just installed this on the rear tire after a flat, and road 16 miles. I ride 28 mm wide tires that don't tend to flat much (knock on wood) so I'm eager to see how resistant the TPU tubes are to punctures and such. will update in a few months after riding a few hundred miles.
Installation wasn't much different than a traditional tube, although I found I needed to inflate a bit more than the recommendation loading pressure in order to get the tub to sit properly in the inside of the tire.
One minor annoyance - the tube doesn't come out of the box in the next roll as pictured; instead it's wrapped around a useless piece of cardstock, which means if you plan to keep in your saddle bag you'll want to unwrap it, recycle the paper and then re-wrap.
I'm not sold on tubeless for road bikes. I still remember the mess and hassle of tubulars and I'm not anxious to relive that.
These TPU tubes seem like a good way to lose a little weight in my wheels. I ride heavier all-season 32c tires. I think I've had a flat on only one of these over the years. It's unclear whether you can patch them. I've read in one place where you're not supposed to, but I think on the tubes themselves it says to use only patches designed for TPU.
I just wish they didn't cost so much.
I installed this tube after puncturing the butyl tube in my road bike. No problems with installation.
At that point, I had the new thermoplastic tube in one wheel and a butyl rubber tube in the other wheel.
After 130 miles, I got punctures in both my front and rear wheels. This was clearly a pinch flat in both cases. I did not see a pot hole and hit it hard with both wheels. Both tires flatted. Given the fact that both tires flatted, one with the thermoplastic tube and one with a butyl rubber tube, it does not seem fair to blame either puncture on either tube.
I replaced the thermoplastic tube with another thermoplastic tube and I replaced the butyl rubber tube with another butyl rubber tube. I have ridden 1700 miles since with no flats in either.
So, to date, with small sample size, I have seen no difference in durability of the thermoplastic tube versus a butyl rubber tube.
As for price, obviously, the thermoplastic tubes are much more expensive. Friends have told me an inner tube is not worth that much money no matter what it is made of. I have a slightly different perspective on that. Bicyclists are typically very willing to pay lots of money to reduce the weight of their bike by buying more expensive frames, wheels, components, pedals, etc. I typically have 4 inner tubes on my bike when I ride. Two tubes are in the tires and two spare tubes are in my saddle bag. These thermoplastic tubes are about 100 grams lighter than butyl rubber tubes. For 4 tubes, I can reduce the weight of my bike by 400 grams, or more than three-fourths of a pound. You could spend a lot more money on bicycle parts and not save three-fourths of a pound. So, with regard to reduce weight, I find these tubes to be of good value.
In conclusion, I found these thermoplastic inner tubes to be lighter, as advertised. For that reason, I will continue to use them unless I find them to be less durable in the long term. To date, I have found them to be as durable a butyl inner tubes.
Valves are weak, leak & break. Needs improvement.
I run road tubeless with great luck for several years now. I carry these for for when the tire won't seal after a larger injury and twice now these have got me home no problem. They are much easier to stuff into a tubeless tire than the beefier butyl tubes and in certain wheels it's downright impossible. Patching them on the go is not ideal as it takes 30 min for the special patches to cure and I've read that they are tricky to patch, but I haven't tried myself. Anyway they are light, roll nicely and are occasionally on sale.
I'm getting great flat-free mileage from these tubes. I installed them on my road bike in mid-August of 2021 and got my first flat in November 2023. I got roughly 5,300 out of the tube on the front wheel, and I'm still riding on the rear wheel tube (currently about 5,500 miles).
If I'm remembering correctly, my first tires were Conti 5000 30cm. Those were replaced about 4,400 miles ago with Conti Gatorskin 32cm tires. I weigh about 170 pounds and inflate my tires to 70 pounds. I'm riding a combination of decent roads in the desert, and OK roads in the Midwest. Basically I have a thorn season, and a flint season.
A thorn was the end of this tube. I'd give this product a 5 for both ratings if they were repairable, but sadly the tubes are clearly marked "do not repair", and since I'm riding some high speed descents I won't risk patching them.
I'm just not interested in the mess of tubeless, so I appreciate that these trim a few rotating ounces and make Gatorskins an acceptable tire. I value durability -- the slowest rider is the one fixing a flat on the side of the road.
