Product news / Tried: With the Schwalbe Aerothan, which is now available, the tire and tube specialist wants to revolutionize the market. In any case, the new one is impressive in several respects.
The most revolutionary thing about the Aerothan is its look and feel: when new, the tube is colorless and transparent and feels like a transparent sleeve for documents or a somewhat thicker freezer bag. The lightest version of the new species only takes up about half the space in the racing bike saddlebag that the old rubber tube claimed for itself. As far as weight is concerned, the situation is similar: the 23 to 28 millimeter version weighs a good 40 grams; the corresponding classic over 100. In trekking and MTB sizes, it's about the same for the new one, which by the way has hardly anything to do with the Evo tube that Schwalbe presented in 2015.
Production in Germany - recyclable material
Schwalbe has set up its own production for the Aerothan at its headquarters in Reichshof. The base material, special TPU, comes from the plastics giant BASF.
The hose should be 100 percent recyclable, no soot or oils are used in production - another absolute hose novelty. It remains to be tested whether the hose is really so robust and durable that it will recoup the additional costs. But it looks promising.
Schwalbe Aerothan: Easy assembly if the pressure is right
The tube is pumped up minimally so that it has its tubular shape - with a maximum of 0,3 bar. Put the plastic valve in the hole and insert the tube completely into the rim. The nice thing is that it stays there. Even with minimal pressure, it is so dimensionally stable that you can calmly balance the tire all around over the rim flange - without the classic problem of the tube spilling out over the last 20 centimeters and you inevitably run the risk of jamming it. Even if it was installed several times, it was not necessary to check whether the tube was completely seated in the rim base or whether it was stuck somewhere under the tire. He does not do it.
When inflating, you should strictly adhere to the pressure specifications on the tire. This also means that anyone who has to ride tubeless tires with an Aerothan tube because of a puncture cannot briefly chase double-digit cash values into the tire so that it really sits where it should sit. The only thing that helps here is to make the tire bead of the tubeless tire slippery accordingly. Of course, you can also repair the hose. There is also a set of 8 self-adhesive patches and a small piece of roughener.
Convincing first impression: robust and comfortable
Compared to classic butyl, the Aerothan tube is a step ahead: after two days we noticed a pressure loss of around 0,2 bar on the racing bike tire - that was at least 28 bar on the 6,5-gauge butyl, also inflated to 0,5 bar.
Of course, expectations and practical circumstances make it difficult to say anything about rolling resistance and handling. In our opinion, the Aerothan tube and clincher combo is at least in the middle between good tubeless tires and standard tire/tube sets. The rolling resistance is actually felt to be lower.
What you can also notice: The road bike tires give more grip in curves than the classic set, even with low air pressure. Means: Enjoy more comfort with the same stable handling.
When graveling, at almost 2,3 bar in the 40 tire, there was a puncture that led to the snakebite. Of course, the tire with Aerothan also bottoms out. But we were actually spared the Snakebite during the first attempts. And here, too, the system is actually a bit more directionally stable at this pressure than with a normal hose.
Available sizes of the Schwalbe Aerothan
Aerothan Race
SV20E | 23-622 to 28-622 | 41g
Aerothan Endurance Race
SV16E | 28-622 to 35-622 | 50g
Aerothan all-round
SV17E | 37-622 to 50-622 | 61g
Aerothan MTB
SV13E | 54-559 to 62-559 | 81g
SV19E | 54-622 to 62-622 | 87g
SV21E | 54-584 to 62-584 | 83g
Aerothan MTB+
SV19FE | 62-622 to 75-622 | 116g
SV21FE | 62-584 to 75-584 | 109g
Prices: Standard sizes: 27,95 euros, plus sizes (for MTB) 29,95 euros.
