small to see) will not puncture. You still need to inspect the tires, especially the rear, after each ride and remove any embedded bits because if left in too long, they will eventually work their way through. Hope that helps.
Great video, I also use ride now tubes and there are great but I have to say when I had a puncture with the butyl tube i was carrying a ride now tpu tube and changed the inner tube, as I was pumping the tpu with a mini pump by the side of the road the plastic stem of the ride now just sheered off, then i had find the hole in the butyl tube and patch it up to get me home, apart from that incident the tpu have been great.
You are the second person to say they broke the valves, I can’t snap mine even when i try so I’m wondering if A) someone is selling fake RideNow? B) they may have improved the design and you got the old stock? Hope this helps? Safe riding!
You're fortunate that you can get the TPU tube for such a low price. Here in Canada butyl is C$12, latex C$22 and TPU, depending on the brand, is $50. I think our pricing is pretty consistent with the US and Europe, so I don't know how you are getting a TPU tube so cheaply.
@@reginaldscot165 It would be interesting to test the durability against the name brand TPU tubes from Tubolito, Pirelli and Schwalbe. Or just to get your feedback on durability once you've ridden them for a reasonable amount of time.
Just to add my experience. I found myself having to repair a couple of new RideNow MTB tubes (black valve stems, red caps) that came with pinhole leaks when I received them last year. As you speculate @18:28, even a small dab of CLEAR (only the NON-foaming variety) Gorilla Glue spead thinly into a circle no bigger than about 1cm cures to a flexible, tough and permanent (thus far anyhow) repair for such VERY small leaks. The hardest part of a repair can be keeping track of the location of these nearly invisible leaks. @13:25 I have had poor results with "glueless" patches. They tend to "creep" and ultimately fail, most commonly from the heat of a tire sitting in the sun. I have not had any issues (and no punctures from use) with RideNow ROAD tubes or some newer RideNow MTB tubes (clear valve stems and caps) that appeared to be made much better than the first pair. No prexisting leaks and visibly better uniformity of the wall thickness.
It seems maybe TPUs do lose more slowly air after a puncture. This happened to me: I had Schwalbe Aerothan TPUs mated to my 32mm GP5000s. While riding, I ran over a thorn and the tire began losing air, though I didn't realize it. Then I crossed train tracks and felt the tire bottom out. Oops, I thought, it must be a pinch flat. Doing a roadside repair, I installed a Cyclami TPU tube. Five miles later it went flat again. This time I checked the tire and found the thorn. Fortunately, I had an extra Cyclami TPU tube, so I was able to fix it and finish the ride. When I got home I found that both tubes were punctured in the same place. Thinking back about it, it seems the loss of air was more gradual than usual. Or, it took a long time for the thorn to pierce the tube. Or both.
I have these tubes on my Brompton. I had converted my Brompton wheels to tubeless but glass cut throughout the tyre and wouldn’t heal. Where I live it seems that people are deliberately smashing glass on pavements and roads🤨. I use the ride now with a leather insert in the tyre (hack) which prevents punctures which weighs 78g and ridenow tube 22g=200g both tyres. My Brompton weighs 9.3 kilograms as a converted A line with all parts Titanium. With tyres slight rumbling @ 85psi.
I have been carrying a TPU tube as a spare and running Butyl tubes, but this video prompted me to try running TPU tubes. The Butly seems so primitive and bulky. I just ordered 2 TPU tubes (but Cyclami make since I want the metal inflation stems). Fun thing to try out. If I get a puncture then it seems that pumping up the tire may get one home.
@@reginaldscot165 I will carry patches and a spare tube. btw. I didn't realize that the ultra-light ones are only for disc brake rims (something to do with the temperature generated under heavy braking I think).
I do heavy rim braking on hill descents where I need to pulse the brakes so I have ordered the 38g ones for my mountain-route road bike, and will use the 26g tubes on the around town bike.
vittoria latex tubes are 10 bucks, and they come in the 25/28mm size. I ride latex for 5 years, and only once have I pinched a latex tube. Also, they can be repaired extremely easily. I had latex tubes in use with 5 patches, whereas TPU patches are extremely unreliable. In the meantime I also pinched a ridenow tube, which I use for my city bike.
