It's TPU tubes FYI
this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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I don't understand how adding inner tubes helps anything?
Edit: oh, I see, that's in lieu of butyl rubber inner tubes, not in lieu of going tubeless.
I've had good success using TPU tubes from AliExpress, at a fourth of the price of tubes in shops in my country.
Which brand? I'm seeing so many sold, but then you look up reviews (not on the Ali site) and they are horror stories.
I'm tempted to buy some, but I've seriously had only one flat (my fault) with standard tubes over well beyond 14,000 km year round. So, I don't want to introduce problems π«£
I've been running the RideNow tubes, without any issues whatsoever.
Anecdotally, I've heard about people getting punctures when they've run the extra light variant, but I don't use that one as I'm not that concerned with optimizing weight.
There are also some general considerations with TPU tubes in that you need to be careful not to pinch them under the bead of the tyre, and that they may get damaged if you use a poorly cooled electric pump.
Other than that, I've had zero problems with punctures since I switched to TPU tubes. Allegedly, I get a performance benefit in less rolling resistance and weight, plus they are very easy to carry as spares in my saddle bag as they pack quite small.
I've had a few flats with tpu tubes, some of which were likely caused by installation error (accidentally twisting them).
I've broken a few of the plastic valves as well (Spingo brand), but I think that was because my pump had was failing and not sealing, and I thought the issue was the valve, not the pump. So user error there, too.
I bought some Ride Now tubes more recently. Of those, 3 of the 4 I bought have been fine. The fourth one isn't holding air, but I haven't had the time to figure out why. Just swapped to another tube to get the bike on the road. I like that the Ridenow tubes include patches.
Short version, my experience is that once they're in and working, they tend to be good for a long time. Gotta be more careful installing them. Overall, I do like them.
Thank you for the insight π
You're welcome. I've been buying a bunch of gear I'm quite happy with from AliExpress and I've been considering posting about it to share what I've learned, do you think that would be interesting to read?
For sure. I've purchased loads of stuff from Ali and have been pretty happy with the value, but hearing about someone's experience is always helpful.
I'm not much of a cyclist, but I sorta figure that that if you're not sure what to upgrade on the your bike, it's probably the rider. Improve your fitness, improve your knowledge etc.