BIKETUBES 26 X 4.0"-4.5" TPU Tubes: Final Review

 Note: Guitar Ted purchased three BIKETUBES 26" X 4.0"-4.5" TPU tubes for test/review. BIKETUBES has no knowledge of this review previous to this post and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

This is the final review of the new fat bike sized TPU tubes from BIKETUBES. My mid-term report and a link back to the introduction can be found HERE. 

Please go back to find out the technical details, first impressions, and what I found that I did and did not like about these tubes at that point. This post will focus on my latest impressions and final word on these TPU fat bikes tubes. 

To start out, I wanted to address the air retention of these TPU fat bike tubes. I had reported that I had found there to be some leak-down which wasn't consistent with other TPU tubes I've tried. 

Fortunately since that time I haven't noted any big air pressure losses and these tubes are acting much more in line with my expectations for a TPU tube. I don't know why I was seeing the drop in pressure from the one check I reported on, but it may have been due to "operator error", so I think I will just run with that. 

Also, since the last update we had a run of really cold weather here. This was a chance to see how these tubes would adapt to sub-freezing temperatures. I got a ride in with the air temperature down in the teens (F) and saw no ill effect. I cannot speak to what might happen at sub-zero temperatures.

Our lack of snow meant that a little bushwhacking was in order.

I was able to get into some fat bike style rambling through a freshly cut ravine with a sand base. The surface was severely pockmarked by deer hooves and there were several embedded branches. This tested out the TPU tubes ability to conform to oddly shaped trail surfaces to see if the tires and tubes would work. 

I had a good ride and the tires were working well over the debris and deer tracks. I think it was better than with butyl tubes, but I would have guessed that seeing as how these old Larry tires are transformed by using TPU tubes. So, I think TPU is an upgrade over butyl rubber for tire performance. Especially in a fat bike application. 

Conclusions: TPU tubes seem flimsy, weird, and are expensive. However; they have come a long way in a short time, proving themselves in many situations, and saving weight, and more importantly, lowering rolling resistance. All without having the hassles of a tubeless set up. 

These fat bike tubes made a huge difference in the way this fat bike I've had for over a decade rides. In fact, it has made the bike lighter, more fun to ride, and has transformed the tires which weren't all that great to begin with. Now? They feel like more modern day, high performance fat bike tires. It makes me wonder how these TPU tubes would do in nicer tires. 

I'm not a big fan of the valve stems on these tubes. They are TPU material, or some other plastic, bendy, and not threaded so they cannot be fixed against the rim. This makes inflation a fiddly chore because you have to be very careful not to damage the stem. 

Air retention is, despite my early surprise, rock solid. TPU tubes have a reputation for holding air better than butyl tubes can. Some might fear that TPU tubes will puncture easier, but in most testing I have seen, this isn't true. TPU has a claim of being more resistant to punctures. I did not have any troubles, so I cannot speak to that facet of using a TPU tube. I do know that it is imperative that you use talc powder or baby powder with these TPU tubes or scuffing the TPU material inside the tire during usage may cause premature failures. It isn't any different with other tube materials, however butyl rubber does resist this issue far better without talc/baby powder.

TPU tubes have a much smaller size when rolled up compared to a butyl tube. This and the much lighter weight of TPU makes a TPU tube a great option for a bail-out solution even if you do run tubeless. They take up far less room in a bag and cut off a lot of dead weight.

So, despite the higher initial cost of a TPU tube, I think the benefits of using them in a fat bike far outweigh the costs. Just in ride feel alone a TPU tube is convincing. I highly recommend trying these out if you run 3.8" to 4.6" tires. Keep in mind that TPU stretches but does not return to its original state when deflated. So, if you use one in a larger tire, you are stuck with it in that wheel. More sizes would be welcomed. As of this writing there were no 27.5" sized fat bike tubes, and there were no sizes for 4.6" + sized 26"er tires either. Hopefully that will change soon in the future for fat bikers.