Interesting I’ve never had an issue with TPU repair. It might be the difference in local climate. Where I am it’s impossible to get latex for less than $20. Yes the do come in many size, a lot of places were confused by my point, but what I was saying was the TPU tube fits everything from 23 all the way up to 28. The latex tubes are normally more size specific. 🙂👍🏻
omg so timely for me. i have 2 bikes, 3 wheelsets. june 11 to june 27, got THREE flats. all happened to be premium tires (well one flat on set of NEW gatorskins because i got tired of flatting...grrr). i do ride vittoria laytex as well on my faster wheels. note: i mistakenly got 700x23 laytek on 25 mm tires once. BANG. LOL. duh me. I use a tiny saddle bag and have now been cramming 2 BUTYL spares in it. I will order a bunch of these tubes (the "heavier" is fine for me lol). no way i will ride with one tube ever again. super impressed with your video, and i have subscribed, hit notification, and like. HUGE THANK YOU
I had those for a while waiting to be tested. As I will participate in a hill climb race this week end, I decided to try them. Previously i was using lightweight butyl tubes(70gr) but those ridenow are seriously smooth. I am more impress by the rolling resistance gain than the weight gain actually. I was flying in my local climb today and got my PR of this summer (super hot and humid here, TT times are completly different depending on the season, all cyclists here are even faster in winter than during summer!). Pretty impress regarding the performance of those tubes. Still a little worry of over heat during downhill with alluminum rims. Do you have any experience with those tube inside aluminium rims wheels during hot weather and severe downhill?
I have gotten a set of aluminium wheels with 36g TPU tubes to temperatures high enough to instantly and seriously burn your skin (if foolish enough to touch them, I could feel the intense heat before my hand made contact) with no failure. At that point a normal tube would also be in serious trouble. 😁
I've been using RideNow TPU tubes (36g version) for a while now. One time, I had to fix a puncture on the road. I almost finished inflating the new tube when the valve (I'm using the 45mm one, made of plastic) broke in two. My mini-pump has a hose, so I did not put any pressure on the valve. Fortunately, I had two spare tubes in my saddle bag so I was able to go back home, but I'm much less confident now. I'll look at the Cyclami tubes (the green ones) that have a metal valve next time I buy a set.
It's interesting noting the differences between where I live (New Mexico, USA) and your area. You say the vast majority there use tubes but here it's nearly the opposite, I'd say at least half or more serious cyclists here are using tubeless systems. Also nearly everyone here races and trains on 26-30mm tires. I own a little shop here and I can't remember the las time I sold a 23mm tire, I think we've given the rest of what we had away! Again, enjoy your content, it would be fun to spend a little time and enjoy a pint with you someday! Cheers!
good video - I use these as spares and use latex on my bikes - can get them for $10 in the US and I’ve had good success repairing punctures - agree they can be tricky to install without pinching - I’m tempted to try the tpu as regular
Never use a normal puncture repair kit. You can buy patches for TPU tubes which also include Isopropyl Alcohol wipes - These are needed to clean the TPU tube before applying a patch. Butyl puncture repair kits come with rubber solution glue. Doesn't work well with plastic.
@@reginaldscot165 The Ridenow TPU tubes arrived and went on a ride, with a bike recently ridden. WOW ! I could tell the difference . Rolling resistance, was improved. Tires were left aired to 75lbs, for 3 days, never dropped below 70lbs. Guess I'll convert the rest of my bikes. Thanks. KB
I think this is a great review and demonstration. Its made me decide to grab some after umming and ahhing about trying some as a potential interim step towards tubeless.
