Review: Aeron TPU Tubes Update #4

Last week I posted Update #3 of the Aeron TPU Tube Review. Click that link in case you missed it. The main theme of that update was to see if and how an Aeron TPU tube could be transferred from one tire to another. 

My test involved going from a bigger tire to a slightly less bigger tire. I was asked in the comments if the Aeron tube, which is rated for anything from a 700 X 32mm to a 700 X 52mm tire would actually work in something even less wide than I tried. This update will cover that use case. 

This particular Aeron TPU tube was previously installed in a 700 X 47mm Teravail Cannonball tire. I decided to try the Aeron tube in a 700c X 40mm tire I had laying around. It was an ancient 700 X 40mm Donnelly MSO tire. (Remember those?) 

So, following is a pictorial showing how things worked out. I'll have a bit more to say at the end, so check out the images and descriptions and look for further comments below.

This is the Aeron TPU tube with a minimal amount of air. Just enough to give it some shape. 

Aeron recommends a very minimal amount of air be inflated into the TPU tube to give the tube shape. You do not want to insert a TPU tube with no air in it! Damage could occur rendering the tube worthless or cause a flat while in use. 

You can see the residual talcum powder I put on the Cannonball tire's inner casing to allow the TPU and rubber casing to more easily move against each other while installing the tube and inflating it. You can also barely make out the reinforcement around the base of the very long valve stem. I was happy to see this as I've experienced failure of a TPU tube due to the valve stem coming off which wasn't reinforced at its junction with the TPU tube like this one is. 

Here you get some context for how wide the TPU tube from AERON is after being in a 700 X 47mm tire. 

 

The 700 x 40mm Donnelly MSO and the Aeron TPU tube installed inside of it. 

Here you see the side view of the Aeron TPU tube in the Donnelly tire

The one nit I have regarding these Aeron TPU tubes is that they are trying to be a solution for too many variances in tire size. As an example, you can see above how the TPU is peeking out of the left side of the Donnelly tire. This is due to Aeron's making this tube to be compatible with 650B diameter tires. 

That's all well and good, but it makes getting this tube inside a 700c wheel and tire a chore. It also puts the user at risk of pinching the TPU material in a place where a patch probably wouldn't work well. Just make these 700c diameter and IF you feel you are missing sales because 650B exists, make some in that diameter. As far as I am aware, Aeron is the only TPU tube available which does things this way and I feel it is misguided and may cause unwanted issues. 

It should be noted that I did not want to use a 40mm tire with this tube so I ended up putting it in the matching Rene Herse tire mentioned in the previous update. I'll be running those wheels and tires as an alternate set for my Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I. I will also be pitting these against the previously reviewed Rene Herse TPU tubes. 

Stay tuned for future updates to this review.  

Review: Aeron TPU Tubes Update #3

 Note: Guitar Ted received Aeron TPU tubes and a patch kit at no charge for test and review from Aeron. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

 I've been testing the Aeron TPU tubes most of this season already. The last update came back in early May. Then the whole BRAN thing happened and I was off doing things in preparation for that trip. Now that I'm back in a regular routine again I have had time to do an experiment with the Aeron tubes to check out something I was curious about. 

That being how an Aeron tube would respond to being taken out of one tire and being put into another. Would the tube be too stretched out to use in a smaller volume tire? Would the TPU be stressed or damaged easily by handling it after having been inflated and ridden a while? 

To learn the answers to these questions I took the front wheel I had been using with these tubes on my Black Mountain Cycles MCD, a wheel with a WTB Nineline 29" X 2.25" tire, and swapping that Aeron tube to a narrower tire. I also decided to go with a different wheel as well, just to make this even a bit more interesting. 

 The tire I chose is a Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge 700 X 55mm tire. The Fleecer Ridge is actually a bit narrower than claimed and in inches would be a 2.1" tire, so slightly narrower than the 2.25 WTB tire, which measured out right at its claimed width. 

The wheel changed from a WTB Proterra i23 to an ancient HED Belgium+ design rim called the Ardennes wheel. It is slightly narrower than the WTB rim internally as it is 21mm internal width. With an obvious change in inner rim profile and a narrower tire, would the Aeron tube be compatible after having been in a larger space? 

Removing the Aeron tube, I noted that it felt very delicate. Maybe it thinned out a bit? But when I aired it up enough to give it some shape for installation in the Rene Herse/HED combination, I observed that the tube was not oversized for the new application. Installation was easy, but it was a delicate operation.  It should also be noted again that these Aeron tubes are spec'ed to work with 650B diameter tires as well as 700c tires. The tube was not stretched out to a 700c diameter requiring a bit of finessing to get the tube into the Fleecer Ridge casing. 

