Context: My "fast bike" is just a gravel bike with Conti Ultra Sport III (32mm wide) tires, and I do not train for speed, but endurance (total amateur, never been in a bike race, and don't plan to).
I put RideNow TPU tubes (36g version) in the tires a few days ago after hearing on and on about how good TPU tubes are.
I never had an issue with butyl tubes, and collectively, they've been trouble free on three bikes with a combined mileage of 15,000 km+ , so I've been pretty apprehensive about changing them.
The last three rides have been on TPU for about 150km. I've been riding in the same areas I usually do (strava says some segments have been ridden by me over 60 times).
My efforts have NOT been all out, and I'm not even trying to be fast (i.e. not getting aero as often as I could), so I come home quite fresh.
Over those 150km, I've recorded dozens of personal bests, including the first ride out with them, which had some nasty headwind.
I'm comparing my speeds with my previous bests, and they are something like 5km/h - 10km/h faster. This is with a ton of extra weight on my bike: metal bottles x 2 or 3, dashcam, headlight, bike computer, heavy-ass toolkit (butyl tube + hand pump + electric pump + multitool + extras...), frame bag, top tube bag, two "snack bags" hanging off the handlebars, and snacks.
Two days ago, I actually maxed out my gears at a cadence of 100 on the flats (over 50 km/h).
I'm speechless.
If this is the kind of difference that TPU tubes make, I honestly can't imagine what race tires would do. No wonder the pros are able to go so fast!
Is this the typical TPU experience?
They are supposed to bring watt savings, which could mean faster speeds at the same effort, or the same speed with less effort. I have noticed it, especially at higher speed.
And the rotational weight savings seems to also make a difference in climbs. Easier to push up climbs, and still faster than before.
Yes! Even with more pressure (they felt way too squishy at the same pressure I was running before), they are still more comfortable.
I love the sound! LOL It's different, and slightly unnerving, but pretty cool.
I'm not sure if I'll be putting TPU tubes in my old MTB, which I ride all year. If the ones in my gravel bike hold out well until November, I may just go for it!
Well yes they are more efficient than butyl for drag and weight, it's just a very small amount that would be hard to detect. And it's only for acceleration that rotational weight counts extra - up to double at the tire edge. Climbing at constant speed it is just simple weight.
And if course on the flat at constant speed weight is irrelevant, which is why a few kg of weight has a small effect on times, and 100-300g less tube weight is barely measurable, being a fraction of one percent better some of the time.