TPU tubes any good as spares ?

Tubolito, Schwalbe Aerothan, WTB NanoAir. They’re about 80-100g and much more compact than a normal tube. Need special patches and cost about £30.

But can you rely on them as a spare? Or would I just be buying a company I can damn while I do the long walk out and write an angry email to when I get home.

I’ve seen lots of reports of them splitting in storage, or bursting immediately from embedded thorns in the tyre or very soon after installation. But also people saying they’re fine.

Currently I run Rimpact originals which I believe you can ride out on if you’re careful and the terrain isn’t too chunky, but based on doing that for a few hundred meters I don’t think it’d be an enjoyable ride – if you’re 10k into a 40k loop you’d turn back. I do carry bacon strips which have worked every time although once was very close with about 4 plugs used and it still wasn’t quite holding.

Thinking of this now as I have some big days planned, and also don’t have an insert in the front now as I couldn’t fit my Kryptotal Enduro with it in. Feels unprepared to go out just relying on repair plugs, and it’d be a shame to always take a rucksack instead of the hip pack just to have room for a tube (bike is a medium FS so absolutely no space on the frame without getting in the way of one thing or the other).

Before I got inserts a few years ago, I carried a Maxxis Welterweight tube which was just under 200g but still some bulk to it. Is that still the best option if you want a fallback option to repair plugs that would actually work when called upon?

I’ve got a Ride Now tube in my pump track bike, it loses air faster than a normal tube but we’re talking days not hours so would be fine as a spare. They’re a lot cheaper than Tubolito or the other big brands.

I’ve Got ride now TPU in my road bike, seems to roll/ride better and definitely weight less, the two in my spares kit take up less space than a single butyl tube, but I’ve not been trusting enough to leave the butyl spare behind yet.

I’ve not seen the losses others talk about, some interweb speculation is that this smis due to valves (glued into plastic stems), others believe they ‘just leak through the walls like latex’ personally I’m not sure, maybe I’ve just been lucky so far.

But I’ve been treating them gently they’ve done maybe 400ish mostly dry miles, if they get through the summer incident free I’ll begin to be impressed…

Oh and you can’t use CO2 with them apparently, which could well be a deal breaker for many people.

My experience with Tubolito has not been good. They were not as durable as promised, had two break when re-inflating them – very carefully. Broke from the stem. Also there are lots of comments about the valve leaking, because the stem is plastic – they leak from between the valve and stem.

This old Reddit thread – https://www.reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/ptcek2/what_are_your_thoughts_on_tubolito_they_seem_like/

“I work at a bike shop. We sell these.

The material is indestructible, but since the TPU/Nylon is smooth, the tube slides around the tire while you pedal. The valve does not. This kills the tube.”

Rene Herse sells a different type to Tubolito, and they claim that they have solved the leaking stem/valve –

Rene Herse Introduces TPU Tubes

“TPU tubes have been tempting for a while. TPU stands for thermoplastic polyurethane, a material that is far stronger than butyl, the black rubber traditionally used for tubes. That makes TPU an ideal material for bicycle tubes—at least in theory. In practice, early TPU tubes sometimes shredded themselves when riding on rough gravel. And many TPU tubes suffered from mysterious leaks.” – probably from the tubes moving around, as said in the Reddit thread?

“What about the fragility and air leakage? The air leakage was easy to figure out: The valve stems of most TPU tubes are made from plastic, and they deform when the (metal) valve core is screwed in. Then the tube leaks, not because the material is porous, but because the valve doesn’t seal. We decided to use a patented technology to create all-metal valves. In our testing, they don’t leak any more than butyl tubes—we only have to inflate our tires every couple of weeks.”

These look better to me, and I would be willing to try them…I mostly run tubeless, but I still carry regular inner tubes as spares, at least on longer rides.

I took a Tubolito as a spare last bikepacking trip mainly because of the space saving over a normal 650b tube. The one I got is supposed to fit 700c as well..

I didn’t need to use it, but for normal Sunday rides where space isn’t such an issue I still take a normal one. Not sure how much I trust it.

I have a Tubolito and it has got me home when a cracked rim refused to seal (duh!). There do seem to be mixed messages on the cheap Aliexpress ones though – I have a couple of those on road but haven’t needed them yet.

I found Ridenow tubes to be shit. All three I’ve tried have each, at some point, catastrophically decided to stop holding air with no puncture hole I can ascertain (and I’m not totally inept at such things).

My experience chimes with this review; Just Take Me Home: Reviewing $8 RideNow TPU Inner Tubes Versus $35 Tubolitos – Travis Engel | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

(sorry – STW’s latest quirk is not letting me post URLs. But sesarch “tubolito vs ridenow radavist”)

I’ve heard that if you’re using them as a spare, it’s a bit of a one-shot deal, as they won’t ever go back down to anything approximating pre-inflation size?

Rode a week in Mallorca on training camp carrying a Tubolito in the seat pack. Never needed it. On that basis, I’d say they are great as a means of warding off the P-fairy :D . Seriously, a club mate had a double puncture with two of these and it was a disaster fixing them up.