My conclusion is then that - at least for the Aeron TPU tubes - they do stretch to fit a larger tire but they do not stay stretched out if removed. These examples, at least, show some return to original size out of the box, despite their feeling thinner than new as I recall things. 

This is an interesting finding since it would seem that, as long as one handles the TPU tube with care, Aeron TPU tubes can be safely transferred from one wheel to another. The main point being that you have to be very careful with the TPU material and see to it you do not damage the tube by removing it and reinstalling it. 

So, I think the Aeron tubes retain their shape to a degree that you can use a tube from a slightly larger tire and put it into a slightly narrower one. However; I do feel it would be rather easy to damage the TPU material while doing a swap-over. 

More riding will be done soon and I will return with another update later into Summer.  

Review: Aeron TPU Tubes Update #2

  Note: Guitar Ted received Aeron TPU tubes and a patch kit at no charge for test and review from Aeron. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

The TPU tube as an alternative to tubeless and butyl tubes is a debate which still hasn't been settled quite yet. TPU tubes themselves are in a state of evolution. One of the latest brands to enter the TPU market is Aeron. I last updated this review about a month ago HERE. In that article I related how the installation went and my first impressions were given. I also shared with you here that I swapped bicycles due to clearance issues. 

So, here you see my pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD and the wheels are the same as the blue Noble GX5 from the previous post. I am considering changing the tires and the Aeron TPU tubes over to a different wheel set, just for testing sake, later on. But for now, here are my impressions of how these tubes ride and how "living with" these tubes has gone over the better part of a month now. 

There is plenty of length here for deep aero wheels.

First of all, I want to address the valve stem. With a butyl tube you can match your valve stem length to your rim depth. Same thing with tubeless valve stems. There are plenty of choices in stem length for those two standards which will satisfy most wheel rim depths. Not so with the TPU tube choices. Not quite yet. 

I imagine a day will come when one can better match stem lengths to  rim depths, but for now, and specifically for these Aeron TPU tubes, one has to go with the choice available, and this leaves a lot of stem sticking out of my rims. 

This is not a huge concern, but the possibility of a damaged valve stem due to a loose rock strike is greater with this much valve stem extension from the rim. That and these stems have no threading to allow for a sturdier valve/rim interface As I stated, this is not a really big deal, but it is a concern I have. Ideally I'd like to have about half as much stem extension, but Aeron is trying to cover as many bases as possible with this offering, so I understand why my valve stems are so long. And like I said, maybe in the future Aeron will offer various lengths of stem extensions. 

 As far as riding goes, these tubes don't seem to feel odd, nor do they have a rattle, as did the Rene Herse TPU tubes. At least not in this wheel set. I noted the Rene Herse TPU tubes felt.....different,when I was riding them. Not 'bad', buit not like a tubeless ride. Maybe this tire combination masks this with the Aeron tubes, or maybe it just isn't there with the Aeron tubes. The construction is a bit different with Aeron stating this TPU tube is a bit thicker material. Aeron calls it 'Multi-Layer' construction. I am thinking this is the difference in feel. 

It also manifests itself in air retention. TPU is already better than butyl and tubeless set ups when it comes to air retention over a period of time. I'll have some comparisons in my next update, but suffice it to say that if you forget to check your air pressure and you are using AeronTPU tubes, you probably are going to be just fine. 

Rolling resistance is a bit of a question because of my tire choice, and I have not used the WTB Nineline in years. So, I have no real way to say 'this' or 'that' in comparison to another tire. I will say that the tires are not rolling slow, nor do I feel any extra resistance in pedaling up long grades or steep hills. In fact, I am a bit surprised at how well the back tire feels. Typically Teravail Cannonball tires feel overly stiff. This one with the Aeron TPU tube feels pretty nice, actually. 

Okay, that is it for now. I'll be back in about a month, maybe a bit more, with a final review.  

Review: Aeron TPU Tubes

 Note: Guitar Ted received Aeron TPU tubes and a patch kit at no charge for test and review from Aeron. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

I mentioned in a recent FN&V article here that I was receiving some Aeron TPU tubes for testing. Those tubes, and a patch kit, have arrived so now it is time to let you readers know what these TPU tubes are all about. 

Aeron has three levels of TPU tubes available. The Superlite Race AL, The ExtraLite Protect AL, and the ExtraLite Protect. Essentially the differences are that the SuperLite has a thinner TPU than the other two. The ExtraLite Protect AL has an aluminum valve stem while the ExtraLite Protect has a polymer valve stem and costs slightly less. 

