Obviously a little pricy, but they do seem to last longer than standard tubes. A great way to save on rolling resistance and weight!
Been running Latex for racing/training since I can remember, great feel, fast, light, etc. Switched to the competition, to shed a few grams and have a more compact spare, let's call them "Orange" and was happy until I realized their fatal flaw, the stem.
Touch it with anything, add extenders for deep carbon rims, change the valve for any reason, and bammm instant failure, leak, crack, non-seal. These Aerothan's are waaaaaay different. The stem is actually the focus, and works 100% so far in my usage. Just as light, just as good, with far better engineering.
I'm a fan of the Schwalbe Aerothan.
These tubes are lighter than latex and much lighter than butyl.
Installation was no problem and each size covers a useful range of tire sizes.
They retain air better than latex but not as well as standard butyl. Mine lose about 10% per week.
I've had 2 flats, both were slow leaks from tiny holes. I couldn't find Schwalbe patches but was able to repair the tubes with Park glueless patches. I cleaned the hole area thoroughly then pressed the patch on by rolling a socket wrench over it with lots of force. They hold air as well as unpatched tubes.
I like these better than Tubolito. Mostly I've had problems getting patches to hold on Tubolito. Also the Aerothan seem lighter and more flexible (and I don't have to look at orange valve stems).
I wish I could LOVE these, and I do. I wish I could say they're perfect, but no. The valve stems are strange and, I believe, leaky. I've purchased a number of these tubes and have replaced Schwalbe's valve cores with standard ones I've saved over the years and that has cured some air leakage issues.
I'd love for these to be a great spare carry tube for my various tubeless setups, but they warn not to use these tubes in tires where tubeless sealant has been used. I think I get why because I've tried it despite their warnings. Tubeless sealants have glitter-type junk that helps clog a puncture and aid sealing, but that glitter-type junk is large enough and has sharp-enough edges to put tiny punctures in these extremely thin tubes.
When I've used these tubes in brand new tires they've been amazing! Minimal air loss over time. Extremely light and they seem to be durable. You just can't use them as backup for a tubeless setup where sealant has been involved (which they quite clearly warn you about up front). And the valve stems/cores seem a bit sketchy. These are my knocks on them. Otherwise, they're fantastic. They're extremely light and seem to roll every bit as well as latex or tubeless.
Put these on my gravel bike and road bike. Certainly different and rather pricey, but so far so good. Hold air better than latex so no need to air everyday. Ride very supple, closer to latex than butyl. Nice rotational mass saving on gravel bike (700x35 tires), didn't notice much on road bike (700x25) but was running latex already. No punctures, so that's good, but didn't expect any since the backroads here are decent and most of the flats I get and see during club rides are from tube failures or worn out tires and maybe the occasional pinch flat at RRXing, so cannot comment on repair. Overall nice product and happy with purchase.
I ride 125 to 150 miles a week of mostly dry and hilly roads, mostly on a 2021 Roubaix Expert with alloy wheels. I'm one of those people that is highly skeptical when reviewers use subjective words like "supple" when rating tires or tubes. I bought these in the hopes of reducing flats and having more consistent air pressure, so I was surprised when I felt like they actually make a difference in ride quality. Supple may be the right word -- it does feel like a smoother ride.
This may seem like a steep price to pay, but if they really do provide better flat protection then that means I'll buy fewer tubes. Also, at least for now I feel like I can put off my planned upgrade to carbon wheels. If you're on the fence, I think they're worth a try. You've probably spent more money on dumber products.
I started using Aerothan tubes a few months ago. While I am not doing roll down tests or otherwise testing to accurately measure rolling resistance, I feel very fast with these tubes and a high performance, low rolling resistance tire. The tubes are easy to install and very strong. I finally managed to develop a slow leak in one, by hitting a pothole so hard it would have pinch flatted any other tube. I just ordered two more...
I am now using these in my light weight climbing road bike wheels, my fast carbon aero wheels, and my winter training wheels... the tubes are very light, very low rolling resistance and very durable, so an optimum choice for each of those uses. I am an ex amateur racer and still doing group rides with younger, fitter, faster racers, so need all the help I can get.
I'm using Aerothan tubes in both 25mm tires on my roadbike (90/80PSI) and 38mm tires on my gravel bike (50/40PSI) for about a month now. Easy to install. No flats yet so haven't tested their patchability. Love their small size and weight.
The gravel bike tubes have Continental 20mm valve extenders attached. No problems.
The road bike tubes need to be aired up before every ride. Their pressure drops significantly (~10PSI) between rides. The gravel bike tubes, with their much lower pressure, hold air much better.
I have tried Tubolito tubes and so far I like the Aerothans' more. The two Tubolito road bike tubes I used were leaky. Tubolito was good about replacing the tubes, but I asked for gravel bike tubes as replacements and am using them now as spares. Haven't tried these replacement tubes yet. Maybe they'll work better with lower pressure.
The real test is later this year when I ride my gravel bike across USA (3600 miles). Tubes' size and weight count a lot, but reliability is even more important for me. Aerothan tubes are expensive, but if they remain reliable I will use them for the trip.
After a lot of indecision, splurged and bought two of the Race 700 x 23/28 version. Disappointed to find that both weighed nearly 46g (45.7 and 45.9g to be precise). Substantially more than the 41g listed both in the specs and prominently on the box. Hoped that the scale was off. Fresh batteries, re-calibrated. Nope, not the scale.
Schwalbe tech rep says that lower weight is less important than reduced rolling resistance and greater puncture resistance. CyclingTips' posted data shows that Aerothans have slightly more rolling resistance than latex and slightly less than Conti Supersonic. As for puncture resistance, it's always seemed like that should be in the tires rather than the tubes (though resistance to tearing while mounting is always welcome).