Compared to a heavy butyl tube the weight saving including spare tube is around 3x90g = 270g Related to a system weight of 70-90kg this is hardly a huge saving (0.3% - 0.38%). The saving of rotational energy when accelerating from 30km/h to 45km/h is a bit more complicate. Calculate the rot Energy at 30 and 45 for Butyl and TPU, then take the energy difference for both masses. Needs 4 calculations. (assuming DT Swiss RR 511 490g, Conti 5000 tires 200g, Butyl 120g, TPU 30g) (Note: the weight of the rim changes total energy, but not the difference between butyl and tpu) E = 1/2 * m * r^2 * w^2 Butyl wheel accelerating energy: E_rot_but_30 = 1/2 * (0.69+0.12) * 0.31^2 * (30000/3600/2*2*pi)^2 = 26Joule E_rot_but_45 = 1/2 * (0.69+0.12) * 0.31^2 * (45000/3600/2*2*pi)^2 = 59Joule E_accel_butyl = 33 Joule = 33Ws TPU accelerationg energy: E_rot_tpu_30 = 1/2 * (0.69+0.03) * 0.31^2 * (30000/3600/2*2*pi)^2 = 23Joule E_rot_tpu_45 = 1/2 * (0.69+0.03) * 0.31^2 * (45000/3600/2*2*pi)^2 = 53Joule E_accel_tpu = 30 Joule = 30Ws So the difference to accelerate one wheel is 3Joule or 3Ws or when you accelerate within 10 seconds for 2 wheels a difference of 0.6 Watt. Really an amazing saving /irony off It shows how perception can be fooled by imagination. Disclaimer: This does not include the difference of energy needed to change the form of the tube while rolling. And yes, we could have simplified, because the mass goes in as a linear term we could just have taken the percentage of rotating mass change (810g vs 720g) to get the percent of energy change but I wanted an absolute number in Watts ;)
Thanks for the detailled review. Can you tell us, which dealer you bought the tubes (and patches) from? There are too many dealers on AliExpress to choose from. Which you can trust is not that obvious … Much appreciated!
Yes me, a friend gave me my first set to try (he got them from a shop in Singapore) and I liked them so much I became the dealer for Brunei so now I just buy my own. 😅 Sorry it’s not much help. But if you don’t trust the Aliexpress seller read their reviews and don’t buy too many in your first order just in case. 🙂👍🏻
Finding a few issues with this. I have no issues patching latex. They do loose air. Bought cheap TPU tubes. They both had manufacturing faults. Going to try better brand next. I will flip between Latex and TPU for a while....
I'm still a little bit nervous as there's so many mixed reviews, however I put a 24g ridenow in the front yesterday and cycled 55 miles and it worked fine. I'm gonna put a 36g ridenow in the rear as you're much more likely to get snake bites and punctures in the rear.
Hope it was just a bad batch. But I had a bunch of those RideNow's fail along the edge of the reinforcement where the valve is glued in. That "suction cup" @7:33 . NOT the setup - rim hole is smooth, the rim tape is good, the valve dead square. NOT over pressurized. Not pinched. They just let go - on 4 different rims. Switched to the Continental Race 28 Supersonic BUTYL tubes. Light (28grams), supple, stretchy and don't let go. No longer using the RideNow's
Nice info. Before I was about 6K away from home when i had my puncture and had to take time to change the inner tube. if i was on TPU inner tube i could have reached home and change the tube if need to or just repair it.
