TPU Tube and Sealant Restock

An eagerly awaited shipment showed up at the Rene Herse headquarters here in Seattle. All TPU tubes and the innovative TPU sealant are back in stock. However, with pre-orders taken care of, some models are already running low again.

Why has production still not caught up with demand, more than a year after these products have been introduced? Usually, we see a big spike in demand when new products are launched. Once the initial demand is satisfied, things slow down a bit. That hasn’t been the case with our TPU tubes. What we see is riders first buying one set for their favorite bike, then coming back for more as they convert the rest of their fleet. And then they tell their friends how much they like them, and the cycle starts anew.

Why do so many cyclists switch to TPU tubes, when the industry and mainstream media keep pushing tubeless tires? There is no doubt that tubeless is great in many applications—anytime you’re riding in terrain so rough that you’ve got to worry about pinch flats or sidewall cuts. That’s where tubeless shines, and that’s why most Rene Herse tires are tubeless-compatible. We’ve even developed our own Supple Sealant, that’s specially formulated for supple tires.

Compared to tubeless, the appeal of TPU tubes lies in greater speed—no liquid sealant sloshing around in your tires to slow you down—and lower maintenance. No more wanting to start a ride and finding that your tires have gone flat overnight for no apparent reason. And no more worrying about your sealant having dried out inside your tires.

Compared to butyl tubes, TPU tubes are faster, stronger, lighter, and offer better ride feel. In the past, you could get most of those advantages with latex tubes, but you had to inflate them daily. TPU tubes are even lighter, just as fast, and don’t bleed air as quickly.

Early TPU tubes had a reputation of being unreliable. The TPU material wasn’t always extruded perfectly, leading to tubes that had weak spots. And the plastic valve stems often leaked where the metal valve core was screwed in, causing tubes to go flat mysteriously. Our Made-in-Germany TPU tubes solve those problems with high-quality construction and patented all-metal valves.

What about the tubeless sealant that seals small punctures, especially from those pesky steel wires that litter many highway shoulders? That’s where the innovative Rene Herse TPU Sealant comes in. It also seals small punctures. And since it’s inside the tube, it doesn’t need to be replenished as often as tubeless sealant. The smaller 100 ml bottle even allows you to inject the sealant directly from the bottle (above). (The more economical 500 ml bottle is too large to fit between the spokes of the wheel.)

TPU tubes aren’t for every rider and terrain. There’s no doubt that pro racers like Brennan Wertz (above in stars-and-stripes jersey), Jenna Rinehart and Ted King will continue to run their Rene Herse tires tubeless. When you’re putting out that kind of power while riding virtually blind in a big peloton, your tires are under a huge amount of stress. Tubeless (and our race-proven Endurance and Endurance Plus casings) help these riders reach the finish, while the low rolling resistance of our supple casings and computer-optimized tread leave their legs fresher, with more in reserve for a final attack or sprint.

For the rest of us, TPU tubes can work well even on the same terrain. The Flint Hills of Kansas are renowned for eating tires, yet I’ve ridden Unbound XL twice (above) on TPU tubes. I also set the FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the Oregon Cascades Volcanic Arc bikepacking route with TPU tubes. Taken together, that’s more than 1000 miles of really rough terrain—and zero problems.

At Rene Herse Cycles, we feel that there’s a place for tubeless and for TPU tubes, depending on where and how you ride, and your individual preferences. That’s why we support both technologies.

More information:

• 700C TPU tubes
• 650B / 26″ TPU tubes
• TPU sealant and patches
• Supple Sealant for tubeless tires
• Ultralight NUDA carbon minipump in the top photo

Photo Credit: Marc Arjol Rodriquez / Velophoto.tx (Brennan at Gravel Locos, Jan at Unbound XL)