Still, one expects that a product which is (a) made in Germany and (b) so expensive would be closer to spec. If that's impossible, a weight range should be given.
They're still in the box, so my one star rating doesn't mean much. Haven't decided whether to use them or return for credit.
I've been using the 700c version on my regular training bike for a few months. The ride quality is nice; perhaps a tad better than latex. Not scientific, but I went about twice as long without a puncture, which could be luck. However, patches aren't available ANYWHERE and those that have tried the Schwalbe patches seem to find they fail. Not worth it compared to good latex or butyl which you get much more life out of for a small weight difference.
Pros: lightweight, packs small, holds air very well, perfect for seat-pack spares
Cons: Cannot be permanently patched with any patch material currently on the market. I've tried Tubolito, slime, and Park patches. Nothing works. Schwalbe says you must use their patch kit, but I've never tried it because these are not available anywhere. Until Schwalbe makes their patch kits as widely available as the tubes, these can only used as a seat-pack spare (unless you want to throw away a $30 tube with each puncture). Note: Tubolito patches work great for a while, but after a few months they eventually fail.
If you like super low-maintenance like me, you probably like the idea of fewer flats, and tubeless sounds like a hassle (having to replace slime every once in a while). So to reduce punctures on my daily commute I went with Schwalbe Marathon tires and these more puncture-resistant tubes (and lighter tube weight helps offset the heavier tires a bit...although I was actually impressed that the tires aren't crazy heavy considering their much thicker construction)
Ordered a pair of these for road bike, 700x25 tires. They are lighter than latex and seem to not lose air as fast as latex do overnight or a day or so. Don't have too many miles with them yet, but they seem comparable to latex in ride quality, maybe not quite as supple. They make mounting tires easy with their small profile when just enough air is added to keep them from twisting when you are putting them in between the tire and rim. Can't speak on puncture resistance since I don't have many hours on them, but sos far so good. They are a bit pricey for tubes.
These things ride smooth and I can tell the difference even against Continental supersonics. I purchased them for their flat avoidance claims first but was curious about ride quality.
These tubes are expensive! For the price of one tube you can get 10 cheap, heavy, poorly constructed, flat prone, toxic chemical laden tubes straight from a Chinese sweat shop. So yeah, I paid more but my expectations were to avoid those issues.
I was let down as I had a flat within 2 months of purchase and claims of patchability are poor (tpu does not repair the same as butyl). Simply finding special Schwalbe glueless patches are currently almost impossible. It's most likely this tube will be going in the trash, a shame as I can buy a tire at that cost.
I was very surprised by the ride quality changes. I have 700x28 tires and run 70psi which probably helps. I have never tried latex, but I was able to pump these suckers up once a week with the pressure off only a couple psi.
Even in light of the issues I will give them at least one more try. The ride that incurred the flat was a day after rains with roads still wet and that breeds flat inducing situations, this was not a pinch flat, no snake bite. These are also very space saving and keeping one as a spare may let you keep an additional inflator in your bag.
I purchased these tubes because they were touted as being puncture resistant. I've only done one ride on them, of about 70 miles. No punctures on the ride but that usually happens, fortunately, on most rides. So, I can't comment on the puncture resistance.
What I can comment on, and what leads me to review them so soon, is how well they improve the performance of the bike. From the first pedal stroke, the bike felt quicker and more responsive. They won't move you from the rear of the peloton to the front, but you'll definitely notice an improvement in your performance.
So, even if the prove to be only as puncture resistant as regular tubes, I'd still purchase them. They just ride better.
I have only two negative comments about them: (1) They are expensive, especially for a tube; $30 for one tube is very high, even way higher than latex tubes. (2) They only come in one value-stem length. I needed to purchase separate valve-stem extenders to use them with my wheels. I don't know whether the price can be decreased but I am hopeful that Schwalbe will start offering them with longer valve stems.
I have these tubes installed on my new Giant Defy, running Schwalbe Pro ONE TLE tires. When you think about how much you pay to save weight, these tubes represent an excellent investment. As noted by another review, they hold air very well. They are MUCH lighter than conventional tubes, and saving weight that rotates really pays off. Installation was very easy, but I did need a valve extender (core is removable). At this point, I do not have lots of miles, but I will slowly add these tubes to all my bikes over time. I am sold!!
Bought this on a whim after reading about the technology. First off, installation is actually easier than a regular tube. It easily slides in the tire casing without snagging and is very slippery. Pumped it up and was ready to ride in less than 5 minutes. My first thoughts when riding was you do feel a noticeable change in how the bike rides. The bike feels lighter more responsive smoother and faster. The tire also holds air for over a week without a change in air pressure. I have ridden only about a week or 100 miles so far but so far so good. Time will tell how puncture resistant these are. Yes $30 is a lot for tube but if you think about for $60 you can get a major change to your ride it makes it justifiable. Recommended!
I decided to try these based on the description and because of my recent rash of flats. I really had no expectations for these tubes to change my cycling experience - but they have! The difference in rolling resistance is noticeable from the first rpm's. The bike is so much more responsive and comfortable. These tubes actually hold pressure even better than the race light butyl tubes I had used. After only a total of 45 miles though the jury is still out on puncture resistance/durability. But so far the Aerothan tubes are definitely game-changers.
Been using these instead of tubeless on my road bikes. One flat in 3 years and 15k miles. NUFF said. If you don�t want to mess w tubeless but want great ride quality, light weight, puncture resistance without the hassle of tubeless, this is it!
Full disclosure I re-installed the tire using a tire lever and did not use talc so it is probable I caused damage during install. One of the tubes had a slow leak over 2-3 days and subsequently burst when I went to refill it.
They are very light and compact.