Is it just me, or do others think they look like the guts have fallen out of the wheel when you replace them?

My son has had Tubolitos in his BMX for a couple of years. Generally they’ve been great, he notices the lack of rotational mass which means more air. Recently one of them starting leaking and I couldn’t find the hole, his tubes have long schrader valves which are a weird two piece set up. I suspect they’re leaking from the join in the valve stem.

I’m a bit nervous about having exotic tubes as spares – I might carry one TPU tube if I’m carrying several spares (or if I’m not going too far), but generally if I need to use a spare, there’s a non-zero chance I’ve done something catastrophic to the tyre/rim – and I like my odds more with a butyl tube.

I was thinking about trying the BMX ones as they’d have a much easier life ripping around pump tracks than stuffed in a bag waiting to come and out and ruin an MTB ride.

They’re pricey but it’s an easy weight saving on a chunky bike.

The problem is that build quality seems to be inconsistent and even when they work perfectly, they soon won’t. I can’t be bothered with the uncertainty.

Not quite as small or light, but there are always actual latex tubes or Continental Supersonic tubes (same weight as latex) and Michelin’s equivalent which split the difference. And in terms of packing size it’s smaller than most multitools.  In 700C tubes it’s about:

TPU 35g

Supersonic 55g

Michelin 75g

Generic branded tube  100g

The supersonics leak over a week or so, and are a nightmare for the valve splitting from the tube if you use a hand pump without a hose. But they’ll get you back to the car if you’re careful.

Rimpact originals which I believe you can ride out on if you’re careful and the terrain isn’t too chunky,

I’ve ridden my gravel bike with foam backing rods in the tyre. It was OK for limping home.  Doesn’t stop the ride being ruined, but will save you from having to call a taxi.

I just keep a full sized tube strapped to my bike though. I’ve binned more that have perished than actually had to use though! So any reports of TPU perishing are a n even bigger red flag unless they happened to be the same price in a shop.

I have ride now tubes in my best road bike, not done many km yet, say 200km. No issue, hold air. Bought some more to use as gravel bike spares.

I’ve got a Ride Now tube in my pump track bike, it loses air faster than a normal tube but we’re talking days not hours so would be fine as a spare. They’re a lot cheaper than Tubolito or the other big brands.

Tbh after the initial balk at the price, I’d go for whichever you can count on when needed.

Oh and you can’t use CO2 with them apparently, which could well be a deal breaker for many people.

Tubolito says you can but it’ll escape quicker. So not a concern for using as a spare.

(sorry – STW’s latest quirk is not letting me post URLs. But sesarch “tubolito vs ridenow radavist”)

https://theradavist.com/ridenow-versus-tubolito-tpu-bicycle-inner-tube-review/

In 700C tubes it’s about:

TPU 35g

Supersonic 55g

Michelin 75g

Generic branded tube  100g

Looking at MTB 29er TPU ones, I’d be inclined to go for the heaviest as it might suggest durability:

• RideNow 56g
• RideNow Ebike 78g
• WTB NanoAir 80g
• Tubolito 83g
• Schwalbe Aerothan 87g
• Pirelli Scorpion SmarTUBE 100g

Doesn’t stop the ride being ruined, but will save you from having to call a taxi.

Yep, saves the walk, but doesn’t save the ride or your day out.

I’ve been given a few different brands to try from shops and friends in the industry and all have flatted when fitted and ridden as normal. I don’t think a single one lasted a full days riding and who wants to gently nurse a delicate tube around when you want to have fun? I’d rather just carry a regular 200g tube and know that if I put 30psi in it I should be able to continue hammering my bike the same as I would if it was tubeless.

My experience so far. Fitted 2 Ridenow (AliExpress) to my nice road wheels, inflated them and they were ok, left them until the weather improves. Not ridden them yet, tried to inflate this evening and now both are leaking from the valve/tube interface. Going back to ordinary tubes I think.

correction, not round the valves but 2 holes in the tube

I’ve only tried Ridenow tubes on road and MTB and they’ve all punctured on first rides(I could find and repair them). They seem very delicate to me, so if I had to fit mid ride I would ride very carefully to get home.

On my NP Scout I ran some Schwalbe Supermoto Xs for a while (non-tubeless so need tubes). I used Ride Now TPUs for about a month with no problems at all. I changed tyres back to tubeless so the TPUs are now just in the spares box to be carried as backups for long MTB/gravel rides.

I had problems with Tubolito not holding air when fitted in an emergency.

Experiences seem to be overwhelmingly bad with this. Every site that has customer reviews, pretty much every review is 1-2 stars.

Found some threads here

• https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/lightweight-spare-inner-tubes/
• https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/whats-your-experience-of-tubolito-or-similar/
• https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tubolito-a-word-of-caution/

Before I got inserts a few years ago, I carried a Maxxis Welterweight tube which was just under 200g

Back in my bag now. 27.5 tube, 225g.

