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From exceptional phenomenon to mass product. This seems to be the path that the still young genre of TPU hoses is on. In the last Hose test 2021 only three manufacturers were able to supply a model made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In the meantime, the major brands - Schwalbe, Conti and Pirelli - have also jumped on the TPU bandwagon. And this seems to be slowly pushing the classic butyl tube onto the back burner.
Are TPU hoses better than butyl?
Thermoplastic PU, which can be moulded when heated and hardens when it cools, has several advantages over black rubber. It combines the durability of plastic with the elasticity of rubber - which is reflected above all in the low rolling resistance in Schwalbe's test laboratory, where we were able to carry out our laboratory measurements. But the weight also speaks clearly in favour of TPU tubes. The lightest tubes weigh just 43 grams - a mere whiff of nothing. Even the heavy Aerothan inner tube is still almost 100 grams lighter than a standard butyl tube - with better puncture protection, mind you.
Good values for punctures
The elastic TPU performs particularly well when it comes to punctures. In practice, at least, the plastic tyre treads also provide better protection against punctures than the laboratory values would suggest. In contrast to butyl, the tyre develops good stability even at low pressure due to the high surface tension of the material. In a blind test, two out of three testers were unable to distinguish TPU tubes from tubeless, which speaks in favour of the high riding comfort of these tubes.
TPU hoses - weak points in some areas
So has the course been set for TPU hoses? Not quite, because there are also points of criticism. The material requires extremely high manufacturing quality. Our measurements confirm the high quality of most of the test candidates. However, deviations in the material thickness can lead to sudden air loss in practice - we have also experienced such problems. Fitting is also not without its problems. Once pumped too tightly, the hose rises like yeast dough. After that, it's ready for the bin. This is particularly painful given the current prices. The complex and cost-intensive production process is probably the main reason why the TPU train has not yet really got going.
How do you actually repair a TPU tube? You should definitely not use the old butyl patch kit. In our tech hack, we show you how TPU repair works.
Looking purely at the overall score, all TPU tubes in the test performed better than the two butyl alternatives. However, a look at the details shows that many models still have weaknesses when it comes to puncture protection. Only Eclipse and Schwalbe are consistently recommendable. Although the Barbieri is puncture-proof, it is heavy and rolls slowly. The best compromise between weight, puncture protection and comfort is still offered by tubeless tyres - with the disadvantage of higher servicing costs. - Stefan Frey, BIKE editor
How we tested the TPU hoses
In addition to ten TPU hoses, we ran a latex hose, a standard hose and a lightweight butyl hose through Ralf Bohle's laboratory for comparison.
Weight (25 per cent)
The lower the rotating mass, the better. Saving weight is one of the main reasons for switching to lightweight inner tubes. That's why we give this criterion 25 per cent of the overall score.
Rolling resistance (25 per cent)
To focus as much as possible on the inner tube, we measured with the lightweight Schwalbe G-One Speed Evo tyre without additional puncture protection. We determine the rolling resistance with a tyre pressure of 1.6 bar at a speed of 20 km/h and a load of 50 kilos. The lower the value, the better. When two tyres are combined, the differences within TPU are around 5 watts, which is clearly noticeable in practice. The lighter and smoother the material of the TPU tubes, the faster the tube generally rolls.
Puncture protection (25/25 per cent)
In the puncture test, an anvil weighing 14 kilos with a rounded edge falls onto the tyre filled with 1.6 bar. The greater the drop height until the inner tube bursts, the better the puncture protection.
To test the protection against punctures, a metal mandrel with a 1 mm tip presses against the hose until a hole is created. The force and the distance travelled are measured. It is not only the thickness of the material that plays a role here, but also its suppleness. This means that even lightweight hoses can achieve good results in the puncture test - see Eclipse and Swallow.
From the laboratory - measured values at a glance
Conti, Revoloop and Tubolito score points with low Weight and Rolling resistance. The lightweight Schwalbe and WTB also roll well. But latex is unbeatable.
The lightweight Eclipse protects surprisingly well in carbon copies. At the Stitch test the heavier tubes from Barbieri and Schwalbe have the edge.
Butyl, tubeless, latex - these are the alternatives
Alternative 1: Butyl hoses
Most bikes are still fitted as standard with Butyl hoses delivered. They are cheap, available almost everywhere, can be produced in consistent quality, but are heavy. Even in the light version, our test inner tube still weighed 145 grams. Nevertheless, the lightweight butyl tube rolls worse than TPU. Both standard inner tubes are poorly protected against punctures. Slightly higher pressure improves the protection, but worsens the riding comfort. Depending on the version, butyl inner tubes cost between 4 and 15 euros.
Advantages and disadvantages of butyl
+ favourably priced
+ available almost everywhere
+ easy to repair
- moderate puncture protection
- quite heavy in comparison
Alternative 2: Latex hoses
If it were purely about puncture protection and rolling resistance, the Latex hoses, like the Vittoria Competition, the ideal choice for mountain bikers. The extremely elastic milk juice tubes can even compete with tubeless systems. The fact that they have now been almost completely eradicated from the market is partly due to the high air loss - several tenths of a bar on a long tour. Production is also a problem: latex extraction is expensive and impurities can lead to porosity in the material. The Vittoria Competition Latex is available for around 16 euros.
Advantages and disadvantages of latex
+ good puncture protection
+ very low rolling resistance
+ good value
- High air loss
- Hardly any alternatives
Alternative 3: Tubeless
With a weight of around 100 grams per tyre Tubeless on a par with the heavier TPU tubes. Even at low pressure, the system offers the best puncture protection, smaller punctures are sealed by the "milk". The rolling resistance is also the lowest in comparison, because no tube has to be deformed. Even fitting is uncomplicated and inexpensive with modern tubeless-ready rims - the only annoying thing is replacing the sealing milk from time to time. You can buy a litre of tubeless milk for around 35 euros. This is enough to fill an average of eight tyres. If you add any necessary tubeless valves and tubeless adhesive tape for the rims on top, tubeless tyres are still quite inexpensive.