Prices are $29.95 USD for the SuperLite Race AL and ExtraLite Protect AL and $24.95 USD for the ExtraLite Protect.

You can check out the range on the Aeron site HERE. 

Aeron TPU patch kit contents

Why TPU? Why Not Run Tubeless? 

This is probably a good place to discuss this, at the beginning, so you will not waste your time with the review if tubeless is your decision no matter what. However; if you have an open mind, there is a good argument to be made for TPU tubes.  

First of all, it is fairly well understood that butyl tubes, the typical "rubber" tubes you probably are familiar with, can puncture and there are several use cases for a different system than a typical tube. For instance, you may ride in an area infested with poky things, like goat heads, or cacti, or glass shards. Tubes are a frustration in these instances because they can fail easily. 

This is where tubeless comes in handy as generally speaking, those poky things will not stop you because the tire self-heals with the aid of sealant. This is great.....when it works. 

Sealant does dry over time, so there is a maintenance factor you get with it. Eventually tires should be cleaned since old sealant cakes up inside tires when it dries out. Valve stems can fail due to the ammonia and latex which is in most sealants. So, you can have this to deal with at times along with the possibility clogged valves at as well.  

Tubeless aficionados put up with this because the ride quality is enhanced by using tires without tubes. Once felt, this can be addictive and hard to think about giving up. On the other hand, tubes can be easily swapped, if the need arises, they hold air well, and there is no sealant maintenance issues, no clogged valves, and no sticky, gooey mess. I won't even get into rim tapes, mounting of tubeless tires, and patching tires when sealant fails to seal up a bigger puncture or tear.  

TPU tubes are far lighter than their butyl counterparts. 

Now what about TPU? How does this material fit in as a tube for a tire? Well, it has a lot going for it. TPU doesn't allow air leakage like a butyl rubber tube does, so it holds pressure for longer than standard tubes and tubeless set ups. But the real advantages come in when you have a failure and need to fix a flat tire.

Remember when I said tubeless is great when it works? Well, there are times when it doesn't. Thus the entire tubeless plug industry. Those plugs are there to help you seal up a leak the sealant cannot manage to seal. Okay.....what's the problem? 

Well, those plugs are great, but you are losing sealant up until the point you get the plug to seal, and this depletes any further protection level should you puncture again. Maybe you get another plug to work, maybe not. 

Of course, you may not have a "plug-sized" hole, because it is a tear, or too big a hole for a plug, and now you've gotta deal with the sealant mess. Now you remember, perhaps, if you are old enough, how you could swap a tube fairly quickly and be on your way again. You could boot a tear with a Power Bar wrapper, (remember those?), or you patched a tube if you weren't in a hurry and kept on truckin'. Do you wish those days were back, but with benefits? This is why you may like TPU tubes. 

They have light weight down. Typically you can save way over 50% in weight over a similar sized butyl rubber tube. You get nearly the same low rolling resistance as tubeless, but none of the downsides. Plus, TPU is less likely to puncture than butyl tubes and the TPU can be patched. Besides, you can swap out a TPU tube in the field, and be on your way again without needing plugs or spraying sealant. Plus TPU is recyclable. So it is a better solution than tubeless from a "green" standpoint.  

UPDATE: I also should mention that any TPU tube should NOT be used with rim brakes. The heat generated by braking on the rim can cause TPU tubes to burst. Only use TPU tubes on disc brake bikes!  

Aeron TPU tube on the left, Tubolito TPU tube on the right. 

TPU's Evolution:

TPU, when it first came out, was not ready for prime time. There were issues with valve stems, which were made of a polymer or TPU material. There were issues with stretching too thin and failures occurred. Early TPU tubes were perhaps too radical in that they were made so thin and lightweight they did not hold up well in real world riding situations. 

As an example, I pulled out an old Tubolito TPU tube I got several years ago. It has a flimsy TPU valve stem, a non-removable valve core, and it was really thin! The "gravel" Tubolito on the right above weighs 33 grams! The Aeron tube weighs 59 grams. The Aeron tube is thicker feeling. It gives me a feeling of confidence in that I won't worry if it will hold up or not. The Tubolito always was in the back of my mind as something which could fail at any moment due to the flimsy feeling material and the sketchy valve stem.   

The Aeron stem is aluminum and has a robust connection with the tube.

Aeron uses a "multi-layer" TPU which you can feel in the hand as a thicker, perhaps tougher material. It is probably why Aeron recommends this TPU tube for anything from a 32mm tire to a 52mm wide tire. Early TPU tubes were not recommended for such a wide range and could split if you pushed them too far in terms of tire width. 

