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.