Revoloop Ultra Race vs Latex tube

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ichobi
Posts: 1794
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:30 pm

by ichobi

I am trying to get the most ideal clincher-tube set up and get the best balance between weight and rolling resistance. Turns out that there are two good options that I haven't seen much discussion in details. According to the Aerocoach inner tube test the Revoloop Ultra Race is only 1w slower than Vittoria / Silca Latex tube. (https://www.aero-coach.co.uk/inner-tube ... resistance)
innertubesgraph-946w.png
innertubeschart-807w.png
The weight delta between the revoloop ultra race and the vittoria latex is 47g per tube.
Since the revoloop is just 1w slower but gain much benefit of weight, the only other criteria I would like to know is the ride feeling.

Currently I ride Silca (vittoria) latex tube with Vittoria Corsa G2+ 25mm and the feeling is just sublime. There's no dealer for the Revoloop in my country so I would like to know (before order it myself) if anyone has tired both tubes (any latex is fine).

If the revoloop tube is not too harsh or provides that 'dead' feeling, then I think it's ideal. I try to get my bike weight down from 7.2kg to 6.8, and this seems like a good place to start since it's not too expensive. I can drop 100g changing from latex tube to Revoloop.

I don't mind about the durability. Of all 4 years of riding latex tube, I never have a puncture. Not even oncee. I would appreciate if anyone can chime in.

by Weenie


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gruppetto
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:17 pm

by gruppetto

I usually ride the Vredestein Latex tubes mentioned in the test and tried the Revoloop Ultra Race, I could not feel much of a difference in terms of ride quality but had terrible problems with loss of air with three out of four Reveloops and ultimately turned back to my trusted Latex tubes.

ichobi
Posts: 1794
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:30 pm

by ichobi

intereesting. so the air loss I assume is not the same as latex where you have to pump up before every ride? Is it a total sudden flat or something like that?

gruppetto
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:17 pm

by gruppetto

ichobi wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:06 am
intereesting. so the air loss I assume is not the same as latex where you have to pump up before every ride? Is it a total sudden flat or something like that?
It is air loss like latex with a factor of 10. You litterally need to pump during your rides.

hlvd
Posts: 438
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2016 4:54 pm

by hlvd

Surprising how much of a difference there is between opposite ends of the table.

I ride Vittoria Latex with cotton clinchers, it’s a sublime ride.

recoilfx
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2017 2:36 am

by recoilfx

gruppetto wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:22 am
ichobi wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:06 am
intereesting. so the air loss I assume is not the same as latex where you have to pump up before every ride? Is it a total sudden flat or something like that?
It is air loss like latex with a factor of 10. You litterally need to pump during your rides.
That sounds completely unworkable - are you sure you don't have a micro puncture or something? I was really hoping for it to be as (almost) fast as latex but holding air a lot better. I don't mind the price, just want something light and works well. This can potentionally save 100g on a regular gp5k vs gp5k tl setup.

aeroisnteverything
Posts: 893
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:43 pm

by aeroisnteverything

recoilfx wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 11:08 pm
gruppetto wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:22 am
ichobi wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:06 am
intereesting. so the air loss I assume is not the same as latex where you have to pump up before every ride? Is it a total sudden flat or something like that?
It is air loss like latex with a factor of 10. You litterally need to pump during your rides.
That sounds completely unworkable - are you sure you don't have a micro puncture or something? I was really hoping for it to be as (almost) fast as latex but holding air a lot better. I don't mind the price, just want something light and works well. This can potentionally save 100g on a regular gp5k vs gp5k tl setup.
He probably does have a puncture or some issue with the valve or valve extender. There is a whole 'nother thread on Revoloops. viewtopic.php?f=113&t=163824

cloud9blue
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:49 pm

by cloud9blue

I just installed a pair of these earlier this week. Negliblie air pressure loss (at 110 psi) over the course of 3 days.

gruppetto
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:17 pm

by gruppetto

Like I said, I had tubes without air loss. But if you read product reviews of the Ultra Race you will find, that I am not the only one with tubes that loose air at the moment of installation. I am not saying air loss is a general Reveloop problem, but imho they seem to have a problem with their quality control.