Obviously the aluminum valve stem is much better than the old, flimsy first generation TPU valve stems which, to be honest, were really bad. 

All this to say that TPU tubes have come a long way since the first TPU tubes came out several years ago. 

The Test Set Up:

I'll be putting the Aeron ExtraLite AL TPU tubes in a wheel set I have with different tire sizes for rougher terrain riding. The rear is a Teravail Cannonball 47mm tire while the front is a going to be either a WTB Nineline or Nanoraptor. I have to make sure the tire isn't too wide. 

The next post will show the set up and I'll give you all some first ride impressions. Stay tuned... 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Design Announces Comp El Camino Handlebar:

Ritchey Design makes a lot of cool handlebars and is one of the brands which keeps the "alt bar" flag flying high. Their latest design hearkens back to cruiser bike design and is called the Comp El Camino. 

Featuring a generous 35° degrees of backsweep, 50mm of rise and a 750mm width, the Comp El Camino could be a great addition to many types of bicycles. 

The handlebar is constructed from double butted 6061 aluminum alloy which gets the weight down to a nice 340 grams (claimed) and should result in a nice ride quality. The bar comes in "BB Black" and is priced at $59.95 USD. (€51.90 (inc. VAT), £45.90 (inc. VAT))

Comments: This is a cool handlebar. I cannot count how many times I've seen similar handlebars at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective which were steel, chrome plated, with rust pits, and thought, "This would be such a great handlebar if it were modernized". Well, this El Camino design is about as close as you can get to that old shape but with modern appointments such as the 31.8mm clamp section, room to mount accessories, and in a decent width. 

Image courtesy of Life Time

Sea Otter Soon:

This time in two weeks we will be in the thick of Sea Otter craziness. Before this I would expect several press releases will go live. In fact, I know this because I am sitting on several. (Embargoed, don't cha know!)

Without giving anything away, what can we expect? 

Well, we all are waiting to see what gets shown in the way of 32"ers. I can say there will be news. It definitely will spark debate and attention. 

Besides 32"ers? Well......not a lot to be excited about, really. There is some component news, but nothing earth-shattering. I do suspect Shimano will drop something 13 speed, probably Dura Ace, I don't know, but Shimano typically announces stuff at Sea Otter and the road side is up for change after Shimano overhauled their MTB groups recently. 

SRAM typically has a big deal announcement at Sea Otter as well, so I'd expect something there, but again, we'd probably not be too surprised by anything they would announce either. At this point with electronically controlled shifting the only big surprise I could see would be wireless braking, which SRAM has worked on, and something I'd have ZERO interest in even looking at. Maybe I'm the odd man out. 

At any rate, stay tuned.... Things are going to be busy for a bit on the news front. 

Image courtesy of Vittoria Tires

Vittoria Offers Really Wide Road Tires:

Vittoria Tires says, " Road tires are getting bigger. Much bigger."

Several weeks ago I talked a bit on this site about the move many companies are making to include wider tire clearances on their "endurance" road bike models. 

Vittoria's introduction of a 700 x 38mm and 700 x 42mm Corsa Pro Control road tire points to this being a solid trend. Although it should be mentioned that Vittoria also sees these tires as being replacements for gravel treads where riders are focused more on pavement. 

I'll also mention a comment left on my February 19th post, (link above) mentioned the 42mm Corsa Pro was on a Cervelo as stock, but the person commenting did not know if the tire was available separately. It would appear that this is now the case. 

On their Facebook page, Vittoria posted about the Corsa Pro tires by saying the following: "Developed to bring race-level road performance to the new generation of crossover bikes, these slick tires are built to handle asphalt, pavé, cobbles, and compact gravel while preserving the speed and ride feel of the Corsa PRO family."

Comments: This also lines up with my thoughts of how the "road bikes for the people" will be wider tired, less racy bikes with a LOT more capability when it comes to terrain use. Honestly, a bicycle with 42mm tires like the Corsa Pro tires is right up my alley. There are a lot of times when a tire like this with a wide-range drive train makes tons of sense here, especially a bike that has fender mounts. 

In my opinion, most tread is useless on crushed rock roads. I've ridden a Donnelly tire which was very similar to this Vittoria tire on gravel here and it was fine. You can run the pressures down and on a wider rim something like this, with its lighter weight and nicer ride quality would be awesome. 

Image courtesy of Aeron TPU Tubes

Review Announcement: Aeron TPU Tubes:

 Today I should be receiving some Aeron TPU tubes in the post which I plan on reviewing here for GTP. 

