Has anyone tried these cheap Chinese TPU tubes?
 

They are all over Ebay:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8b65fdac5f.jpg
$18 a pop, which is like half the price of the name brand ones. Has anyone tried these yet? Don't make me be the guinea pig again.

LOL! saw these also last week, when I was looking for tpu patch kit... haven't flatted my schwalbe yet, but it's inevitable...
I was gonna order a pair to try on one roadie ... what could go wrong ?
Ride On
Yuri

Eighteen dollars for a single tube and unknown brand? That's crazy. I've used several different brands and never saw a difference between them. That includes Sunlite (China or Taiwan), Kenda (Taiwan). Conti (Germany), and a few others I don't see online right now. Last time I bought a package of 5 Conti 700C X 23 tubes they were $5 each with shipping from England. Price is now $9 for a single tube with free shipping https://www.ebay.com/itm/115159970079 and a US seller. The Sunlites are even cheaper at $6 https://www.ebay.com/itm/381934153635. I stay away from Schwalbe because all of the "reasonably" priced (cost + shipping) sources are overseas like this one for $13 https://www.ebay.com/itm/284875966404. If you need them fast, use a US seller. I've used Schwalbe tires and tubes. IMHO nothing special about them except for the cost.

Completely different tubes.
Butyl - and $5.00 for a butyl tube with a 32mm stem is hardly a 'deal'...

TPU may be 'overpriced' with regards the cost of product ... But the going price for Schwalbe and Tubolito TPU tubes is in the mid $30s close to $40...
'Better' than Butyl? on-road performance says so... durability ? hard to measure. I've prolly bought my last butyl tube ... and we'll see how TPU lasts and acts under repair...
yeah I know, you walked thru driving blizzard, 10 miles to school evey morning...
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: I just bought 2, for price of one schwalbe aerothan, gonna be some weeks before they arrive. will report back after some riding time...

12 miles, without shoes, with a 40 lb. book bag.

Rookies…… I died once and my mom just yelled at me to walk it off.

Please do follow up. I wanted some 16" TPU tubes but it seems like the only company making them is in China. So I held off.

Don;t hold your breath ! Based on the estimated delivery dates, I think the transport is going to be on Jackie Chan's "Around the World in 80 Days" balloon... LOL!
But it will be a nice surprise when they do arrive - cause I'll prolly have forgotten I even ordered them! LOL!
Ride On
Yuri

EDIT: If that's the only game in town for 16" TPU; why would you even hesitate? 2 tubes, prolly the price of 3 or 4 gal. of petrol... One happy meal from MikeyD's... less than 1/2 price of one super stylish handlebar ringy-dingy bell? Handlebar tape for $40-$50? The lunacy of the cycling marketplace is truly incomprehensible.

I pack one of these with my plus tire bike that I run tubeless. (They're a lot cheaper if you buy them off Amazon) I haven't had to use it yet, but it's good insurance. 29x3 butyl tubes are huge...

Nobody is making you buy stuff from China that is your choice. I just stick with normal butyl tubes, the good ones cost a little more but a pretty cheap in the long term.

My dad used to say, “It’s a nice sunny day outside! Why don’t you go outside and play in the freeway!”

I did get out. I didn’t play in the freeway.
He was a great natural mechanic that could always keep the bikes running well.

I'm using these Ride Now TPU tubes on my road bike clincher tires. I had an issue with one tube leaking air from the valve stem. I tried replacing the presta valve, but I was still getting leaks. I ended up putting a very small amount of tubeless sealant in the tube to seal the leaky valve. Not sure if that was the best thing to do, but it worked and now both tubes are holding air just fine. Though this is probably the last set of clincher tires I will use. All my other wheels are now tubeless, but with these TPU tubes + my clinchers, the weight actually comes in lower than running the equivalent tubeless tire.

BTW - I bought this 2 pack + patch kit deal from this seller on AliExpress. The tubes arrived to my door in under 2 weeks.

If anyone is interested, a seller on AliExpress is selling 4 tubes for about $35.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803917157538.html

I'm using them and they're great. Noticeable difference on long climbs. Nearly 80 or 90 gram weight savings on each wheel. No problems with quality or air loss. Wish they manufactured some with 40mm valve stems though. There's no excuse for charging obscene prices for these little plastic doodads. I can see these totally replacing butyl and latex tubes eventually and wouldn't be surprised to discover they're less prone to flatting, but time will tell.

