In this article I will review the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tube for Road, Gravel & MTB. I will try to compare these to the RideNow TPU Inner Tubes, the best I can despite not being a TPU- and rubber specialist. And there are some small differences.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CYCLAMI TPU Gravel Inner Tube at 26 grams Only for Disc Brake Use
TPU Inner Tubes are becoming increasingly popular where Tubolito was one of the first moving brands. RideNow Tech was for me one of the brands who really created the to make TPU Inner Tubes available to the wide public, with Aliexpress as their innitial go to market channel. However in the mean time Continental (Continental TPU Tubes), Pirelli (Pirelli PZero SmarTube), Schwalbe (Schwalbe Aerothan Tube) and others have added a TPU Inner Tube to their product portfolio. I’ve reviewed the RideNow Tech TPU Inner Tubes earlier this year..
However in a David Arthur – Just Ride Bikes YouTube video: “10 Great but Inexpensive Products to Upgrade your Road Bike in 2024” I noticed the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tubes, while I already had the RideNow Inner Tubes at home. There are a couple of key ares in which the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tubes differ:
- The CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tube comes with a full metal valve (including a green anodized valve cap). The RideNow inner tube comes with a plastic valve.
- The CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tube comes with a TPU wrap band to keep the inner tube folded. RideNow doesn’t offer this, but has a paper wrap around the tube. Unfortunately if your saddlebag is not waterproof it will simply break.
- On the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tube box you can see the specific claim “only for use disc brakes” while RideNow doesn’t state this claim on the box.
While these differences seem small, they can make a big difference.
The plastic versus metal valve and valve cap are less relevant in a roadbike scenario, but with gravel and mountain bikes the metal valves are a bit more robust for all the abuse done.
When putting spare inner tubes in the Arundel Pico Seat Bag or Silca Mattone Saddle Bag, the TPU wrap band is very convenient to keep things organized (without damaging the TPU Inner Tube).
I’ve raised the 3rd point to the RideNow team, since I’m still on a rim-brake version of the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 8. RideNow confirmed to me, that “only the 19 grams products have disc brake restrictions“, so in other words no issues with the RideNow TPU inner tubes.
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
The price point of a CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tube is around € 6,00 – € 6,20 for a single inner tube when ordered over Aliexpress (excluding shipping). The price point for Road, MTB and Gravel is about the same, unless you go for the ultralight versions (different valve) or if there are some bulk sets of 2 pieces or more. So the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tubes are slightly cheaper compared to the RideNow Tech Inner Tubes, way cheaper than the major brands.
The CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tubes have some minor advantages, especially because on my gravel and mountainbike the TPU Inner Tubes camp happily in my saddlebag while enjoying a tubeless set-up. On the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 8 the RideNow TPU Inner Tubes are spinning on the FFWD DT Swiss 240 wheels, making sure the Specialized S-Works Turbo Tires have the optimal ride comfort and pressure.
- Did you ever hear of the CYCLAMI TPU Inner Tubes?
- What are your experiences with TPU Inner Tubes? If so which brand are you using?
Other interesting product reviews on cycling-review.net can be found here:
