Pirelli SmarTUBE rolls out ultra lightweight reinforced innertubes for road, gravel & MTB

Written by Jessie-May Morgan May 13, 2021 10:42 a.m. ET

pirelli smartube ultra lightweight road innertube gravel mtb versions reinforced puncture protection tpu

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Pirelli have released a new line of ultra lightweight innertubes for road, gravel and MTB clincher tires. The new Pirelli SmarTUBEs swap out standard butyl for a new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), the lighter and and stronger option. The brand claim their P ZERO SmarTUBE for road, Cintauro SmarTUBE for Gravel and Scorpion SmarTUBE for MTB save up to 70% on weight and 50% on space with their ultra compact design. Here’s more.

Pirelli SmarTUBE

The new Pirelli SmarTUBE line came about following the development of their World Tour tubular, the P ZERO Race Tub SL, which runs a SmarTUBE inside. Just like the lightweight innertubes offered by Tubolito and Schwalbe, the new SmarTUBE innertubes for clincher tires are composed of TPU plastic.

They can save up to 70% on weight as compared to some already lightweight latex options, and TPU has better air retention properties. For those concerned with their wheels’ rotating mass, these could be a very attractive option. The TPU also offers twice the puncture protection over a standard butyl tube.

pirelli p zero smartube tpu innertube road clincher tires 700c — The Pirelli P ZERO and Cinturato SmarTUBEs are permitted for use with both rim brakes and disc brakes

There are three options available, specified to fit road, gravel and mountain bike tires. The Pirelli P ZERO SmarTUBE covers road applications for 700c wheels running 23c to 32c clincher tires. With a 60mm Presta valve with glued core, this one weighs in at a svelte 35g.

The Cintaurato SmarTUBE for gravel is available in four options, covering both 650b and 700c wheel sizes with heavier reinforced options too. The 650b version is not reinforced; it weighs a claimed 45g and is specified for use with 40c to 45c tires. The non-reinforced 700c option weighs a claimed 49g and is recommended for use with 33c to 45c tires.

Pirelli offer two reinforced versions of the 700c Cintaurato SmarTUBE. The 28c to 35c option runs a 60mm Presta valve and weighs a claimed 70g. The fatter option for 35c to 45c tires runs a shorter 42mm Presta valve and weighs a claimed 110g.

pirelli scorpion smartubemtb for mountain bike tires — The Pirelli Scorpion SmarTUBE for mountain bike tires not recommended for use with rim brakes

Finally, we have the Pirelli Scorpion SmarTUBE, named after their line of gravity tires developed with Fabien Barel. There’s a 29″ and 27.5″ option for tires up to 2.6″ wide, weighing 100g and 95g, respectively. There’s also a narrower 29″ XC option (1.8″ to 2.2″) weighing a claimed 75g. All run 42mm Presta valves.

Pricing & Availability

All options of the new Pirelli SmarTUBE innertubes for clincher tires retail at $36.90 USD and are available now.

Pirelli.com

Jessie-May Morgan

1,362 articles

Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all its weird and wonderful technology for 4 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley.

Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can often be seen riding the Glentress Trail Center, and its neighboring Enduro and Downhill Tracks. She regularly competes in Enduro at a national level, and has recently competed on the World Stage at a handful of Enduro World Series events.

For Bikerumor, Jessie-May is testing the latest mountain bikes, equipment and kit, letting readers know what’s hot and what’s not.

For context, she weighs 60kg and stands at 5ft 4″ tall (163cm).

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Ron

2 years ago

The tubolito have been freakishly great on my ride, so the more the merrier for this type of tube.

rodegeek

2 years ago

Possibly these are manufactured by Tubilito.

Arlekun

2 years ago

A direct comparaison with the tubolito range would have been nice in this article… I guess I’ll do it myself.

Dylan Sutton

2 years ago

CyclingTips are reporting that Pirelli are saying these tubes aren’t repairable.

FWIW, TPU fabrics are used for the manufacture of whitewater pack rafts, and absolutely IS repairable, though in-field repair would probably be too time consuming for most cycling applications.

For a small puncture, the best/simplest repair would be to use aquaseal glue, a small drop injected through the hole would do the trick nicely, as long as you take care to stop the sides of the tube getting glued together while it dries.

nathan b

2 years ago

Reply to Dylan Sutton

i think most rafts are 1.5- 2.5 psi so its possible results are different with 20x the pressure…

Robin

2 years ago

Reply to nathan b

Both Tubolito and Schwalbe sell patch kits for their TPU tubes.

GarudaBlend

1 year ago

My big question is whether these accept a threaded pump fitting. Having run Tubolito and Schwalbe TPU tubes (which don’t) it’s not the end of the world, but like Wooderson says, “it’d be a lot cooler if you did”