I spotted a warning about not using TPU tubes on rim brake wheels due to concerns about heat build-up. I'm skeptical about whether warming up the air in a tube would create enough extra pressure to be a problem. But I figured I'd drop a comment to see if it's a real thing or an imaginary issue. Cheers
Well the ride now tubes 36g and 24g say safe for rim. They now make a 19g for disc only. But I used the 36g on a very steep fast decent a few weeks ago, my aluminium rims were burning 🔥 hot by the time I got to the bottom, like so hot you couldn’t touch them… and the tubes didn’t pop. Still using the same tubes a month later and opened them to check and no signs of any issues so far. 🙂👍🏻
@@reginaldscot165 Muchos gracias. I'll order a set and see how they go. BTW: Since TPU is supposed to stretch less than butyl or latest, do you have any advice on the best "size" for 35mm tyres? Should I get the 45g 700x32-47 version, or would the 36g 700x18-32C ones be fine? For an 11g difference, I'm inclined to play it safe and get the bigger tube. Cheers
I am impressed! However I dont see the low price and the low weight for me in Germany. Until now I only knew the Schwalbe aerothan tubes and there is hardly any other TPU tube around in Germany (OK tubolito). However they are ridiculously expensive in relation to the Schwalbe extralight tubes (20€ vs. 4,50€) and they weigh in at 60-80g so the weight penalty is just 30g over the extralight butyl tubes. Nonetheless I will follow the development and maybe one day i will find inexpensive and weight saving tpu tubes for my Cargo Bike with 50-406 and 47-559 sclaverand.
I have just ordered 4 pack from Ali express for £24, I will research for mtb 29er wheel as the swapping tyres for different ground conditions with tubeless is a messy and annoying affair
Thanks for putting so much effort into making this video. What would have been nice to see though is the mounting. I have in the back of my mind that one should be extremely careful, is that true? Might be wrong on this though. Tubeless road rider myself I am considering these for the upcoming season, even though I had almost no issues with tubeless on my rides (10.000 k roughly) as a rather light rider. But the installation process was a pain in the ar…
They are easier than latex to be honest. Just put a little air in them before you slide them in so you don’t pinch them. And check the bead before you pump.
I don't know where to buy, but I bought latex tubes from Vittoria for about 9 EUR (10 USD) each. So much cheaper than TPU tubes from commonly sold brands. But I was disappointed with the durability. Currently, I returned to butyl tubes, but the TPU tubes from China caught my attention. And I'm curious about the video against tubeless systems. I used tubeless tires on gravel and wouldn't change. The main disadvantage is the mess when changing tires, so for bikes where tires are often changed, inner tubes may be better. But if someone drives a lot, wears out the tires during the season and does not drive extra narrow tires inflated to extreme pressures, then the tubeless system brings benefits.
There's even a lighter version at 19g! I'm not sure I trust it, but I bought one to try out if I ever end up replacing the 36g version that's currently installed.
great video, theses are the way for everyday cyclists. tubeless on road is NOT Ideal unless you are on the pro peloton or riding every 2-3 days. i am a pro mech, and the hassles clients are having with tubeless are neverending... and the weight penaly is huge (tubeless tires are heavier(+30-40 gr) and you put at least 50ml of sealant). plus keep in mind you have to add new sealant every year because it dries so your tire gets heavier each time... That is a stupid fad that needs to die Tubeless is amazing for MTB and gravel. and thats it.
One thing they don't mention with TPU tubes is that they dont fold up nicely. Learnt this the hard way after trying to fold one up after having to replace the valve core on it (malfunctioned after 1 week of installation, accelerated air loss over time, 3 weeks after than it just goes flat overnight) 😂 Now it occupies 1/2 the space of a Butyl rather than 1/3, but still TPU over Butyl anytime, any day Moved onto Cyclami ones tho, ones with metal valve stems. I wanna steer away from plastic stems as much as I can.
They don’t fold down perfectly after use that’s true. But with a little patience and skill you can get them almost back to original size. Perhaps it’s possible to suck them down to size further with a vacuum of some kind?
yes these tube are indeed gave a great result for weight wennies,racing or any tube wheel roadbikes but i got punctured once after using sometimes about 1k milliage covered,but now i using normal maxis tube now cause i dont know why just i feeling insecured sometimes cause it too good to the true😅
In the last part of your video, the puncture test is a bit flawed. You're trying puncture through two layers of material. You should have cut open the tube lengthwise and done the test with only one layer. Finally, thanks for introducing us to TPU tubes. I'd not been aware of them previously. I'm not yet on board with tubeless tires. I abhor the thought of dealing with sealants and all the cleanup. That seems insane to me, especially if we wax our chains to minimize the mess of grimy chains, only to create another messy situation.