Well, I received the 2 TPU tubes I ordered on June 29.
Received on Sat, july 23, the ship label shows they were shipped from china on July 4.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8600449935.jpg
Ride Now TPU Tubes 28 (700c) x 23-32
Mounted on my HED Ardennes wheels with Rubino Pro 23s, exactly what was on before, with 95g butyl tubes.
I did cut and add some extra 'valve cuffs' from scrap butyl tubes. It's what I use/do to protect the valve area from cuts by the rim hole - about 1" square with small hole for valve in center.
Package claims the TPU tubes weigh 36g... i guess...
Aired up to 75 psi front, 78 psi rear, same I used for the butyl.
rode fine, but they do make the tire a bit more 'firm', at that pressure.
Next time I ride these wheels, I'm going to air them at 70-72 ish front and 74-75ish rear. I like a little more 'compliance' these days...
FYI - I weigh 142 lbs, bike prolly is at 18.5ish lbs with a full water bottle.
Overall, tubes seem to be holding air well.
One issue is airing up - I use a foot pump, my trusty 45 yr old Silca Piste pump which has a newer 'locking' head which works both presta and schraeder.
One tube aired up fine to 80 psi, the other tube would only air to 60 lbs before the head blew off. I think it's because the valve stem is smooth plastic, and the only thing resisting the head from coming off is a slight widening of the valve stem where the valve core screws in... had to use another pump, whose pressure gauge I don;t trust as much (used my Jayco pressure gauge to check...)
so 1 out of 2 will be a PITA for using a foot pump.
It's prolly not an issue if you use a compressor or CO2 cartridges...
I had used for a long time, the Ultra Light Maxiss tubes, about 65g each. They worked well and gave a solid 1 - 1 1/2 yr of service before wearing out.
Valve stem is threaded, but this tube is often sold with the valve core (Maxiss special core - MVS) sold separate, but valve core can be transfered to next tube...
They were good tubes and weren't any more flat prone than your std lightweight tube...
Ride On
Yuri

I try to get tubes and stuff from a local bike store........

I love the posters who have no idea what you’re talking about but still feel like they should respond.

$38 at REI for a tubolito I may never use as a spare for my mountain bike tubeless. Seems steep and the reviews are mixed. Definitely a little concerned that if I came across something that would take out my tubeless setup, that a tpu tube coupled with a field boot wouldn’t get me home.

At this price, it almost seems worth trying. And a month from eBay isn’t bad at all.

I'm waiting on my order on 4x RideNow TPU tubes from AliExpress, for under $30 USD which I bought on sale. Much cheaper than a single Tubolito tube. I bought my first order of RideNow tubes a few months ago and have been running them on 700x30c tires. Overall the experience has been very positive. I've been using these tires on both fast group rides and hill climbing and when paired with lightweight clinchers you can really feel the difference in weight. In fact I'm also running 28c tubeless tires on another wheelset and I think I prefer the clincher + RideNow tubes since they weigh less and my clincher sidewalls are just more supple. Once I get my 2nd order of TPU tubes, I'll use one of them as a spare in my saddle bag to cut weight from my spare latex tube.

They let you have books?

the stem length options for the ebay unknown brands makes it enticing. The schwalbe aerothan iirc only came with a 40mm, which really isnt a no-go since extenders can resolve the short stem issues... If I could have bought longer though, the purchase would have happened a lot sooner.

OK, Quick update on the Ride Now TPU Tubes 700 x 18-32mm used in 700x23 tires Rubino Pros
2 weeks since receiving, ridden 4 times spread over the 2 wks, roughly 35 - 40 mi/ride.
no issues, 1st ride was at 75 psi frnt, 78 rr (I'm 142 lb/ 64 kg) on a set of HED Ardennes. 2nd thru 4th rides at 72 psi /75 psi
no flats, really didn't vary much from the Butyl 'feel', once I aired down a hair. wheels do feel as thought they spin up a bit quicker - but that could be because I'm finally getting some recent relief from now being off the 3+ years of regular chemo.... LOL!
seems to hold air quite long time - I checked air pressure before every ride and never varied by more than 1-2 psi - which could be because putting the JAYCO pressure gauge to the valve always seems to release a bit of air... same when I take off the pump head...
I think I would see a greater difference if I was going from a greater difference in weight from larger/heavier Butyl to TPU, like gravel or mtb tubes...
...still, I like them - will order the 4x AliExpress deal...
Ride On
Yuri

It's classic Dunning/Kruger. We're often too ignorant of the subject to realize how little we actually know

A little bit (like a twist) of sanding might fix this.