I think the concept of the TPU bike tubes is a great idea, and I've tried another brand with mixed results. The performance and comfort was there, but the reliability was spotty. Some tubes would last the life of the tire, others would fail early with slow leaks. The Pirelli tubes have been much better: They resist kinking or twisting when mounting, feel more durable than brand "X" and so far have been trouble free. I like being able to run lower pressures than butyl, and the weight savings makes them almost equal to tubeless, but without the hassle and mess. Granted if you do have a blowout it's an expensive tube to throw away, but it's a great way to get near-tubeless performance without the goop.
I first thought, "Oh I should try latex tubes...everyone using them now, eh ? "
Yeah, well I did that, I hated them!!! De-mounted them and threw them away !!! They loose like 30 lbs overnight.
Then, okay, I want to go back to old traditional "smooth stem butyl tubes".
So I tried Pirelli for the first time. EASILY THE BEST butyl tube I have ever bought.
Easy to mount, smooth, and they don't loose much pressure over night...if any at all.
Great Tube !! Pirelli !
I see why it's such a popular saddle ' incredibly comfortable. First of all, the center cut-out is a game changer. I was experience numbness on my old Fizik saddle (though it wasn't always that way; the problem developed this season), so going to the cut-out saddle IMMEDIATELY solved this. ZERO numbness. Why didn't I switch sooner?
Aside from that, it's surprisingly well suited to endurance riding despite the minimal padding. It took about 50 miles to break in, but since then I don't even feel the thing. Perhaps after the 60 miles mark on my rides I start becoming "aware" of the contact points on the saddle, but it's minimal. Still, for being such a short and compact shape, I find a surprising amount of positions on it. As advertised, you can really ride comfortably on the nose of this thing and put the power down.
Highly recommended. Just get it.
FYI: I have 110mm sit bones and bout the S3 (130mm wide) version. I've put 200 miles on this saddle now, with the longest single ride being 65 miles. It's mounted to a Canyon Endurace CF SL.
I've had good luck with the Silca sealants, it's very sticky and seals up almost anything even on a road tire for me. I like that this is injectable now, I don't have to break the bead of the tire to do the pour in method. Just go slow with the injector and it won't clog up with fiber bits.
I haven't had this long enough to test the 6 month claim, but if it lasts that long, this is a game changer. I can do a spring/fall switchout and be good for the year.