You may have seen my Rene Herse TPU tube review from last year.  I've also looked at WTB TPU tubes, (With an update on those HERE) and the original TPU tube, Tubolito. 

As you might notice from looking at all those reviews and updates, if you do, you will mark a slow evolution in TPU tubes and performance. Most notably around the valve stem part of the TPU tube. 

Manufacturers are still dialing in and fine tuning TPU tubes to be reliable, easy to use, and have better features. My attention has been brought to bear on what Aeron is offering and I thought it would be good to see how this product stacks up against others in this field. 

The Aeron valve stem is partially threaded for grip when using friction interface pumps and screw-on pump heads.  The valve core is removable as well. Aeron claims their tube is a multi-layer construction and this allows the tube to fit anywhere from a 32mm tire to a 52mm tire. Quite a difference from previous TPU tubes I've tried. 

This and the price is just under 30 bucks a pop. So, there is a lot of promise there and the expectations are high. Stay tuned for this review to be started next week.  

That is a wrap for this week. Get out there and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

 Image courtesy of the Rattlesnake Rumble social media:

Rattlesnake Rumble Gravel Race Announced:

On September 4th an announcement went out saying the Mississippi Gravel Cup Series would end after their series of 2025 events were over. This series had been in existence for eight years and had several events in Mississippi. 

But sad news leaving a void is sometimes followed by good news, and this is the case for those in the Southeastern USA now that a new event has been announced. 

This event, dubbed the Rattlesnake Rumble, takes place in the Desoto National Forest where one of the old Mississippi Gravel Cup events was based out of as well. This event features a few distances and costs only $50.00. If you are interested in this early April 2026 event, check out their BikeReg page HERE. 

Image courtesy of AERON/TPU

TPU Tubes Take Hold:

I've been experimenting with TPU tubes for a couple of years now and it seems many riders are taking the new technology and trusting it for their ride.  

Last weekend one of the C.O.G. 40 riders was using TPU tubes in his tires and seemed to be pretty happy with them. However; I also know at least one dissatisfied former TPU tube user. So, not everyone is onboard with TPU tubes. But more and more folks seem to be checking them out.  

Options are becoming available with more features. Last week I mentioned the SILCA TPU tubes, and I may be getting a set of the new AERON TPU tubes to test soon. One other thing I've noted is the recommended width offerings are becoming more wide-ranged. 

So, instead of a TPU tube being recommended for 35mm - 40mm, I'm seeing thing like recommendations from 32mm - 52mm ! I think the stretch-ability of TPU has been found to be more resilient and accommodating than once thought. But unlike butyl rubber tubes, TPU, once stretched, stays stretched. This may not matter, but it is worth noting. 

Look for more on TPU tubes here soon.  

Image courtesy of Bianchi Bicycles

Bianchi Announces New Aluminum Gravel Model:

Bianchi expanded their range of gravel/allroad bicycles by introducing the aluminum version of their Arcadex adventure/gravel bike. Called the Arcadex AL, this bike comes in three colors with a Shimano GRX 610 12 speed mechanical group set. 

Bianchi also states this bike has tire clearance for up to 50mm tires. There are rack and fender mounts, along with accessory mounts on the fork blades making this a good choice for bike packing and adventures.  

Comments: The geometry here is right in the pocket for what I would consider great handling and stability over most surfaces. The seat tube measurements are a tad on the short size for each size, but this is most likely in deference to the dropper post option this frame supports. I couldn't find an updated price, but I would assume this is a reasonably priced, enthusiasts level bike choice. 

Paris - Ancaster 2026 Registration Open:

The classic Canadian event,  Paris - Ancaster, is going to happen on Sunday, April 26th, 2026. Registration for this event is now open (Here) 

This event, which has been held annually since 1994, was on the UCI Gravel World Series calendar for 2025, but there is no indication yet this will be the case for 2026. 

The event is a point-to-point course with three distance options. The "Cento" is 100km, the "Classic" is the original 70km distance, and the "Brevet" is a 45km distance event. Since the event is point-to-point, the starting lines are different for each distance.  

Comments: The event features farm roads, muddy tracks, and difficult sections which have challenged riders for years. This event was one of the first featured on my "Gravel Grinder News" calendar back almost 20 years ago now. Since then I have heard varying takes on the event with some stating it isn't  really a "gravel" event, but it isn't your typical roadie event either, so....

Image courtesy of the Mid-South

2026 Mid-South Registration Opens:

The 2026 Mid-South will be a two-day event this coming year with dates set on  March 12 - 13th. There are several new changes to this event set to take place. 

