EB15: Schwalbe airs out world’s (almost) lightest inner tubes

Would be nice to make a version for road disc bikes, that’s the only place I can see these getting any real use.

Hm, I’m wondering why they didn’t make a good CX option. Seems like a good alternative to the mediocre Challenge latex options for those that don’t want/can’t run tubulars. And I’m sorry, but Tubeless just isn’t there yet on CX stuff. Too low of pressure and too extreme conditions for me to run tubeless reliably without burping.

Still a good idea to carry a tube even though you’re tubeless, so these lighter tubes are still a win for us all.

I’m with Ryan. I run tubeless 100% of the time but I’m buying these for my camelbak flat repair kit. I carry two spare tubes for backcountry epics and these will knock 200g off my back. I just hope they are big enough for 2.4″ tires.

These remind me of the FOSS tubes from several years back.

If they are that sensitive to heat, it would also be a good idea not to leave your bike in the sun in extremely hot temperatures. That situation can cause even normal tubes to pop.

Same puncture protection for 1/3 of the weight. Does this mean that the stuff is roughly 3 times stronger?
Then, could they use it to create a tube that would weight as much as a normal one, but would be much more resistant to punctures (and maybe also less sensitive to heat?). I would be more interested in that.

I grew up in Arizona where daytime temps could top 120 degrees. Never once had a tube pop because of heat, even on road tires running 100 psi. Maybe if you left it in your car for a few hours.

I can’t believe we are talking about tubes for mountain bikes. Tubeless people. There is no argument on this topic. Less flats, less pressure, better traction, better rolling, lighter. What else is there to say.

Let’s say you leave your bike outside, and the temp outside heats up from 60°F to 120°. In Kelvin that’s a change from 288.7K to 322K, an increase by a factor of 11.5%, causing the pressure to go up by 11.5%. I would hate to imagine what sort of insane pressures someone has to be running for such a small pressure change to pop an inner tube. The temperature certainly isn’t going to cause a temperature related failure of an inner tube.

I can understand being on a budget and not wanting to invest in proper CX equipment, but at that point is the 100g penalty for a single butyl tube compared to this tube that would cost $60 for a pair really that important?

“Schwalbe says they hold air just as well as butyl rubber tubes and have equal puncture protection”

I don’t flat very often here in the tight trails of the northeast but I have been working in the cycling industry for my whole life ( barring a few years of other stuff) and at 43 I can say that I am not going back from tubeless, backup or no backup tube. I take care of my line choices before I ride ’em by looking ahead. I have burped a 26″x 2.3″ tire once while riding at 17psi while in California near Santa Cruz with about 25 other guys. Never burped one on Vancouver Island, Whistler or anywhere else I’ve ridden since 1990. So explain to me why I need a recyclable tube that I can’t turn into anything after?

The best application of the material would be to make a lighter Procore…maybe where the tube and inner ‘tire’ are one.

Instead of having to take a backup tube, I’ve had great experience riding with a thorn resistant heavy duty tube and no need to worry about punctures. For commuting and general riding, the extra weight of the heavy duty tube is well worth it…

I leave my tubeless tires on my mountain bike, but on my gravel/commuter I swap between 4 different sets of tires, so tubeless would be annoying. However, all those tires are 30-38c, so I can’t benefit from these. Are you listening, Schwalbe? CATER TO MY NEEDS.

Padrote, you must have people running insane pressures, abusing their equipment, and storing their kit in kilns.