t2p

I also have RideNow tpu tubes purchased from Ali

the site is kinda clunky - especially the interface to paypal - but got it to work

from that point on very impressed - confirmations received a number of times during the process and the shipping time was reasonable

one order the tubes were $9 per tube ( $8.98 ) - might have been less next order

himespau 

I got those from amazon at slightly under $24 for 2. Since I'm only on the trainer most of the time these days, I haven't tried them yet (other than to put a pair in my saddlebag). One of these days, I'm going to build up the deep section rims I have to the hubs I have (having a hard time finding the style of spokes I want in the length I want - ~218 mm if I calculated correctly - other than on Ali). A bit nervous buying something structural like spokes on Ali as opposed to tubes, but I'll probably have to bite the bullet. Then, I'll throw these tubes in there. I got rims that were tubeless ready (no holes), but have a lot of nice non-tubeless tires to use up (Veloflex Masters and similar) before I try tubeless.

tFUnK

himespau I've done a complete rebuild with Pillar spokes sourced from AliExpress and have been happy with them. The various Chinese carbon wheels I've got also seem to have Pillar spokes (although in wider blade profiles) and I've not had issues with those, either.

merlinextraligh

There are so many variables doing the same TT course week to week that would overwhelm any small efficiencies from latex tubes.

I’ve done TT series where I did the same course every week for the course of a summer. My speed and power data moved around enough week to week that it would be impossible to make any valid conclusion regarding the effect of a small equipment change.

If I was a tenth of a mile an hour faster one week, with the same or lower watts than the previous week, was it because I paced better that week, it was less windy, the wind direction was different, Iheld my position better, it was warmer, etc, etc, etc.

The claimed advantage of latex tubes is small enough that you would have to have a very tightly controlled experiment to tease out the effect of the tubes from the noise.

Ramshackle

Bought 4 Ridenow 35gr tubes from Ali cheap (around $5 or so each). No way can I justify spending thee-fifths of the price of a tire on an inner tube. Guess you get what you pay for since I had 3 rides before the front had a slow leak. Swapped it with a light butyl and the ride felt less harsh and a similar effort on hills. I'll be using the TPU only as a spare in my saddlebag. BTW, I did try the more expensive Pirelli and Aerothan tpu's a couple of years ago, with similar unhappy results. At least for me, tpu's are not ready for primetime since I value reliability over performance.

cyclezen

Quick Q on valve length - I'm getting my first real set of Aero wheels, 50mm, so will 65mm valve length (on TPU or other...) work ok ?
Thx
Yuri

chaadster

All tests show better puncture resistance for TPU than butyl, and TPU doesn’t split, rip, or tear, so even in the event of puncture, it’s much less likely to catastrophically and suddenly flat. The slow leak you experienced probably would have left tour butyl tube immediately flat. You can even get a 1 year warranty against all flats with Tubolito X-Tubo series TPU tubes, something no butyl tube that I’m aware of offers.

rsbob 

Two TPU tubes from Ali for $8 total. They ride and hold air just fine and don’t leak down much air when sitting for a day or two,

Edit: using 3 TPUs vs 3 “light” butyles saved me over a lb. Jury’s out if the bike feels more sprightly, but it certainly doesn’t feel slower.

hidetaka

Offbondage? Kinky

Ramshackle

The reported problem with Ridenow and other tpu's is not puncture resistance but manufacturing issues. Namely, small leaks where the stem meets the tube. I believe that's where my tube is leaking. I've put a dab on glue on that area and I'm curious if that problem is resolved.

baj32161

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

13ollocks

not based on the weights you show. If butyl weighs 0.174 lb and TPU weighs 0.084 lb, the weight difference between 3 butyls and 3 TPUs is 0.27 lb

rsbob 

I sit corrected. Thanks, now I will go slower (psychologically)

13ollocks

I spent ages thinking my bike was an even 18 lb. When I weighed it and it was actually 18.3 lb, I was so devastated, I could barely get out to bed the next morning....

eduskator

A lot of the people who are trying to shave 50g off a bike have a dad bod. That's even worse!

One of my former massage therapist used to tell me all the times that losing 1 pound of body weight is way cheaper than losing 1 pound of bike weight. Food for thoughts!

rsbob 

Should have let some air out of the tires.

rsbob 

That’s the goal. Shave another 3 lbs off the bod. Far cheaper than weight off the bike - and a better power to weight ratio - and a bit healthier besides. But there is nothing wrong shedding excess weight off the bike. I changed the tubes and lost my heavy multi-tool (which I not used in years) and a CO2 cylinder and didn’t have to give up eating a chocolate chip cookie or two.

terrymorse 

Unless you're already at the bottom of the healthy weight range for your height.

Trakhak

True. At least one banned former poster couldn't understand or wouldn't admit that losing weight from the bike and from the body are not mutually exclusive choices.

downtube42

The randonneur test for field reparability is pretty straightforward.

Pack up your tubes and repair kit in your luggage of choice or pockets. At midnight, turn on the sprinklers. At 3am take your bike outside along with a box cutter and an ice pick. Sitting on the grass in the sprinkler zone, cut the tire crossways with the box cutter. If the neighbors come out to see what's going on, just tell them you're out riding your bike, like it's perfectly normal. Then stare at them until they leave. Using your repair kit or found items from the neighborhood ditches, boot and tube the tire, inflating with your method of choice. Install the wheel, and go for a ride around the block. Returning to the sprinkler zone, jam the icepick in the tire. Now fix that with your repair kit. Repeat until out of tubes and patching is necessary.

If you fail, get your phone out of your pocket and call your wife, asking for a rescue. If the phone's dead or you don't want to have that conversation, stash your bike in the bushes and go for a 20 mile walk.

I can do that with butyl. Admittedly it would be nice to save luggage space, for more wool.

eduskator

Of course. But that - statistically speaking - is limited to a small proportion of the population .

terrymorse 

Yet for those of us "gifted" (cursed?) to live our whole adult lives near the bottom of the BMI graph, it's a thing.

Camilo

Yeah, we've never heard that one before.

rsbob 

PeteHski

With a BMI of around 23 I don’t really qualify for 50g bike weight savings. I did get my BMI down to 21 last summer for my key climbing events and that did make a difference, saving around 5 mins on a 1 hour Alpine climb. But that was a 5000g saving.

I just realised that I rode my local loop yesterday and forgot to carry a spare tube. A whopping 97g saving. I wondered why I felt so strong 😂

Seriously though, my rule of thumb is not to worry about bike weight within my natural daily body weight variation i.e +/- 1kg.

My only interest in TPU tubes is as a very compact emergency spare (running tubeless). But I keep reading too many mixed reviews about their quality, both cheap and expensive options. If I ever need to resort to fitting a tube at the roadside I want to be fully confident that it will actually work. Quality standard tubes with metal stems are proven in this regard, but I’m not convinced about TPU yet.