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– When it comes to the sport of cycling, every gram counts. In a test where the tire was punctured, the Tubolite proved to be three times stronger than a conventional bicycle tire.
Minapim by Hernan Valenzuela: Coming from the smartphone industry, Christian Lembacher (chemist) and Akos Kertesz (mechanical engineer) are the founders of Tubolito. They originally worked in the smartphone industry, where researched durable material for speaker membranes. This logic of durability, lightness and robustness would be the focus for other activities in the bicycle industry. A lightweight bike tube that’s three times stronger.
They amateur cyclists have developed a unique technology to produce high-tech bicycle tubes from a special thermoplastic elastomer.
The goal was to make the cycling experience even more beautiful for everyone who feels comfortable, whether in the woods or on the road, with muscle strength or backed by an electric motor.
Constantly working on hose optimization and researching the development of more sophisticated ones. As pipe engineers, they use current technologies and high-tech materials to ensure a product with unique bicycle tube quality and features.
The basis of the material used is TPU, a high quality plastic a good material for the inner tube of a bicycle. That’s how the idea for Tubolito came up.
While other areas of bicycle technology are constantly being innovated, the inner tubes have not developed at the same speed. Conventional tubes are made of butyl or latex. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Tubolites incorporate all the advantages. They can even be tailored to specific properties when needed.
The main differences between the conventional and the Tubolite, are aspects of weight, stability and compactness.
- Weight: Tubolites are 80% lighter than conventional products. Weight is saved through rotating mass – that is, where weight reduction is most effective.
- Stability: The material is already in use in other sectors, such as the automotive sector. The advantages are in the combination of its light weight and endurance. A tubolite is up to three times stronger than a conventional inner tube.
- Compact: Compared to conventional inner tubes, Tubolites are extremely small when coiled due to their reduced thickness. It can be easily stored in the training shirt or in a case.
Photo: Tubolito
The creators of the tubolite had to learn the rules of the bicycle industry. They had to learn about retail structure, packaging requirements, etc., for example.
For the creators of Tubolito, passionate cyclists, the environment is very important. They use high quality materials, produce inner tubes with significantly lower water use and CO2 emissions than in the case of butyl or latex. It takes 15 less tubs to make a tubolite compared to a latex tire. They also use production waste to make other products, such as shoe soles.
Sources: Tubolito Innovation Origins
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