The Eclipse TPU Gravel Tube is a good lightweight, packable option for carrying as a spare when heading off tarmac onto rougher tracks.
> Buy now: Eclipse TPU Gravel Tube for £18 from Eclipse
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) inner tubes are favoured by riders for a few different reasons. On the road, they’re a lightweight and less expensive alternative to latex inner tubes with low rolling resistance, and a much cleaner option than tubeless. On gravel, however, where tubeless setups are pretty much standard these days, TPU tubes, thanks to their light weight and packability, are often used as an emergency spare, carried in a saddle bag and installed in the event of a tubeless failure.
The Eclipse gravel tubes will fit tyres from 30mm to 45mm, and can’t be used in tyres narrower or wider than stated. Once they’ve been used and inflated they can’t be packed down as small again because the material is permanently stretched out. They are fully recyclable, though, once they’ve had their day.
The tubes weigh just 50g, easily less than half the weight of a butyl tube of the same size, and are considerably less bulky, so a pair of these take up about the same space as one butyl tube in a saddle bag.
> Buyer’s Guide: Best bike inner tubes – save weight, ride faster and prevent flats
Installing the tubes as per the instructions on the box is a little fiddly – fitting them into the rim well while they’re completely deflated means you can end up chasing a section of tube around the rim as the limited stretch of the TPU keeps pulling the tube out.
Once the tubes were installed, I have to say I noticed very little difference in the performance of my gravel bike. Running beefy 45mm tyres with tread means any difference in rolling resistance is really hard to notice, and all I could think was that I’d just increased my risk of pinch flats over a full tubeless setup.
Price-wise, they compare well with others: Tubolito’s X-Tubo CX/Gravel is £27.99, and its S-Tubo CX/Gravel is £32.99, while WTB’s NanoAir TPU tubes start at £30.
On the whole, the Eclipse TPU tubes are a good emergency spare to have in a saddle bag and get you home if your tubeless system fails, but I wouldn’t ride them day to day off road, purely because of the increased risk of pinch flats and imperceptible difference to rolling resistance.
> Buy now: Eclipse TPU Gravel Tube for £18 from Eclipse
Verdict
Light and highly packable TPU tubes that make good emergency spares
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Eclipse Gravel Tube – 622 x 30/45mm
Size tested: 622×30-45mm
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?
Eclipse says:
Eclipse TPU Gravel Tubes – Your Perfect Choice for Unlimited Adventures on Gravel Roads!
Lightweight yet Robust: Eclipse TPU Gravel Tubes are made from high-quality Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), making them exceptionally lightweight and extremely durable. With up to 60% less weight compared to traditional butyl tubes, they improve the handling of your gravel bike.
Excellent Puncture Protection: The special TPU material composition of the Eclipse tubes provides excellent protection against punctures and cuts. This ensures you stay safe even on the roughest gravel roads and the most challenging off-road rides.
Optimal Flexibility and Adaptability: Thanks to the high elasticity of the TPU material, Eclipse Gravel Tubes perfectly adapt to the terrain surface. This ensures improved traction and control, no matter what surface you are riding on.
Eco-friendly and Recyclable: Our tubes are not only durable but also fully recyclable. By choosing Eclipse TPU Gravel Tubes, you are opting for an environmentally friendly alternative that helps protect nature.
The original ultra lightweight bicycle tube.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product
Eclipse lists:
tire size 622 x 30-45 mm
weight 51g / 53g
valve length 40mm, 70mm
removable valve core
100% recyclable
Material TPU
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The tubes worked well when installed, and are easy to carry around as spares owing to their compact size and light weight.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The reinforced valve.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
How fiddly they were to install, despite following the instructions on the box.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They’re cheaper than other TPU tubes for gravel use.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
I liked the Eclipse tubes – they’re a good option to carry as a spare, or if you’re after a TPU inner tube to use day to day.
About the tester
Age: 28 Height: 175cm Weight: 67kg
I usually ride: Road (Tarmac SL7) My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, mtb, Occasional Ultra Racing
6 thoughts on “Eclipse Gravel Tube – 622 x 30/45mm”
Ride now tpu £4.50 from
Ride now tpu £4.50 from AliExpress, why are the western ones 3 times the price?
Cyclami bought off Amazon are
Cyclami bought off Amazon are around £5 per tube and you can get metal valves which means that pumps attach to them better.
How about briefly a few
How about briefly a few pointers: Because “western ones” are behind the RD that has enabled these and they want their investment back; because these companies and many of those related to the supply chain pay decent western salaries and abide by labour and social welfare standards etc; because they need resources for e.g. marketing so you actually know these products exist; because they also have clear functioning customer service and refund policies for these and all other of their products which demands resources; because they structure the RRPs so your local bike shop might still get a margin and want to offer these to you, instead of having them shipped one by one from across the world. And your Aliexpress ones are just copies and at best cut corners on basically all the above. Wherever you live, your aliexpress purchases don’t sustain your society.
Nothing about puncture repair
Nothing about puncture repair, which leads me to suspect they can’t be.
Excellent Puncture Protection: The special TPU material composition of the Eclipse tubes provides excellent protection against punctures and cuts
Oh yes? Most punctures around here are hawthorn, and I strongly doubt that this excellent protection works
TPU’s that I’ve bought come
TPU’s that I’ve bought come with a patch. I’ve had one puncture and the patch is working so far.
Pretty much all TPU tubes can
Pretty much all TPU tubes can be repaired with one of the “self-seal”/glueless style patches as they are made from TPU. The main issue you have with the standard repair patches is that you can’t rough up the tube to get better adhesion