First and most interesting is the separation of the Pro categories from the amateurs. This coming March the Pro categories will take the start on Friday. Even more interesting is the choice for the Pro's to do the "Double", a 50k run and the 100 mile bicycle event, on the same day.  

All other categories for cyclists will be contested on Saturday as this event has done since its inception. Amateur runners will compete on Friday as well. 

A new finish line area has been designated which will be set up near the new Stillwater Park and Amphitheater. 

The Mega-Mid-South, a 300 mile ultra-distance event, will take place tomorrow out of District Bicycles where the Mid-South registration party will also be happening. Participants can come down and send off the Mega Mid-South riders and stick around for fun and refreshments. Registration will be held online at the Mid-South's online site.  

Image courtesy of Campagnolo

New Super Record X 13 For Campy Brings Gravel An Italian Option:

Campagnolo has dabbled in the gravel category for several years with its groundbreaking, if not popular, Ekar 13 speed group. Now Campagnolo is putting forth an effort to compete at the highest levels of the gravel racing scene with a new 13 speed group called Super Record X. 

A 1X group, this new choice features two choices in cassettes with a 9 - 42T set or a 10 - 48T set. The jumps between gears are relatively small, and in fact, both cassettes are really similar with the only difference being at the extremes. One having a start at 9T and ending at 42T while the other cassette has the same gears minus the 9T and adding the 48T. 

The other important piece here is the crank set. The new Super Record X gets a power meter crank or a non-power metered crank with chain ring sizes ranging from 38T - 48T and the capability to upgrade to a 52T ring. The arms and ring are matched for best aero characteristics.  Lengths range from 165mm to 175mm. The cranks utilize Campy's longstanding Ultra Torque bottom bracket design. 

The rear derailleur is wireless and electronic, of course, with a removable battery which charges in 60 minutes or less. Campy also has made the cage out of carbon fiber with different sized pulleys. The Universal Mount will work with frames set up with the UDH standard or traditional mounts for derailleurs. Maximum tooth range is 48T. 

The levers are borrowed from the current Super record 13 group with the left lever being the only "new" piece seeing as it has only to activate the front brake. Otherwise the shifting is accomplished with a separate lever behind the brake lever on the right side with the return of the famous Campy "thumb lever" on the inside of the upper lever body. 

See more details at Campy's Super record X site HERE. 

That is a wrap for this week! get out and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Hope Tech

Hope Introduces New Carbon Crankset For Gravel Bikes:

Hope Technologies from Barnoldswick, UK, announced this past weekend their new crankset made from carbon fiber for gravel bikes. 

This new crankset features construction from "700 fiber" carbon with a foam core to help reduce vibrations induced by crushed rock roads and other irregularities. Featuring a 30mm spindle, the crank has the capability to have the spindle length swapped out to different lengths, the spiders are separate, and so Hope believes this should "future proof" the investment made into these cranksets by riders. 

These crank sets are available now in 165mm, 170mm, and 175mm lengths. Prices are set at  RRP £575.00 / €722.20 / $752.18 (ex tax) This includes no spider. That will be extra.

Comments: Carbon cranks that have adaptability are a nice thing and Hope is a reputable company, so I think these should be nice. However; why not price them with a spider? Seems odd. Then you have the lengths. It would seem that Hope did not get the short crank arm length memo and will not be offering these in anything shorter than 165mm. And it also seems odd not to offer a 172.5mm length, seeing as how that length is quite popular in road riding circles. 

Image courtesy of RTI Sports Group

Aeron/TPU Offers New TPU Tube With Aluminum Valve Stem:

One of the nits I have had with TPU tubes is the plastic/TPU material used for the valve stems. It is flimsy and easily damaged while trying to use a pump.  

RTI Sports Group, which also owns Ergon, says that the new Aeron/TPU brand will offer aluminum stems with removable valve cores in MTB, Road and Gravel sizes soon. 

These stems will only be found on the Superlight range of TPU tubes. These will appear in Spring for sale. A "more competitively priced" TPU stem variant will be available in May. Aeron/TPU says that these new tubes for gravel will weigh in at a paltry 30 grams! The TPU material valve stem range will weigh more.  

Comments: I hope to get a hold of a set to test out, but in the meantime, it is hard to imagine a 30 gram tube. The expense is not known yet, but I am a bit afraid to know seeing that normal TPU tubes are anywhere from $25.00 - $35.00 each. Stay tuned for more on these. 

