How good are lightweight road bike inner tubes? - Ultra-light tubes in the TOUR test
Robert Kühnen
· 28.06.2020
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With tubeless tyres getting better and better, do you still have to worry about tubes? You don't have to, but you can! Because the new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) inner tubes are amazingly light. So light that they immediately remind you of plastic bags when you hold them in your hand.
Despite their low weight, they are advertised with the promise of being more robust than classic butyl or latex tubes. Revoloop and Tubolito are two young brands using TPU to win the favour of road cyclists. To find out what the new plastic tubes can do, we compared them with some latex classics and also with the finely differentiated butyl series from Maxxis - representative of the standard tubes that every supplier has in its programme.
The hoses in the test
New, super-light plastic hoses are an interesting but also expensive alternative to lightweight butyl hoses. They cost from 25 euros and are more robust than extra-light butyl despite their low weight. However, latex remains the fastest hose material.
- Revoloop.race 18-28*
- Revoloop.ultra 18-28*
- Tubolito Tubo Road 18-28
- Tubolito S-Tubo Road 18-28
- Maxxis Flyweight 18-25
- Maxxis Ultraweight 18-25
- Maxxis Welter Weight 18-25
- Maxxis Welter Weight 25-32
- Challenge Seamless 19-28
- Michelin Air Comp 22-23
- Vittoria Competition 25-28
- Vredestein Superlite 20-25
Test summary
Heavy standard butyl tubes are a safe bet, they don't cause any trouble. However, if you want to reduce weight, lightweight TPU tubes are an interesting option. They roll just as well or better than normal-weight butyl tubes and can withstand more than the extra-light butyl tubes. Tubolito beats Revoloop in the TPU tube manufacturers' duel. However, if you want to get the maximum speed and riding feel, you still need natural rubber, i.e. latex. They can even outperform tubeless systems.
All 12 products in the individual evaluation and detailed test graphics on puncture protection and rolling resistance can be found in the PDF download for just 0.99 euros at the bottom of the page. For all readers with a TOUR annual subscription, the downloads are of course free of charge!
How TOUR tests
All tests were carried out independently of manufacturers on our own test machines. We determined the rolling resistance on a fast concrete surface - for a system weight of 85 kilograms and a speed of 35 km/h. We simulated the impact with a drop axe and used a 20 millimetre diameter pipe as the impact body. In the puncture test, we pressed a 2-millimetre metal mandrel through a prepared casing onto the inflated hose at a constant feed rate and recorded the force-displacement curve.
