Am I the only one who saw a massive difference after switching to latex tubes on my road bike?

I swapped out my butyl tubes for latex ones about 6 months ago and my rolling resistance dropped so much I shaved 2 minutes off my usual 10-mile loop, but now I have to pump them up every single day - has anyone else dealt with the constant air loss?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaronrobinson1mo ago

Trading air for speed seems to be how everything works now.

emmajackson1mo ago

The first week I switched to latex tubes I checked my tires every morning before work like I was checking a sick pet. @aaronrobinson hit it exactly right - you trade the convenience of a weekly pump for the speed of a daily one. I found that if I overinflate them by about 5 psi at night they settle down to my target pressure by morning, so the daily loss is actually predictable once you learn your set. My average speed went up about 1.5 mph on my usual 15 mile commute, but man does it get old pulling out the pump every single day. Totally worth it if you're chasing times, but for a casual rider I'd say stick with butyl.