You are correct it might have been better to cut them again. 👍🏻 However the results would probably have been the same with regards to the ranking? 🤔 You are welcome, I’m glad it was helpful. Yes I feel the same way about tubeless. 😁
I don't think the double layer is the issue, but the distance and the tension between the fingers (or whatever hold the tube) is really an issue here. These should be the same in every test, and they are not...
Great vid explaining the difference in tubes. Do you consider the difference in weight between a TPU and a Latex tube makes up for the difference in the rolling resistance which is the best advantage the latex tube offers?
Honest opinion: i have to be careful when fitting though i run 25's (mm) and its 'cute' the fit, i've also had probs with the valves, the tops can come out so i glue them back in but youve got to be very wary on that and not the valve that moves (presta), lastly I've found they stretch when they're in the tyre how i don't know 🤦♂️ the diameter expands. On the whole i found them great basically, they definitely lighten the ride if you've light wheels then it's a grade A benefit re roll weight/resistance..but alot than only 2 or 3 buy 10 to get the AliE benefit 👍
If the TPU tubes were as heavy as butyl tubes, then obviously they would be thicker. And thicker would be stronger and more puncture resistant. I'll have a pair of tough tubes please, I'm not worried about the weight. Thank you kindly.
I use latex and pay currently £7 per tube for Vitoria, which I appreciate is a good price, They’re generally about £10 elsewhere. I have a tpu as a back up but haven’t used it yet
Having had them for about 4 months now it’s been hit and miss, had about 6 with some having unexplainable slow leaks from new but others holding strong for ages. Thinking of going tubeless next time and using my remaining one as a spare given how small it is
If the tubes have an issue I’d try to get a refund. If you bought them in a shop there should be a warranty. Oh and put them in a bucket of water to find the leak!
@@reginaldscot165 yahbsolutely, and always do the bucket test BEFORE it goes out into the wild...you dont want to be caught out with a dodgy tube mid-ride!!
@@reginaldscot165i bought mine from Ztto shop on Amazon and they only accept unused returns. I neglected to read the return policy. One of my tubes leaked on first ride. No puncture in tire and no pinch flat. Just developed small hole somehow.
Over many years I've had a lot of punctures, and I've never had a patch come off a normal inner tube, nor have I had a single one go down. Also on a normal patch, give it 3 or 4 minutes to dry and you can go straight away. This one, they say 30 minutes, but have you tried just going straight away? That being said, I do like the look of these.
Yes I did actually, I only waited 1 minute longer before putting it back in once and it was fine, the others I hug up to dry for longer. Both worked. 🙂
I would like to see a more realistic puncture test with the tube fully inflated in the tire. I am concerned about TPU tubes deflating instantly when punctured, which may result in dangerous situations.
If you remember in the video in my experience quite the opposite happens. They deflate very slowly. I have had 4 flats now and they have all acted in the same way. The test showed the difference in penetration of the material, using tyre would not have improved the Test, it would have just made everything more difficult. Also if they need to be inflated every time I’d have had to use a fresh tube or repaired it every time. 😅 Good comment! 👍🏻🙂
As for the exploding tubeless tire, I would suggest that that was due to incompatible components, inexperienced mechanic, or both. I guarantee there are many more instances of exploding tubed tires in shops than tubeless, and again the cause is inexperienced mechanics. I've done myself enough times (with tubes- not paying attention) and witnessed it more times than I care to count.
It doesn't have that reputation around here. I've worked with tubeless tires daily for years and have never exploded one nor have I ever witnessed one explode. I have witnessed several tubed tires exploding during that time though. @@reginaldscot165
Also tubeless ties tend to fit the rim much tighter that non-tubeless versions. I suspect many problems are due to people trying to install tubeless tires on non-tubeless compatible rims.@@reginaldscot165
Just brought the RIDENOW 19gram ultra light version with the new clear stem...ive heard that the newer clear stem is better made vs the previous black stem versions..they are excellent..less rolling resistance and my bike feels alot faster..