The Salsa Cycles Tributary C GRX 820 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Announces New Tributary Range:

Salsa Cycles announced on Tuesday of this week their new carbon fiber frame and fork Tributary eBikepacking bikes. 

The range consists of three spec levels with three different paint schemes.  The GRX 820, (pictured here) is made from a high-modulus carbon fiber and comes with the Bosch Performance Line Speed Mid-Drive electric motor. The motor has 85Nm maximum torque on tap with a 625WH internal battery. A battery extender is also available for extending the electric assist range. The other bikes in the range have suspension forks and otherwise similar electric motor and battery specs. 

The frame also has clearance for a 29" X 2.3" tire. The Tributary C has internal dropper post compatibility and is also UDH compatible. The other two models in the range are the Tributary C Rival AXS Sus, and Tributary C Force Sus, with the SRAM drive trains, obviously. 

Prices are as follows in the USA: Tributary C GRX 820 - $5,499.00. Tributary C Rival AXS Sus - $6,499.00. Finally, the Tributary C Force XO AXS Sus - $7,999.00. 

You can learn more about Salsa Cycles electrified bike range HERE. 

Image courtesy of UCI

UCI Loses Date For Gravel Worlds Championships:

In a somewhat shocking announcement on Tuesday the UCI announced that the date for the Gravel Cycling World Championships was taken off the calendar. 

In a story reported on several cycling websites it was said that the decision to take the date away from Nice, France was a mutually agreed upon decision and that several new venues were being considered. 

The original date for the championship event was to be in mid-October. No suggestions for where the championships will eventually be held was given at the time of this writing.

Comments: Well! I know where the UCI could bring this event (Iowa) and run it on "real gravel"! Ha! I'm sure that since the Nebraska version of Gravel Worlds has trade marked the name, "Gravel Worlds" in the USA, the UCI won't be too quick to visit us with this event. I also do not doubt for one second that if the UCI had its way that Unbound would happen in October and be the Gravel World Championships race. It would be a shortened version of the old DK200, probably somewhere around 120 miles, since the UCI likes their events to be around the 5 hour mark.  

This Gravel Worlds Championship Race would be televised and there would be follow cars, team cars and basically everything as it would be if the course was paved. It is what the UCI knows. A "real" gravel race? Not so much. It is not what I would do, but then again, every Pro rider would throw a fit and not come to an event as I would do it. Therein lies the point. 

Image courtesy of Singular Cycles

Singular Cycles Teases New Kookaburra Rim Brake Bike:

Did you get the Singular newsletter in your inbox yesterday? If you did, you saw the prototype for this new Singular model dubbed the Kookaburra. 

It is  a lugged steel, thin-tubed, one inch steer tube rim brake bike that reportedly will take a 700c X 55mm tire.  

There is no pricing or definitive delivery date on this model, but Sam Alison, of Singular, stated that he believes it will be in later this year. Sign up for the Singular newsletter and get updates on this model if you are interested as there probably will be a limited number of these made. 

Comments: Oh no....... This is right up my alley and would be a bike I would ride a lot. Especially if it were single speed compatible, which is usually a staple of Singular design, so I would suspect this model would conform to that pattern. 

At any rate, I was smitten by a Rivendell Atlantis at one point many years ago when I had to test ride a customers bike in for repair. The Atlantis was a unicorn bike for me and being a Riv, very expensive to boot. Needless to say I never ended up with one. However; that experience has haunted me and this Kookaburra could be the antidote to my missing out on an Atlantis. 

IF I were to bite on this I would immediately retire TWO bikes I have. This is a big "IF" though, as I have no idea what the Kookaburra will cost, and this will determine my decision. Needless to say, I am very interested.

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Aeron

Left-overs  From Eurobike & Gravelly News:

Aeron TPU Tubes Announced:

TPU tubes are a newer technology applied for tubes for bicycle tires that boasts the advantage of about 1/3rd the weight of comparable butyl rubber tubes, lowered rolling resistance at the similar levels that tubeless tires would have, and being 100% recyclable and repairable. 

One of the downsides to TPU is that previous to these new Aeron tubes, the valve stem attachment to the TPU has been somewhat troublesome in some cases. Also, due to the smoothness of the valve stems on most TPU tubes, pump heads had a proclivity to pop off during inflation. Aeron, a new brand under the same parent company as Ergon, has claimed to have solved these issues. 

Aeron has a new way to attach the valve stems to TPU and claims it is much better than the competition. Also, they have added a textured surface to the stem to help pump heads stay on during inflation. 

Aeron will have a wide range of TPU tubes for road, MTB, and gravel bikes. I am going to focus on the gravel range they will offer which should be available at the start of 2025. 