Tempted to try this https://76projects.com/collections/mtb/products/micro-piggy

For the most part , I’ve been happy with RideNow tubes as primary tubes – but once they puncture, I’ve found they’re not worth patching – always seem to be multiple holes. I did melt one on a long hot descent (but rim brakes and 20″ wheels, probably very unlikely in the real world).

(but rim brakes and 20″ wheels, probably very unlikely in the real world).Are you 12 and living in France? Just why? :)

Anyway, I use them on road bike, Ridenow, as fitted tubes, I carry 2 x butyl spares in spares bottle. on the bike conti 5000s, and they are faster rolling than standard tubes, mate has exactly same bike and contis, but butyl tubes. He has to pedal to keep up on a descent when I freewheel.

I’m still not confident enough to use them as spares as I could be 50 miles or more from home/car and apparently they are hard to patch. (Although I have two on the table ready to use, just need to go for it!)

Problem I found was pumping up a presta valve tube, ramming on trackpump hose, pushing valve into wheel, and causing failure at valve/tube join. Cured by using a schrader /presta tip attachment. (also useful for garage air lines)

OK, so now I’m worried about the tubolito that’s been straped to my bike for 18 months waiting for an emergency! 🙃

Might have to go back to 24″ standard tubes. Light(ish) weight and easily stretch to a 27.5 or 29er size.

I have RideNow TPU tubes in one of my road bikes (the one that can only fit 23mm tyres). No problems with leaking air over a few thousand km so far, and I do like the rolling feel. I’ve had one puncture from glass and was able to repair the tube at home with the included stick-on patch.
However I’m still nervous about using TPU as a spare since they are clearly fragile. Fitting one at home in the warm is fine but the chances of damaging the tube fitting it with cold/wet hands at the side of the road gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I can’t believe that you can’t strap a (proper) tube somewhere to your bike, no matter how dinky it is.

And FWIW I’ve never relied on just plugs, even though I’ve been tubeless on the MTB for nearly 20 years and haven’t had to put a tube in for years – and even when I did, it was a once a year occasion.

I can’t believe that you can’t strap a (proper) tube somewhere to your bike, no matter how dinky it is.

Should just about be able to put it in the front half of the triangle, folded to be long and thin.

https://www.tpubiketubes.com/?gad_source=1

I bought some of those after my Ride Now tubes  punctured in the first 5 miles. They seem to be stronger and hold air well. Time will tell though…

I can’t believe that you can’t strap a (proper) tube somewhere to your bike, no matter how dinky it is.

For me the point is I can strap two TPU tubes in the same space a single equivalent butyl tube would fit.

Interesting that I seem to have had positive experiences so far with Ride now tubes where others quickly found them disastrous, maybe I just got some from a good batch? Or perhaps a road bike is a better application for them rather than off-road use?

TPU is a tougher material, even when much thinner but I think making a valve stem work is a challenge. Mine still make me nervous with what is essentially just a metal valve screwed/glued(?) into a small plastic tube…

I’ve ride now in my road bike for about 9 months now.

first one punctured after first ride, replaced with same and been great since, hold air better than butyl, ie less need to top up!

I use TPU tubes as spares on my MTB. I probably wouldn’t carry two normal spares due to the size and weight but I can carry two TPU tubes in less space and weight than one butyl tube.

The LBS was selling Pirelli smart tubes for $10, so I grabbed one for the bumbag.
Only used it once for a puncture that was too big to plug & it did the job well. I was going to take it easy on the way home, but I forgot it was there & rode as normal.
Back in the bumbag for another day.

first one punctured after first ride, replaced with same and been great since, hold air better than butyl, ie less need to top up!

Can you/did you repair, or bin?

I fitted two RideNow tubes to my Mrs posh bike.

Both flat and won’t pump up before she’s even ridden it!

Doesn’t bode well. Can’t decide if I should fit the spares or go back to butyl.

The idea was fast rolling with minimum faff in case of repair, hence avoiding tubeless for her.

So why are people still buying these for use as MTB spares?

Sure, reviews and forum feedback of anything will have negative experiences over-represented, but I can’t think of anything as bad as these. I can only assume people are satisfied by the false security.

Only used it once for a puncture that was too big to plug & it did the job well. I was going to take it easy on the way home, but I forgot it was there & rode as normal.

They’re the heaviest of the bunch they’re what my bet would go on.

To balance out the argument I bought a pair of cheap TPU tubes from Amazon for the road bike  (purple ones – about £7.00 each, so similar to the price of a butyl tube) and they’ve been a god-damn revelation. After seeing feedback here about their fragility I took care fitting and pumping up. Since installation though they’ve held air as well as anyone could hope and the reduction in rolling resistance is night-and-day. It honestly feels like I’m cheating.

I read this thread and my heart sank as I’d just had four Ride Now TPU tubes arrive from Aliexpress two weeks ago to use as spares.

However, I got a puncture yesterday that was a big 1.5cm slit in the sidewall of the tyre. The tube had survived being stored in my downtube for 100 miles off road in a plastic sandwich bag just fine, pumped up fine and has held air nicely despite using a pump without a hose. I used the sandwich bag to shore up the split, but I had only put the tube in there because I’d heard how delicate they are.