Lose mass (and money) with Tubolito's high-tech tubes

Lose mass (and money) with Tubolito's high-tech tubes

Lighter and much stronger than a standard tube, the company claims

Tubolito's high-tech inner tubes are significantly lighter than standard butyl tubes

Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

Josh Patterson

Published: September 22, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Tubolito's high-tech inner tubes are significantly lighter than standard butyl tubes - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
In addition to being lighter, Tubolitos are also much more compact - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Everything about the Tubolito is small, except the price tag - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
The company claims these tubes are twice as strong as a standard inner tube, we hope to test this in the near future - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

Tubolito is a new — and very orange — inner tube that’s impressively light yet somehow also incredibly strong, the company claims.

Tubolito's high-tech inner tubes are significantly lighter than standard butyl tubes - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

According to this Austrian start-up, Tubolito uses a new, unspecified thermoplastic polymer along with a seamless production process to create inner tubes that weigh an average of 65 percent less than traditional butyl rubber tubes while being twice as robust.

In addition to being lighter, Tubolitos are also much more compact - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

There are three MTB versions of these weight-weenie tubes. The standard Tubo, the Tubo+ for high-volume 27.5in (2.5 to 3in in width), and the incredibly light, top-end Tubo S, which gets its weight savings from a removable valve stem and has a claimed weight of just 45g for the 29er version.

The Tubo Road is even lighter, with a claimed weight of 33g.

Tubolito by the numbers

The company claims these tubes are twice as strong as a standard inner tube, we hope to test this in the near future - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

Here’s the complete breakdown of sizes and published weights

Standard Tubo

  • 29in: 85g
  • 27.5in: 82g
  • 26in: 78g
  • Tubo+
  • 27.5+: 105g

Tubo S

  • 29in: 45g
  • 27.5in: 44g
  • 26in: 42g

Tubo Road

  • 700c: 33g

Pricing and availability

Everything about the Tubolito is small, except the price tag - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

As you might have guessed, these tubes will pull weight out of your wallet as well. The standard, plus and road models retail for $35. The ultra-light Tubo S models retail for $45. (UK and Australian pricing TBC.) They will be available in late 2017.

Visit www.tubolito.com to learn more.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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