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Sealant vs Inner Tubes - What Is The Difference?
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Apr 1, 2025
Road bike wheels can be inflated using a number of different methods. Butyl inner tubes, TPU inner tubes and tubeless sealant are the most popular ways of doing so, but which is best? What is the best way to inflate road bike tyres? Sam Gupta has tested all three methods to work out what's best. Each has benefits and drawbacks, so Sam identifies what they are and what the best use cases are for each different type of inflation. This video was produced in partnership with Pirelli / Extra UK
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There are multiple ways to inflate your road bike tyres
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Some of the most popular ways include the standard trusty butyl inner tube
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TPU smart tubes and of course tubeless. But out of these three different ways, what actually is the fastest setup
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Well, to find out, we've come here to the Silverstone Sports Engineering Testing Facility
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where we're going to be using its rolling resistance rig. Then we can find out out of the three, which really is the fastest out on the road
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Now, before we start any testing, we have to set some baseline parameters
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to ensure that all of the testing is fair. We'll be using the Pirelli P0 Race TLR tyres with
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the new updated Speedcore casing for the tubeless test and the Pirelli P0 Race tyres for both of
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the clincher setups, all of which will be in a 28c tyre size. These tyres sit at the top of Pirelli's
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road race offering and work as the perfect testbed for today. The tyres are made in the brand's
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Italian factory over in Milan and make use of the most up-to-date technologies, meaning they're
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perfect for anyone who wants to go fast without compromise. In fact, the latest TLR version
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features Pirelli's new speed core casing and it's claimed that this new technology has resulted in a
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24% reduction in rolling resistance. So we should be in for some fascinating results. And to keep
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everything as fair as possible I'll also be using Pirelli's own inner tubes, smart tubes and sealant
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The tyres have been mounted to the same fast forward front wheels all of which have been pre-set
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up and have had over 48 hours sat in the testing facility to ensure that they are fully acclimatized
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to that environment. I'll be using this digital top-peak pressure gauge and Joe Blow floor
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pump to ensure that the pressures are all exactly the same, which for this test will
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be 6 bar Then when the tyres are on the rig each tyre will be run on a 10 minute warm up cycle Then we run them at two speeds 25 kilometres per hour and 40 kilometres per hour each three
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times, which will give us some very accurate numbers to work off. We'll be monitoring the
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sidewall temperature, the environment temperature and of course those all important wattage numbers
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So without further ado, let's get going. so with the testing concluded we now have some pretty interesting numbers to have a look at
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we'll first start with the standard butyl inner tube of course it still very much has its place
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in the market and poses a convenient and cost-effective way of setting up your road wheels
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The scores on the doors are as follows. At 24 kilometers per hour, it created 12.8 watts of
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rolling resistance. However, at 40 kilometers per hour, it created 24 watts of resistance
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So, now that we have the first set of numbers, let's move on to those Pirelli smart tubes
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It created 11.38 watts of resistance at 24 kilometers per hour and 21.2 watts at 40 kilometers
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per hour. So we have already seen a drop in resistance to the tune of nearly three watts
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and that's just on one wheel. On to the tubeless setup which makes use of those P0 race TLR tires
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and at 24 kilometers per hour it created 11.2 watts of resistance and at 40 kilometers per hour
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it created 20.88 watts. So compared to the standard inner tubes the tubeless tires have saved well
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over 3 watts per wheel and compared to the Pirelli smart tubes it has saved a third of a watt at 40 kilometers per hour I think these numbers paint quite an interesting picture It shows that the standard inner tubes although slower still have a place in the market But if
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you really do want to go fast, the P0 Race TLR tires are the way to go. However, if you want to
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enjoy a clincher setup, then by using the Pirelli Smart Tubes, you can increase the performance of
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the Pirelli P0 race tyre to almost match that of the tubeless version. It's not just rolling
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resistance that makes you fast, but instead what the tyres feel like when you're out on the tarmac
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Reducing feedback through the bike means that as a rider you'll be less fatigued and be able to put
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out more power for longer. And in my experience, this is where tubeless makes a dramatic difference
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The ability to run a lower pressure means you can achieve just that
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Also, the measured widths of the tyres actually varied quite a lot. Despite all the tyres being
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28C in size, the setups with the inner tubes and smart tubes measured at 27.7mm across the wheel
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while the tubeless setup came in at 28.4mm. So, for the least amount of rolling resistance
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we were able to enjoy the largest contact patch with the road
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A bigger contact patch results in more grip and comfort, and that is especially important
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when you want to increase your speed in the corners or just over some rough terrain
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Another factor to consider is the weight. A standard butyl inner tube generally comes in
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at around 100 grams. However, the Pirelli Smart Tubes, they come in at about 35 grams
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And it's a similar story with the Sealant 2, because for the 40 millilitres that you get in
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one of those little bottles, that comes in at about 45 grams. By reducing the weight of the wheels
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especially right at the rim, you'll be able to take advantage of a faster accelerating wheel
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making it easier to attack on the climbs and just beat your mates in the sprints. But this leads me
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onto another consideration that you should be thinking about and that puncture protection Happily these PZero race tyres are equipped with Pirelli Speedcore technology meaning that the tyres aren just
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fast rolling, but they also contain some puncture protection. However, by opting for the TLR tyres
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if you do get a puncture, then the sealant will be able to take care of it, meaning that you can
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keep on riding. Whereas on the tube setup, you may have to stop to make a repair
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So what can we take away from all of this information? Well, smart tubes make a lot of
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sense for those wanting a lightweight setup and one which is almost as fast as a tubeless one
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But if you're looking to go as fast as possible everywhere from the results, the P0 Race TLR
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tyres certainly steal the crown. They're the fastest rolling, they have the biggest contact
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patch with the road, aiding in grip and comfort, and in the event that you do get a puncture
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well, you should be able to keep on riding. They certainly represent themselves as a high quality
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option. Quite frankly, if they are good enough for Trek Segafredo's Mads Pedersen, then I've no
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doubt that they will perform for you too. Happily, these tyres sit within Pirelli's wider range of
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road tires so if you're after other performance tires manufactured in pirelli's purpose-built
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factory in italy where the highest standards of quality control and technical capability are
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harnessed covering a multitude of different price points and offering different features for
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different conditions then just head to the link below to discover what could be right for you
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let me know down below given the results which setup would you opt for if you enjoyed the video
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then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again very soon
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