User submitted reviews
Review by Dave
I have not had any flats with these tubes thus far. They seem to roll a bit faster than regular butyl tubes but it is hard to compare. They are lighter. They also seem to hold air longer than other tubes.
Review by DavidF
I blew out an Aerothan on a steep decent when I hit a rock. It just popped and deflated instantly. No tire damage (Conti Grand Prix 5Ks). Aerothans may be puncture resistant, but they are definitely not impact resistant. Don't know when I can repair it since the required Schwalbe patch kit is currently unavailable.
Review by dtsloan
The tubes are very light, install easily, and provide a great ride.
However, two of six I bought failed right out of the box, just don't hold air. Another had the valve easily damaged when removing a pump head.
I think they need further development.
Review by Dave
I have installed two of these tubes on two different bikes and they seem to roll a bit faster, are lighter and, I have had no flats thus far. I just ordered another tube to put on the rear of my Wife's bike.
Review by Al Abbott
I replaced a latex tube with an aerothan tube on my road bike that has continental 5000 25 tires. Aerothan is easy to mount and I can not detect any difference in ride quality. The only difference I detect is the aerothan holds air longer like a butyl tube. No flats in 300 miles.
Review by mjg1231
I run tubeless so keep this tube in my saddle bag, protected from other items. I have had regular tubes develop leaks when stored similarly. I have many ways to fix a flat (glue patch, sealant, 'dart', 'boot', tube). This tube is much smaller, lighter and more rugged. I've been stuck before so no more chances. Pricey but worth the peace of mind.
Review by Doug
Sure, they are expensive, and you can't patch them. Can't use sealant, either.
But, they significantly improve ride quality - I've never seen anything make such a difference.
They are very small and light to pack for spares.
Easy to install, keep their shape with slight inflation, and less likely to pinch.
I haven't seen that they retain air better.
I think this may be the future of inner tubes.
Review by dan in denver
installed in my conti 5000's . after inflating 7 times -screwing pump head and off-leaking out of the plastic valve stem. stripped internal threads . valve stems are typically steel or brass for a reason- they can take multiple
inflations with out concern. thats unfortunate because they ride beautiful.
Review by Anonymous
installed in a 42c gravel tire, one tube is holding air fine, the other leaks from the stem and is flat in 4 days. Very light, seems to allow the tire to squish and move on terrain in a comfortable mannerthat is slightly more noticeable compared to butyl tubes.
Review by xzarterius
Overall I give it a 4 start rating. They don't leak air any worse than a butyl tube and are much easier to mount even on tubeless rims than any other tubes I've tried. A noticeable difference in weight when riding and out of around 1000 miles of usage I did have one flat with a small wire going through my Conti- Gator hardshell and through this tube which surprised me. My biggest gripe are the short valve lengths which limit your rim depth to around 32mm's. They are also made of plastic and seem a bit weak for such pricey tubes. That brings me to my next biggest gripe- the cost. If these were $15 I wouldn't complain at all by $30 is a bit much for these.
Review by MPH
Offers great rolling resistance similar to latex, but can be used on rim brakes without worrying about the amount of heat build up. No problems except for availability!
Review by Anonymous
Did a Century ride and got two rear tire flats. Purchased 3 tubes so that I would have a spare. The stem is plastic and can cross thread very easy, even just using your fingers.
Review by Anonymous
I haven't had to use this tube yet as it is a spare for my tubeless wheel but it looks nice and I am hopeful it will be a lightweight option that works well when needed.
Review by Anonymous
Really light tubes, however they don't hold air as well as butyl tubes. Better than latex though.
Review by Calivendor
Extralite and packs small so is the perfect extra tube - once installed the rolling resistance is minimized and the feel of the bike is improved too!
Review by Erin
With the weight savings and being able to reduce tire pressure, the ride feels like tubulars.
Highly recommend these!
Review by Anonymous
After a lot of indecision, splurged and bought two of the Race 700 x 23/28 version. Disappointed to find that both weighed nearly 46g (45.7 and 45.9g to be precise). Substantially more than the 41g listed both in the specs and prominently on the box. Hoped that the scale was off. Fresh batteries, re-calibrated. Nope, not the scale.
Schwalbe tech rep says that lower weight is less important than reduced rolling resistance and greater puncture resistance. CyclingTips' posted data shows that Aerothans have slightly more rolling resistance than latex and slightly less than Conti Supersonic. As for puncture resistance, it's always seemed like that should be in the tires rather than the tubes (though resistance to tearing while mounting is always welcome).
Still, one expects that a product which is (a) made in Germany and (b) so expensive would be closer to spec. If that's impossible, a weight range should be given.
They're still in the box, so my one star rating doesn't mean much. Haven't decided whether to use them or return for credit.
Review by Pat
Pros: lightweight, packs small, holds air very well, perfect for seat-pack spares
Cons: Cannot be permanently patched with any patch material currently on the market. I've tried Tubolito, slime, and Park patches. Nothing works. Schwalbe says you must use their patch kit, but I've never tried it because these are not available anywhere. Until Schwalbe makes their patch kits as widely available as the tubes, these can only used as a seat-pack spare (unless you want to throw away a $30 tube with each puncture). Note: Tubolito patches work great for a while, but after a few months they eventually fail.
Review by cfadave
Been using these instead of tubeless on my road bikes. One flat in 3 years and 15k miles. NUFF said. If you don�t want to mess w tubeless but want great ride quality, light weight, puncture resistance without the hassle of tubeless, this is it!
Review by Lauren500
Same experience as Aaron below. These are light but not reliable. My valve blew out after pumping it about 80 psi and thread ruined and not able to hold air literally after 2 rides. Won't be buying this again.