Vienna – September 12, 2026 -- Austrian company Tubolito is marking ten years since it introduced bicycle tubes made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a material shift that created an entirely new product category in cycling.
Founders questioned why butyl remained the default material
Ákos Kertész and Christian Lembacher founded Tubolito in 2016 after years of experience working with TPU plastic. Kertész recalls that the real question was never whether TPU could work for bike tubes, but why the industry kept using butyl at all, while frames, wheels and gearing had already been redesigned around new materials.
No machines existed for TPU tube production, so the founders built their own
At the time, there were no manufacturing machines or industry standards suited to producing TPU bicycle tubes. Kertész and Lembacher developed their own fabrication processes and equipment from scratch to make the material viable for cycling.
S-Tubos tubes weigh 80 percent less than comparable butyl tubes
The company's S-Tubos line is 80 percent lighter than equivalent butyl tubes while matching them in durability. For its X-Tubos line, Tubolito also offers a one-year replacement service in case of punctures.
TPU tubes have become a recognized category in cycling over the past decade
Tubolito says TPU bicycle tubes have evolved into their own product segment within the cycling industry over the last ten years. The company's current lineup covers tubes for nearly every wheel and tire size, spanning road, gravel, mountain, city, folding and e-bikes.