Panaracer calls their latest Purple Lite inner tubes the “next evolution in lightweight TPU tubes“. So, what makes them special – beyond their nice ‘on-brand’ purple color, of course? Well, we wanted to see for ourselves, so I got a few to test them out. And it turns out there are a couple of little details that make them stand out from the growing TPU pack. But there’s still one drawback, which we expect Panaracer will address in the near future.
Panaracer Purple Lite lightweight road & gravel TPU tubes
Quietly rolled out at the end of last year, Panaracer is the latest tire manufacturer to offer their own light TPU inner tubes with the new Purple Lites. Just two sizes are on offer – one for road and one for gravel, plus two different valve length options.
From a performance benefit standpoint, it seems there’s not much difference from one TPU tube to the next – assuming quality manufacturing. They all promise reduced rolling resistance, improved puncture resistance, and lighter weights compared to classic butyl… just with more expensive price tags. There are essentially just 2 real differentiation characteristics.
First, seems to be their weight – a factor of material thickness and valve construction – thicker material being more robust, and valves offered in various plastic & aluminum combinations with their own pros & cons.
Second, is their tire size compatibility range. TPU tubes do stretch quite a bit, but the material definitely weakens if it stretches too much. Plus, once they have been stretched to fit a certain tire size, you cannot ever use them safely inside a smaller tire.
So what makes the Purple Lites unique?
Key Tech Details
First, the Panaracer Purple Lite TPU tubes are really thin & light. Road tubes claim a weight of just 36g, and gravel tubes just 45g. That’s pretty much on par with the lightest ContiTPU, not quite as light as the lightest S-Tubolitos, but still quite a bit lighter than the latest Aerothan 2.0.
From a size perspective, Panaracer Purple Lite TPU tubes pretty much cover most modern road and gravel setups. The road tubes fit 700c x 23-32mm tires. And gravel tubes fit 700c x 32-47mm tires. Now that a lot of gravel setups are using 29er mountain bike tire sizes, it would be nice if Panaracer added another option there. But these match the tires Panaracer actually sells themselves, which makes sense.
First Impressions
Besides being made from a thin TPU material, the Purple Lite tubes feature a long mixed-material valve body – with either 65mm or 85mm overall length. For a bit of the best of both worlds, the first 2cm of the valve is plastic from the connection to the tube, and then threaded aluminum for the rest of its length. That makes the valve a bit more heat-resistant (from electronic pumping or rim brake track heat-up) to protect the tube. But at the same time, you get alloy durability.
It also gave Panaracer a reason to add a nice finishing element. The Purple Lite TPU tubes include a small plastic spacer, which you might need for less deep rims (like my 25mm deep alloy DT GR531s). They are also curved to follow rim nose shapes, which makes for a smoother transition as you tighten the valve rim nut & O-ring down on a smooth flat surface. I really like the way it looks, and would love to have similar spacers for some tubeless valve setups as well.
Installing and riding with TPU tubes is pretty straightforward, so not much to report there. But Panaracer does communicate quite clearly that you need to read their instructions before using Purple Lite TPU tubes. The one downside I see with Purple Lites is that Panaracer expressly says, “If this product becomes punctured, it cannot be repaired.” That’s a bummer. But I suspect that is only because Panaracer does not yet offer a TPU repair solution. Rumor has it, Panaracer should offer a TPU patch kit next season. Until then, it’s at your own risk that you try to repair a puncture with anyone else’s TPU repair kit.
Panaracer Purple Lite TPU tubes – Pricing, options & availability
These new Panaracer Purple Lite TPU tubes are available now for $25 / 22€ for road or $26 / 25€ for gravel widths. No price difference whether you pick 65mm or 85mm long valves. Get them directly from Panaracer in the USA, or via your local bike shop or regular distribution channels worldwide.
