TPU Tubes
Instructions
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More Information
The sizes of Rene Herse TPU tubes overlap. Which size should I use?
You can use both sizes. The smaller size will be lighter. The larger size will stretch a bit less and thus be a little stronger. If you run wide rims, use the larger size, since the actual width of your tires may be a bit wider than what’s printed on the sidewall.
What tires and rims are Rene Herse TPU tubes compatible with?
Rene Herse TPU tubes are compatible with all tires—tubless-compatible or not—and all rims—hookless or with hooks.
Can I run TPU tubes with rim brakes? Are they heat-reistant?
TPU tubes have a higher melting point than butyl tubes. They are safe with rim brakes.
Can TPU tubes be inflated with CO2 cartridges?
Inflating with CO2 cartridges is not recommended. The sudden pressure can break the tube, especially as the expanding CO2 is extremely cold, which makes the TPU material brittle. However, TPU tubes are safe to use in sub-freezing temperatures—the tire insulates the tube from sudden temperature changes (unless you inflate the tube with freezing CO2).
Can TPU tubes be patched?
Patching TPU tubes is simple: Wipe the tube with alcohol, then apply a self-adhesive Rene Herse patch. (Alcohol wipes are included with the Rene Herse patch kit.) That’s much easier than patching a butyl tube, where you roughen the surface with sandpaper and deal with messy vulcanizing fluid.
Can Rene Herse TPU tubes be used on gravel bikes?
Rene Herse TPU tubes have slightly thicker walls, so they are extra-strong. They resist pinch flats far better than butyl tubes. We’ve raced them in Unbound XL and set FKTs on ultra-tough bikepacking routes with Rene Herse TPU tubes, without any problems.
Is there a maximum pressure or maximum rider weight for Rene Herse TPU tubes?
The maximum pressure is determined by your tire and rim. Rene Herse TPU tubes themselves do not have a rider weight limit.
Can I run Rene Herse TPU tubes on aero wheels?
Rene Herse TPU tubes are available with 50 mm and 70 mm valves, so they work on most aero rims. However, we don’t recommend using valve extenders if your rim requires an even longer valve stem. Screwing on the extender can break the valve/tube interface.
Why don’t Rene Herse TPU tubes have valve nuts?
The smooth valve stems work much better with slip-on pump heads. (You can also use pumps with screw-on hoses—they attach to the threaded valve core, not to the smooth valve stem.) With tubes, the nuts don’t really serve a purpose—it’s actually better if the valve can realign itself if the tube isn’t installed perfectly centered.
On European city bikes, the nut prevents the valve from being pulled into the tire if you ride on stiff tires and forget to pump up your tires until the pressure is almost zero. Obviously, that’s not something you’ll ever do on a performance bike.
Can I run tubeless sealant in TPU tubes?
Latex-based sealant will not react with TPU tubes, so it will not seal punctures. That’s why we’ve developed the Rene Herse TPU Sealant, which seals small punctures.
There are many performance claims about bike parts. How did you test the performance of your TPU tubes?
We tested Rene Herse TPU tubes against ultralight butyl tubes in carefully controlled roll-down tests, on a real road with a rider on the bike. These test results translate directly to the real world. In the past, we’ve tested latex tubes against butyl tubes, and the performance advantage of the TPU tubes was the same for latex tubes.
