Tubeless is supposedly the answer to everything. Not for me. I know that is an unpopular opinion. Still, I keep running tubes on my gravel bike, and I am pretty happy with it. This is not a lab test, just my view from real rides. I am no sports scientist, more of a hobby tester. Take it as a field report, not a scientific paper.
What this is about: latex, TPU and tubeless head to head. What weighs what, what pressure is realistic, and where the fun ends.
Why tubeless never moved in with me
Two reasons, both very unromantic. First, the handling. Sealant in a small inner city apartment is not ideal. Anyone who has swapped tubeless tires on the kitchen floor knows what I mean. I simply do not have the workshop where that would not matter.
Second, flats out on the ride. I have seen too many people stuck on the trail with a bigger hole that the sealant could not close anymore. The end of the story was almost always: put a tube in and ride on. If the tube is the emergency fix anyway, I would rather run it from the start.
That does not mean tubeless is bad. It just does not fit my setup and my nerves.
Latex: fast, but heavy on gravel
Latex is my secret favourite. Low rolling resistance, very good ride feel, barely any problems over the years. On the road bike with a narrow tire, an easy call.
On the gravel bike the picture flips. The Vittoria Competition in 29 x 1.70/2.30 is a great tube, but it really weighs. My scale says 136 grams.
On top comes the well known latex downside: they lose air. Topping up before every ride is part of the deal. On the road bike that is fine, on gravel it annoys me.
TPU, and why it ended up being Eclipse
I got there through the valve, not the weight. I am a fan of the Schwalbe Clik valves. They need a removable valve core, because you unscrew the Presta core and put the Clik core in. Many light TPU tubes have fixed valves. Eclipse makes tubes with a removable core and a metal stem. Exactly what I wanted.
The Eclipse Off-Road is a special case. A bit heavier than the ultralight TPU tubes, but with clearly more puncture protection. That is exactly the tradeoff I want on gravel. The box says ECOR5050GT, 85 grams, 29 x 1.5-2.6 inch, 50 mm valve. My kitchen scale says 90. The five gram difference probably comes from the Clik valve core I screwed in instead of the Presta core. No big deal.
I run them in Schwalbe tires in 50 mm width. So far: zero problems. The pressure holds for weeks, no flats, no drama. I run a bit higher pressure than some, around 2.1 bar.
The one point where tubeless really wins: pressure
Honest stays honest. You really can run tubeless at lower pressure. In the same tire I would sit roughly 0.5 bar below my 2.1 bar, so around 1.5 to 1.6 bar. The reason is simple: without a tube there is no snakebite, no pinch flat against the rim.
The exact number depends on rider weight, rim width and surface. But the direction holds: more grip through less pressure is the real tubeless advantage, and I will not argue it away.
The comparison at a glance
| Latex | TPU (Eclipse Off-Road) | Tubeless | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (29 MTB) | heavy (136 g measured) | medium (90 g measured) | light, but valve, tape and sealant count too |
| Rolling resistance | top | very good | very good |
| Air loss | high, frequent topping up | low, holds for days | low |
| Puncture protection | medium | high (for a tube) | high, small holes self seal |
| Pressure possible | normal | normal | noticeably lower (approx. 0.5 bar) |
| Handling | easy | easy | involved (sealant, setup) |
| Flat on the ride | swap the tube | swap the tube, patch brand dependent | often ends with a tube anyway |
The verdict
I am sticking with tubes, for now. On gravel I run the Eclipse Off-Road, because it is lighter than latex, brings enough puncture protection and plays along with my Clik valve. On the road bike latex stays.
Does that mean you should avoid tubeless? Definitely not. If you race, need every gram of grip, roll through thorn fields often and have a workshop for the sealant circus, then tubeless is the right choice. It depends.
For me, with no appetite for a mess in the apartment, as a fan of the Clik valve, the new TPU tubes are the more honest answer.
You will find more tech topics on the blog. And if you swear by tubeless: tell me why.
