I’m considering making the switch from tubeless back to some form of light tube. So now I’m contemplating whether that should be latex or TPU. Any thoughts/experiences?
I’m leaning towards latex since the only disadvantage seems to be that they’re slightly heavier. And from what I’ve read it does sound like they offer better ride quality and more puncture resistance. Or am I falling for marketing BS here?
I’d also appreciate specific advice for what brands you have good experiences with. I’ve seen that Silca offers a very fancy TPU tube and I can also find some latex tubes with Silca branding in webshops, although they’re not on Silca’s own website?!
TPU has (I believe) a risk of overheating and melting with rim brakes, if you still have them. That said that’s what I’m now using. They lose air a bit slower than latex, which lose maybe 5-10psi a day. Performance wise it’s very close, and TPU is definitely lighter and pack smaller as a spare.
I’ve never actually ridden on a TPU tube, although I do carry one around as a spare. I have ridden a little bit on latex tubes. My key points of distinction would be:
TPU should have better air retention. Latex you need to pump up basically every time you go out; TPU is meant to be on par with butyl (so if you’re fussy about air pressure, check once a week; you can probably get away with longer if you’re not too fussy).
I wouldn’t get hung up on puncture resistance. Anything that makes it through the tyre is probably going to go through a tube, regardless of what that tube is made of.
A latex tube comes out ahead of all the TPU tubes BRR tested for rolling resistance ( TPU Inner Tubes Test | Bicycle Rolling Resistance ) - although I note only one latex tube was tested. Given how much variation there is in results for TPU tubes, it is reasonable to assume other brands of latex tube might show similar variation.
TPU tubes weigh less. Exactly how much difference this makes is debatable.
My general impression is that latex tubes are pretty reliable, where as stories of TPU tube failures are relatively common.
Overall, there’s not much in it. I’m inclined to say I would opt for latex if you don’t mind pumping up your tyres every time you go out. If that is going to bother you, give TPU a whirl and I imagine you’ll be pretty happy with that too.
ETA - I believe Silca did used to sell own-branded latex tubes. Looks like they have discontinued them, but it’s not surprising there’s some NOS floating around.
I’ve been very happy with the Silca-branded latex tubes. One snakebite flat in two years, and that was a hit that I’m surprised the wheel survived. As with any latex tube you do have to pump them up before every ride.
Haven’t tried TPU. Still too many stories about inconsistent quality.
I had great success with Michelin and Silca latex tubes. I carry a TPU spare, but have never had to use it. I’m completely chuffed with my life in the tubeless camp, but if I had to go back to using inner tubes, I’d go with either latex or butyl tubes.
FWIW, while latex tubes do need inflated every day (or two if you aren’t fussy about having exactly the right pressure), they don’t require a lot of pumping to get back up to the ideal pressure.
Have been using latex for a year now with no issues or regrets. Noticeably better road feel than lightweight butyl. I’ve never tried TPU because of the horror stories about failure.
I really want to try TPU tubes but I’ve carried them as spares and the 3 I had to use (1 on 1 ride and 2 on another ride), because my spare Buttyl tube wasn’t enough, they failed and I had to call someone to pick me up!
I’ll probably try them when I change my tires (so not as spares) but never again as spares, I switched over to 1 normal buttyl tube (what I already did) and 1 ultralight buttyl tube as spares.
I’ve been riding aliexpress TPU tubes for a while, on disc brakes. They ride well and I haven’t had reliability issues. But they seem slightly more prone to punctures than butyl tubes.
I’ve had the same set of latex tubes in a heavily used set of wheels for about 5 years now. Never punctured, pump them up when you need and off you go.
Noticeably better road feel than butyl. I have TPU spares but they just about get me home before losing air and becoming useless.
latex and carbon rims are not recommended due to heat build up and potential catastrophic outcomes
I have used all three tube types in my search for better rolling resistance, weight and durability. I liked the feel of the latex tubes but the pressure loss was too much for my liking. If you’re not riding almost daily, then it’s highly likely that the tyre will be completely flat when you come back to the bike on latex. TPU is the one that I really want to like but I have had so many problems with the reliability of them that I no longer have any faith in them at all. Even when they seem to be fine, after a few rides I’ve come back to the bike to find the tyre completely flat. After checking the tyre, there was nothing sharp in there that could have flatted the tube so I can only assume that it was a manufacturing defect. I’m 5 TPU tubes in so far and all 5 have had some sort of failure. So, after all of my efforts, I’m currently back on butyl as a set and forget option. I’m swallowing the weight pill and enjoying the durability benefits. I’ve been road tubeless too, but the high pressures didn’t work well with effective sealing, so that went out the window also.
I may be one of the unlucky ones and my experience may not be what everyone else has, but I’m tired of being let down by TPU, so for me, it’s butyl for now.
I’m team butyl and patch kit now. I do carry a TPU spare (and I do test them - as @Koen_Miseur recommends. I have had a TPU with a slow leak in the past. Got me home but did require a stop to pump.)
I have ridden latex but the price is off-putting for a consumable. I can stomach the price of TPU for a spare.
I’ve used Schwalbe’s Aerothan for over 400kms. They are fine for rim brakes & I regularly use an Fumpa to top up pressure. Only one puncture about 3000 kms ago. I’ve bought a couple of Silca’s new TPU tubes that I have yet to install. I would not waste my time on the Amazon etc ones.
Would reassure you - on disc brake Cervelo Soloist and Reserve TA 64/57 wheels - rune RideNow TPU tubes at ~75 PSI in Vittoria Pro “tube type” 30 mm tyres - important to use tubes with metal valve stems, but ride beautifully; IMO at least equivalent to latex tubes on my prior rim brake R5. No punctures over 3000 km and they hold air much better than latex. In my experience also easier to set-up than latex with less “pinching” risk on tyre mounting
I’ve used TPU tubes for nearly two years now and with great success. I tend to use the ride now TPU tubes. I bought a pair of fancy Pirelli tubes but one failed within a couple of days, the other one is still going strong but a 50% failure rate from a sample of 2 has meant I’ll stick to the ride now tubes.
No issues in over 3 years with Pirelli Smartubes (35g, rated for rim brake use) in 25 mm Continental GP 5000 tires mounted on CF rim brake wheels (19 mm internal width), such that tires measure ~27 mm wide. Better air retention and lighter than butyl tubes. No issue patching with Pirelli TPU patch kit. Expect the same with Tubolito Tubos (39 g, also rated for rim brake use). Don’t bother with the cheap off-brand ones. Never got to try latex tubes because I cannot find any with a 60 mm valve stem.