tritiltheend
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:42 am

by tritiltheend

I was going to get the Schwalbe Aerothan tubes but couldn't find them, so got a pair of Revoloop cc.Ultras for the wheels that I'm using on my gravel bike in road mode. Ran with 32c Conti 5000s. Tubes are scary thin and light, only 31 grams for a 32-40c tube, saving me about 85 grams per wheel over the Schwalbe ultralight butyl I had been running. I was actually reluctant to install them, they were so thin and flimsy. But surprisingly they held air and worked, I generally haven't been able to tell the difference between butyl and latex in my riding but I'd swear they felt faster than the older tubes. Very little air loss between rides. Eventually on my last ride after about 700 miles of riding I ended up with a slow leak in the rear tube after a road ride with a lot of rough pavement. In the meantime I picked up a Schwalbe aerothan Endurance Race tube. It's still very light at 52 grams but significantly thicker and more confidence inspiring.

I really can't say that I wouldn't have gotten the slow leak on a normal tube after my ride and the tubes do seem to work, but I plan to switch to the Schwalbe for peace of mind. And probably swap to tubeless when these tires wear out. The Revoloop are super compact and you can carry a couple of them for much less weight and bulk than one butyl tube. If I was still into uphill hill climb time trials I'd proabably keep them for race use only as well. But can't help but think they've taken thinness just a step too far.

hannawald
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 7:28 pm
Location: Czech Republic

by hannawald

It seems like Schwalbe Aerothan is the best option, light but durable. Revoloop and Tubolito have problems with valve leak. If price is not an issue (because these tubes are quite expensive and patches are not reliable, especially in hot weather) go for it.

IceLed
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2019 12:02 pm
Location: Netherlands

by IceLed

I wanted to get some Aerothans, but couldn't find anywhere available. Got Revoloop instead. First installation went smooth, but my front wheel lost almost all air in couple of hours. User mistake... The valve extender was not tight enough. Reinstall and things got surprisingly great. Minimal pressure loss, overall road feeling is great.
Rear wheel wss perfect from the start.
Don't ask me about differences to my previous setup as I changed too many components at the same time - I fitted those to my new Roval Rapides and couldn't tell if the vastly superior performance and supple comfort feel compared to my Roval C38 is only due to inner tubes. Ah, also went from 28 mm Turbos on C38 to 26 mm on Rapides.
One interesting thing - the LBS guy (ex pro) adviced to run s-works turbos 26 with the those types of inner tubes between 5.5 and 6 bar despite my 85 kg... I was a bit reluctant to do it so run them between 6.2 - 6.5 and I must say I never had so comfortable ride! In the fast corners at 45+ km/h at my local closed bike race track there are zero issues.
No clue about climbing - I live in the flattest part of the world and also predominantly ultra smooth road surface (reflected in the huge taxes we pay around here )
Done about 1000 km on them, let's hope I stay satisfied for many more km.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

S-Works Venge 2019 Battleship
Previous bikes:
Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 2019
Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc
Canyon Endurace AL
Cube Agree C:62
Cube Peloton

FlatlandClimber
Posts: 2491
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:37 pm

by FlatlandClimber

From the data, I think I am quite happy with the Aerothan. They are very light (49g for a 28 to 35c tire), and super compact. Also, they don't lose air at a notable rate and I have yet to have a puncture.
The 1W difference might be made up for by the weight.

Any advantages of Latex I am missing out on?
Cervelo P5 Disc (2021) 9.1kg
Factor Ostro Gravel (2023) 8.0kg
S-Works SL8 (2023) 6.3kg

*weights are race ready, size 58/L.
Sold: Venge, S5 Disc, Roubaix Team, Open WI.DE, Émonda, Shiv TT, Crux, Aethos, SL7

usr
Posts: 890
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:58 pm

by usr

FlatlandClimber wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 10:09 pm
Any advantages of Latex I am missing out on?
Patchable and rarely requiring patches. If you are the type of person who wouldn't have the patch kit with them for that second flat anyways then the difference becomes quite small.

I still don't buy into the claim that Aerothan are as good as latex in flat frequency, but if they are, good for me!

by Weenie


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WorkonSunday
Posts: 540
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:39 pm

by WorkonSunday

not trying to hijack the thread, but does any one know the valve core is removable with the aerothon tubes? looks like the stems all very short at 40mm. :noidea:
Some say pour 10ml water out of your bottle to save that last bit of the weight. Sorry, i go one step further, i tend to the rider off my bikes. :thumbup:
n+1...14 last time i checked, but i lost count :mrgreen:

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