Interestingly, Aeron will offer three levels of TPU with varying weights and puncture protection characteristics. They call these (from lightest/thinnest to heaviest/thickest) SuperLite Race, ExtraLite Protect, and UltraProtect. Size ranges have not been announced but given what we can see on their site now, even if you went with the heaviest UltraProtect TPU tubes for gravel use they would still only weigh 128 grams.

Comments: This TPU tube thing is heating up and I believe it will be a very popular choice amongst many riders over tubeless tires. Air retention is fabulous. You get puncture protection at a fantastic light weight, You get lowered rolling resistance on par with tubeless tires without the hassles of sealant. Plus these are 100% recyclable now. Yes, they are a bit spendy, but Aeron is posting on their site that the UltraProtect tubes, which are the most expensive option in the gravel category, are only about 27 bucks US. That's not terrible. I suspect prices will become somewhat less with more competitors in the niche as well. 

I believe TPU will overtake butyl rubber tubes for high performance bikes very soon and will be a neck-and-neck competitor with tubeless soon. I base this on the promises of TPU and that one of my most popular posts of 2024 has been my review of WTB TPU tubes. That post is on pace to be - perhaps - my #1 post of 2024 and has already beaten the #1 post for hits from last year. So, there ya go! Interest is high for this technology.

Image courtesy of Feedback Sports

Feedback Sports Shows New E-Bike Home Repair Stand:

This repair stand from Feedback Sports is pretty interesting as it can lift your bike for you to a height that allows you to work on it comfortably. It operates on electricity, and the telescoping mast is driven by a motor at the base of the stand. The operator of the stand needs only to press the lift switch with a foot so your hands are free to steady the bike.

The stand can lift up to 110lbs/50Kg, so those tandems, touring bikes with all the bags on, and eBikes, of course, should all go right up. When finished with the work, the light workstand (54lbs shipped) can be rolled on wheels out of the way.

The Pro E Lift repair stand will retail for $1,200.00 and will be available in January of 2025. 

Comments: Powered repair stands are a smart addition for any shop and especially smart for any cycling enthusiast that owns eBikes, tandems, cargo bikes, or heavier bikes that are difficult to lift. The Feedback repair stand jaws/clamp is easy to use and well designed. I have a really old one that I use that is finally ready for replacement, but lasted many years. 

It's pricey, but your back is worth it. Especially if you work in a shop that does a lot of repairs. 

Wildfires Nix Crusher In The Tushar For 2024:

Ongoing wildfires in the area of the course for the Crusher in the Tushar have forced organizers to announce that the event will not happen in 2024. Rebates and deferrals on entries are being offered via the event website to current roster spot holders. 

Comments: Honestly, I am surprised with how many gravel events we have located in the Rockies that we have not seen this before. It seems as though we have massive amounts of wildfires every Summer anymore, so the chances would seem great that a major event cancellation would occur at some point. 

And now it has and this event is a Life Time Grand Prix event. So now the series had to rejigger things to reflect this event cancellation as well. 

Ridge Road + Gravel Sportif Announced:

On August 17th, 2024, at Church Farm Cafe in Aldbury, Tring, which is Northwest of London, there will be a road or gravel sportif held. 

Riders can expect about 60 miles of "rolling hills and picturesque villages of the Chilterns", according to the press release.  Afterward there will be a barbecue held at the Church Farm Cafe put on by the Suave Foods team. Registration is open now and you can check out further details at the event site HERE.

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Cutthroat Upgraded For SRAM UDH:

Salsa Cycles announced on Tuesday of this week that its venerable Cutthroat carbon bikepacking/gravel/adventure bike has been upgraded to be SRAM UDH compatible. 

This allows Cutthroat buyers to have the option for SRAM Transmission groups or to just have a more commonly available rear hangar for other derailleurs. 

Salsa also upgraded the material that their protective frame plates is made from in the latest Cutthroat models. Along with this, the fork is now all carbon fiber construction going forward. 

Comments: The Cutthroat has gone largely unchanged since its introduction in 2015 with a major evolution done in 2020 which saw Boost spacing introduced along with a new fork and the frame protection plates. That said, you'd be forgiven if you couldn't see the difference. 

But almost a decade of the Cutthroat already? Amazing. Time flies. I'm not sure if Salsa was thinking along the same lines but this new colorway is reminiscent of the original Cutty colors which featured an orange and light aqua color as well.  (The original Cutty had an all black Firestarter fork on it borrowed from the Fargo of the day..) 

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles folks!