Biketube Brand TPU Advantage

How are Biketube Brand TPU tubes better than the competition?

Not all TPU tubes are made equal, and the small details can be the difference between your TPU being a reliable spare or leaving you stranded. Biketube Brand set out to intentionally make TPU tubes that are the highest quality at the lowest cost to you. 

TPU Material

Quality and consistency are the most important aspects of inner tube material. Unlike other popular TPU brands, we source all our TPU material from Germany. This is not the cheapest way, but by starting with the highest quality source material, we can make the very best quality TPU tube casing with consistent material properties and wall thickness.

Pricing

TPU tubes have a reputation for extremely high prices, which makes sense when the large players charge more than $30.00 for a single tube. These companies are large, multinational organizations with sponsored athletes and massive marketing budgets that have to be supported by inflated prices.

Cheap alternatives exist from places like aliexpress or amazon, but have compromised quality with very thin materials, inconsistent manufacturing and low grade plastic valves.

Biketube Brand doesn't need to increase prices to pay for famous athlete sponsorships or massive marketing programs. Instead we are a small team in the U.S. that relies on the word of mouth from happy customers to get the word out about our high quality TPU tubes that don't break the bank.

Tube Wall Thickness

Not all inner tubes have the same amount of material or come with the same thickness of inner tube. Some brands focus entirely on the advertised weight of their TPU tubes and build tubes with walls thinner than 0.20mm thick. They believe that you the customer will be swayed by the lightest tube and not consider the actual usability of that tube. Other brands cut corners on the consistency of their tube thickness and have to rely on thicker material to address the issues with manufacturing inconsistencies, which adds unneeded weight.

Biketube Brand TPU tubes are manufactured with purpose specific wall thicknesses. Road and Gravel tubes are 0.22mm thick, Mountain tubes are 0.25mm thick and the Heavy Duty TPU tubes are 0.50mm thick. Our TPU quality and tube thickness are what allows our tubes to be both disc brake and rim brake compatible, tested to a temp of 130 degrees Celsius(266 degrees Fahrenheit). They are also able to be inflated using proper CO2 technic by filling the tube in short bursts so you don't freeze the valve and inflator head.

Each specific tube is designed and built with the best balance of durability, packability and weight.  Not too much, not too little, just right.

Valve Construction

The valve is perhaps the most critical detail of a TPU inner tube. Once installed, it is where the tube interacts with the outside world, is the biggest point of stress, and interacts with your pump throughout the year. 

Almost all TPU brands cut corners on their valves by using plastic. While a plastic valve results in an overall lighter weight tube, it also saves the brand money and will likely cause you headaches down the road.

Biketube Brand makes our TPU tubes with a proprietary hybrid Alloy/Carbon Reinforced TPU construction to maximize the perforce of each part of the valve. The Alloy upper shaft provides positive thread engagement for the valve core, eliminating the mysterious leaks that occur with plastic valve stems.

The Alloy upper uses an industrial strength bond to a Carbon Reinforced Lower to provide the needed flexibility and positive connection at the tube which a full metal valve cannot provide. The Carbon Reinforced Lower is then welded to the TPU tube to ensure an airtight and long lasting connection.

Once the valves are made, each is individually tested to 130PSI to ensure there are no leaks or failures, bringing you peace of mind.

Weight

Weight is one of the primary benefits TPU offers over butyl, but as we've discussed, how the low weight is achieved has a direct impact on the quality and long term usability of the tube. Biketube Brand TPU may weigh a little more due to our superior valves and intentional wall thickness, but we believe that these choices provide the goldilocks balance that makes our TPU tubes the best option before price is considered, and a no brainer when price is a factor.

Check out this comparison chart for a common 29 inch mountain bike TPU tube and see where we stack up.

Packaging Choices

Before a TPU inner tube is installed in your tire, whether it is a spare for a tubeless set up or you run TPU tubes full time, the tube must be packaged, shipped, delivered to you and likely will be added to a repair kit or seat bag. This is why Biketube Brand also put a great deal of thought into how we package our TPU tubes.

Every TPU tube comes wrapped in a custom sized band to help keep the tube compact and manageable as a spare. We also include TPU patches and alcohol wipes so you are ready and prepared for real world. These little touches cost us more, but we know that by including them you will have a better overall experience.

In Conclusion

You may not have realized there are so many factors when it comes to the humble inner tube, but each requires careful consideration to ensure the performance of the whole tube. We've focused on the details to provide what we believe is the best TPU tube on the market.