Advantages and disadvantages of latex
+ high comfort, because can be ridden at low pressure
+ best puncture protection
+ seals punctures automatically
+ very low rolling resistance with maximum grip
- Installation and maintenance can be a pain
- Messy if the milk does not seal a defect
What our test experts say
Low weight and high protection against foreign bodies speak in favour of TPU. In addition, our ride tests have shown that the ride feel of the lightweight tubes is very close to a tubeless setup. And all without the mess of sealant. - Peter Nilges, BIKE Test Manager
I always take a TPU tube with me on longer tours. In 99 per cent of cases, I don't need it and only have light luggage to carry. I can always get home with it if necessary, but its durability is limited off-road. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE test editor
Apart from the high costs, everything speaks in favour of TPU. Butyl belongs on the bench for me. However, because tubeless is uncomplicated today thanks to modern tyres and rims, I will continue to prefer the tubeless system to the inner tube. - Stefan Frey, BIKE test editor
Test results - all TPU hoses in detail
We put a total of ten TPU hoses through the lab. The overall results clearly speak in favour of the new material. On average, all TPU tubes performed better than butyl. If you take a closer look at the individual scores, however, there are some clear weaknesses, especially in terms of puncture and puncture resistance. However, depending on preference or intended use, every rider should find a suitable model for themselves.
Barbieri NXT Tube MTB 29
- Price 13,98 Euro
- Weight¹ / Size 144 grams / 29 / 27.5 x 2.0-2.6
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 45 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 12.8 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 625 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 39.23 N / 13.13 mm
Conclusion: Heavy TPU tube with excellent puncture protection, but tough rolling behaviour. The measurements show large fluctuations in material thickness. Very good value.
Continental TPU Tube 29" SV60
- Price 29,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 45 grams / 29 x 1.5-2.35
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 60 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 10.9 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 538 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 12.77 N / 9.47 mm
Conclusion: Identical to the Revoloop except for the valve length. Rolls fast and weighs little. Top choice for racers who need little puncture protection on easy courses.
Eclipse Off-Road
- Price 25,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 59 grams / 29 / 27.5 x 2.0-2.6
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 40 / 70 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 11.5 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 550 mm
- Puncture¹ (force/displacement) 14.1 N / 8.8 mm
Conclusion: One of the lightest tubes in the test, also rolls very easily. However, it falls a little short in terms of puncture protection. Not very elastic when puncturing.
Pirelli Scorpion Smartube
- Price 29,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 100 grams / 29 / 27.5 x 2.2-2.6 / 29 x 1.8-2.2
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 42 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 13.1 Watt
- Carbon copy¹ 550 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 28.87 N / 9.83 mm
Conclusion: The Pirelli is also available in a narrow 29er version. It only performs well in the puncture test. The remaining values are in the bottom third.
Revoloop Revo.MTB Ultra
- Price 24,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 45 grams / 29 / 27.5 / 26 x 1.6-2.4
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 40 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 10.5 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 563 mm
- Puncture¹ (force/displacement) 11.82 N / 8.65 mm
Conclusion: Like the Conti, the Revoloop weighs extremely little and rolls extremely easily. In terms of puncture protection, the Revo.MTB Ultra is not convincing. Lightweight race tyre.
Schwalbe Aerothan MTB Tube
- Price 27,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 91 grams / 29 / 27.5 / 26 x 2.1-2.4
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 40 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 11.1 Watt
- Carbon copy¹ 625 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 32.04 N / 15.13 mm
Conclusion: The Schwalbe is not a very lightweight tyre, but it rolls very well and offers high puncture protection, which is probably due to its high elasticity. A good tubeless alternative.
Schwalbe Aerothan MTB Tube+
- Price 29,90 Euro
- Weight¹ / Size 125 grams / 29 / 27.5 / 26 x 2.1-2.4
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 40 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 12.4 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 625 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 40.76 N / 13.47 mm
Conclusion: The heavier Schwalbe is particularly impressive in terms of puncture protection. Best value for puncturing. Two watts slower than the fast Revoloop when rolling. Good touring tube.
Tubolito S-MTB
- Price 34,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / size 42 grams / 29 / 27.5 / 26 x 1.8-2.5
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 42 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 11.3 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 513 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 12.46 N / 8.35 mm
Conclusion: This is where you save the most weight. However, there are even better TPU tubes in terms of rolling behaviour. Last place in terms of puncture resistance, low elasticity.
Tubolito MTB
- Price 29,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 80 grams / 29 / 27.5 / 26 x 1.8-2.5
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 42 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 12.2 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 563 mm
- Puncture¹ (force/displacement) 22.16 N / 9.01 mm
Conclusion: Even the "heavy" Tubolito is still a lightweight inner tube. Protects much better against punctures than the S-MTB, but overall only mediocre puncture protection.
WTB NanoAir TPU Tube
- Price 23,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight¹ / Size 83 grams / 29 x 1.9-2.5
- Valve / valve length Sclaverand / 48 mm
- Rolling resistance¹ 11.3 watts
- Carbon copy¹ 600 mm
- Piercing¹ (force/displacement) 23.43 N / 11.94 mm
Conclusion: The surprise in the test. Despite its relatively low weight, the WTB still protects well against punctures and also rolls pleasantly easily. Also attractively priced.
Stefan Frey
Editor