I've been riding these all year on a set of Rene Herse extralight 32mm tires..and have yet to have a flat. They are easy to install, and despite what someone said in a previous review...they are not slower. I have seen no performance difference between these and other tubes.
These are great and so far have been flawless. I have also used the wider Pirelli TPU tube on my gravel bike for wider tires, and those as well have not had a flat yet. Definitely recommend...but my experience is my own, but after 2000 miles and not a single flat, that's as good as it gets for me.
Expensive but in my mind worth it. Seriously lightweight, easier to put on because of the yellow visibility. I had a flat on first ride but only because of a shard of glass that went straight through my tire -- no tube would've survived it. I patched it using a TPU patch kit from Tubolito (side note: chose these over tubolito because heard bad things about tubolito stems failing. No issues with the SmartTube). Since then, I've ridden a few hundred miles on these. I feel the ride quality/rolling resistance is felt better than old butyl tubes -- I haven't ridden latex tubes so can't compare. But I think they hold air better between rides than even butyl...I have to top up the pressure less often.
I use these on my road bike it has mavic syrium wheels i commut with it whether weather is good do fast road rides with groups these tubes are light good quality i only use good quality tubes i do not see an advantage to cheap tubes i well get more of these as needed
I have been reluctant to try road tubeless as it's a bit of a hassle to get set up, whereas tubes are inexpensive and require no special equipment.
But, as one to always try to eek out a small performance benefit, I wanted to see if I could approach the watt savings of road tubeless without having to pump up daily like w/latex and save a few grams while doing so too.
However, these tubes are slower and (significantly) more expensive than Conti Race Lights in my testing although they do weigh less. So, going back to the ~$9 tube that's easier to patch and a smidge faster.
These tubes are very light and compact. I use them as spares in my seat bag. However, these tubes and all of the current thermoplastic tubes appear to work harden over time and are easily flatted. I've also noticed that when they flat they can actually explode and rip the tire as well. I've never tried to repair one use the patch kits. I can buy two latex tubes for the price of one of these so that's the way I've gone.
I bought this to replace a similar product from Schwalbe. The Schwalbe tube also performs well, but I nicked one of them when rotating tires and eventually a leak formed. I decided to give the Pirelli product a try.
The ride is similarly great, and the Pirelli tube seems a little smaller which is good when you're trying to avoid pinching it while installing the tire.
Credit Pirelli with being honest regarding serviceability of these tubes. They come right out and tell you that the tube cannot be repaired if you experience a puncture. Schwalbe tells you that you need to use their patch kit, but I have never been able to locate it online or in a LBS. Two attempts to fix my Schwalbe tube with what I believe is a similar and maybe identical Park patch kit were futile. The patches would not adhere to the tube.
But if you're careful with installations/rotations, I think you can get a lot of miles out of these. I currently have about 4500 miles on my Schwalbe tube with no issues of any kind.
I air up and hang. 30 psi. After a month hanging. To make sure they good. Many goose eggs grow. One even blew out. It's not made right. I true tube would air up even. For that much money. Also around stem. Tubes have a dead spot. Won't air up round like tubes do.
these tubes are light the valve is durable enough
Was hoping this lightweight tube would also be durable enough for everyday rides, but no...2 flats in a couple of weeks. They do hold air longer, are lighter, but too flimsy.
I use this as a backup tube. It's *really* small and light. I've used one for a few miles after a flat and it seemed to do fine. I don't run these as regular tubes - I'm partial to latex - as they seem like an expensive habit.
I got these to help drop some weight in my wheels. Their weight is accurate. Yes, they are expensive but most lightweight bike gear is. They were easy to set up with Pirelli Pzero 28mm tires. I dont ride pristine roads but nor are they covered in debris. No flats yet but time will tell
Nothing really to say, which is a good thing. No issues with install. No flats yet with GP5000. So pretty good for a light weight tube! Big plus is that air doesn't leak down like latex. Recommended.
I got them from my kids for Christmas. I had two flats within the first week and now I have to throw away these expensive tubes because they cannot be patched.
Absolutely not worth the 30+ dollars per tube. Regular butyl tubes will work just fine and you can buy three for that money.
This is the best way to shed weight without the maintenance of tubeless. Size and weight are awesome. Been riding for months with no issues/flats and they hold air longer that butyl. Highly recommended, it’s a no brainer, reducing rotational mass, especially if you run 25mm tires or larger!
