Pirelli is a permanent fixture in motor racing. The Italians have also had mountain bike tyres since 2019 in the programme. Now the tyre manufacturer from Milan is launching a lightweight, small inner tube made of plastic. The Trek Pirelli Team Vlad Dascalu and his team have already trialled the yellow TPU tubes in the Cross-Country World Cup.
75 grams for the 29-inch version
Unlike conventional butyl tubing, the SmarTUBE tubing is made of PTUa mixture of polyurethane and a thermoplastic. This elastic and at the same time robust plastic should not only ensure fewer breakdowns, but also provide up to Save 70 per cent weightcompared to already lightweight latex tubes. The SmarTUBE tubes are also characterised by their extra small pack size. This means they fit even better in a jersey pocket or rucksack.
But the idea of manufacturing hoses from plastic is not entirely new. With Tubolitothe Revoloop and Schwalbes Aerothan inner tube there are already established models of lightweight inner tubes. Tubolito now even incorporates an air pressure gauge in the inner tube. Clever. Pirelli offers three versions of the yellow tubes. The P ZERO SmarTUBE is designed for the road and weighs just 35 grammes. The Cinturato SmarTUBE is reinforced, suitable for gravel bikes and weighs between 45 grammes and 70 grammes. Scorpion SmarTUBE is the name of the mountain bike version, which 75 grammes (29x2.2'') and 100 grammes (29x2.6'') on the scales. Cost point for a tube: 29,90 Euro.
