WTB branded TPU inner tubes - one year follow up

[Steve]

I know these tubes have been discussed to near ad nauseam, but....

Last summer I mounted up a pair of the WTB TPUs under 700c x 48 RH Oracle Ridge tires and I promised (threatened?) a follow up eval.  

One of the year old tubes is still running strong. The other suffered a line of fine punctures that I was unable to adequately patch.  I'm not sure what I rode over but IIRC the holes ran along the side wall. I found nothing imbedded in the tire. 

I purchased two more WTBs. By this time it was winter and a bit chilly in the garage workshop. I replaced the punctured tube with one of the new ones and pumped it right up to 60 psi to seat the tire on the tubeless rim. POP!  Lesson learned - take the pressure up slowly for the initial inflation, probably even more important to go slow in the cold. The second newly purchased tube which now has about 6 months of riding on it has been just fine. The bike they are on is ridden 99.9% off pavement at tire pressures of 23 to 25psi. 

I do believe the TPUs roll a bit smoother over rough surfaces compared to butyl tubes. Recently I picked up two of the 650b WTBs and am running them on my Platypus with 47mm WTB Byway semi slicks at 30-32 psi. The Platypus is ridden on probably about 60/40 pavement/gravel.  FWIW the wheels on both bikes are taped with plastic tubeless tape - not Velox style fabric.

Bottom line - I like TPU tubes (at least for now).     Steve in AVL

[Richard Rose]

Thanks Steve for this very timely report. I’ve been eyeing the WTB tubes to possibly use on my Clem. In spite of your generally positive review I think you have saved me some money. My bike is pretty comfy as is & I have been practically free of flats for years. So now I am thinking of sticking with what I’ve got.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 6, 2025, at 11:07 PM, Steve <steve...@gmail.com> wrote:

I know these tubes have been discussed to near ad nauseam, but....

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a5141819-38c0-49c5-9c44-4b67197649e3n%40googlegroups.com.

[Steve]

Richard, you've most likely made a prudent decision!  I have to admit that I've been somewhat stubborn in pursuing the 'marginal gain' the TPU tubes provide. 

[Patrick Moore]

I’m (very) slowly working my way down the list of minor bike projects, but the one after the two BES projects is to test Orange Seal regular formula in RH TPU tubes; will report.

I do have the proprietary RH sealant for TPU tubes but I’d prefer to use OS if it works because it’s so readily available.

Projects for today: retape Matt #1 bar, more orange tape, leaving more room for new light mount and other bits; and rig up 6-sp Suntour BES to shift 2-speed TC and TF hubs. The other BES project is to try a S3X shifter with spring-loaded shifting chain for the ASC hub.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/304437f8-f659-49f8-bf83-330dcccbbcaan%40googlegroups.com.

--

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.