Silca Ultimate 700c TPU Road/Gravel Tube

When Silca first release this it was met with some blowback based on the price, especially compared to brand x options at roughly 20% the price. Might as well compare Dura Ace to Sora. This is priced at the higher end of any TPU tube but there are design/quality/performance benefits and you may appreciate or discount those values accordingly.

I've tried TPU tubes over the years and generally found found issues that prevent me from being comfortable using them. #1 is flimsy/cheap plastic valve, poorly bonded to the tube. This makes them prone to to leaks and without a retaining nut even the simple act of pressing on a pump head to top off before a ride stresses that valve/tube and can lead to failure. #2 is that the valve itself is often bonded instead of threaded and therefore opening/closing can break that bond.

The Silca design addresses every issue I've ever had (and they have a nifty intro video on YouTube covering this). The valve stem is full metal, threaded. If you're familiar with tubeless, you realize that itself is roughly half the selling price of this tube. It's also got a metal reinforcement plate against the inside of the rim and a retaining nut for the outside to secure the tube. Silca additionally uses a special (patented) welding process for the tube seam that appears to be more reliable than competitor's designs.

There's also one "marginal gain" aspect of the design I was not aware of until I researched it more - the tube color (or lack thereof). Those low price brand-x tubes come in varying bright/obnoxious colors, which I'd considered harmless since the tube is hidden inside the tire. That color comes by adding powder to the TPU mix (which is, at base, colorless). That additive actually reduces the performance of the TPU, making it stiffer, less expansive when inflating, and adds rolling resistance. You'll likely never notice the difference, but it does make one wonder why the manufacturer would be adding cost to the product and process that serves no functional purpose and actually hurts performance a bit.

So haters can hate, but I've finally found a TPU tube that's high performance, high quality, easy/reliable, and I'm actually converting all my bikes BACK from tubeless to using these TPU tubes. The higher price, to me, is consistent with the higher quality and performance that I consider necessary. I will concede, though, that I think these may be overkill/overpriced for carrying as a spare tube whose primary purpose is to get me back home, which seems like a perfectly fine scenario for those brand-x options (even if it means I carry 2 in order to be assured that one will hopefully work).

I like that this tube has a removable valve core to add an extender but I believe the tube is too thin to support the metal valve. Others like the Pirelli are thicker but do not have a metal valve. I believe it adds too much stress to the tube so beware if you plan to add an extender to this tube.

I do prefer the pirelli but their valve lengths don't fit all of my wheels.

I just installed these TPU tubes on Vision carbon wheels with Conti GP5000's. Easy install. I was able to put the 30mm Conti's on the wheel just by using my hands; likely enabled by the thinner tube material. I love the positive lock on the metal valve stem to "locate" the stem when pushing on or pulling off the floor pump. Long term reliability is yet to be assessed, but I expect positive results; and less faff than tubeless.

These tubes perform similar to other TPU tubes I've used. However, the bonded alloy valve makes them a better choice in my opinion. Some other TPU tubes I've used have failed where the valve and tube are connected. These Silca tubes appear to be much better constructed in that regard. They are expensive, but really, all TPU tubes are.