They come with a sticker that slides over the top that holds them in place. Personally I hate threaded valves because they ruin my pump seal every time I push it on. You can also try a small O ring from a hardware store, I got a box of them for like $1 🙂👍🏻
Another well done video. You make a very compelling argument for RideNow TPUs! I was all prepared to purchase some from Amazon but saw too many bad reviews. I know that dissatisfied customers are much more likely to post a review, skewing the results negative. My question to you: haven't you experienced more flats, especially on a frequency percentage basis (e.g. flats per 1000K or flats per month) with these TPUs than when you were using butyl or latex?
It’s depends: the biggest problem is I have been running GP5000s that have side walls made of wet tissue paper. I have a bad habit of abusing my tyres and riding on gravel and that has caused a number of flats. However, if I stick to the highway and the normal roads it’s basically the same as when I ran standard tubes. (Latex was slightly better.) so I will be changing my tyres to 4 seasons so I get better flat proofing and side wall protection. On the plus side the flats are so easy to fix and they go down so slowly that it’s not much hassle to be honest when I do get a flat. Thank you and safe riding!
@@reginaldscot165 Thanks for the reply! I too had problems with Continentals and can highly recommend Michelin Power Protection+, and haven't had a flat in 3 years, but they are heavier, which is why saving 100g per wheel by switching to the 24g RideNows was so appealing. Oh well, I'll try the RideNows and will report back here if you're interested. :) P.S. For what it's worth, buyers on Amazon are saying there have been quality control problems with the black valves that have since been corrected, reportedly, with clear valves.
I know you are just saying but I don’t follow what the issue is? The experiment is to show what material is most difficult to penetrate, 1 or 2 layers makes no difference to the results of the test? 🤔
Cool Video but the problems with latex is legit skill issue. Not pinching it is easy if you pay attention, repair works exactly the same as bytal tybes, same patches same method, how is it harder??? They are light, definetely faster than all other inner tubes and have a nice ride quality. Latex is best if you just pump up before every ride which I do anyway because I always want to make sure I have perfect psi. Latex is superior product for neglegable amount of added costs.
@@reginaldscot165 I don't get how you pop them? as the latex tube is deflated inside just go around the tire pushing both sides to one edge and look if the tube is between both sides of the tire all around and you can safely inflate. Takes 10 sec to check it and you can't magically pop it
You've convinced me to switch to TPU. Can I ask when would you use the Butyl repair patches? The only advantage seemed to be speed. I'd want to use the official patches whenever possible.
Basically the self adhesive style ones can be used for speed yes, so quick fix out on the road and they will get you home no problem. (In the unlikely event you run out of extra tubes?) Also, they peel off easily with no issues to the TPU tube. Then use the RideNow kit for a permanent fix. 👍🏻🙂
Michelin A1 butyl tube weighs 99 grams and costs around $5 with a METAL vs flimsy plastic valve stem. Butyl is easily repairable and holds air well. The ONLY advantage I can see here is the smaller space TPU takes up in your spares kit. You could carry two in the place of 1 butyl...but then if/when you flat you're stuck with putting in the fragile TPU tube and hoping for the best. That might be great for the poor soul you rescue on the road who needs a tube...any tube, but I'll stay with something that's been reliable for decades, thank you.
Ok so it’s not just the size as an advantage. The main advantage is weight as shown. 24g/36g Vs your 90g tubes. That’s a significant amount if you put 2 in your wheels and 1 in your pocket. 🙂 Did you also overlook the benefits of less rolling resistance? As for fixing I find them much easier to fix than standard tubes, especially here in Asia because of the high humidity. Finally they certainly aren’t “fragile.” They do get flats, but that’s the same as normal tubes. 😁
Not necessary in this test. I was simply comparing the durability of the material against each tube. So the test just has to be the same for all tubes. Also if I inflated them I’d have to repair the tube each time? 🙂
I would need new inner tubes each time. Or to repair them each time. It would cost significantly more and the results would be similar. 🙂 But I understand the suggestion. 👍🏻
