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'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.
I run my cross bike singlespeed, and I use it for bad weather commuting. Once my cross season tires are worn out, I switch over to something faster for the spring/summer/dry seasons. I wanted to have some puncture protection, and something big, and the 40mm version of these tires are working out great.
They roll fine. I know they aren't the fastest thing in this size, but honestly how many 40mm tires are fast rolling anyway, if you got a 40mm tire, you wanted it for another reason than FAST.
They are super cush. I run them around 30-35 psi most of the time, and it's a dream. I filled with sealant and they don't leak through sidewalls or anything.
I did mount them to a pair of 9Velo gravel wheels, and it was a tough fight. Used levers, they popped on, after that was all good though, inflated clean and held air even without sealant for days. All good there.
No issues really with the tire though, I guess they are heavy, but again, I didn't buy a 40mm tire thinking it'd be light. I wanted something to get me from A to B, not puncture, and was faster than a knobby cross tire.
