Overview of the Guee Aerolite TPU Tube
Guee, pronounced “Goeey” is a cycling brand established in 2010. Based in Taiwan, the company makes high-end bar tape, grips, bottle cages, and the lightweight Aerolite TPU tubes.
Designed to offer a lightweight, compact get-out-of-trouble card, the Guee Aerolite tube has a few tricks up its sleeve other TPU options don’t. Our 29×1.9/2.35 tube weighs only 98g and fits nicely into our Backcountry Research tool strap, along with our usual Co2 canister, multi-tool, and tyre levers. Guee claims the tubes offer breakthrough rolling resistance and have a low environmental impact in both material and production processes.
Wait, isn’t everyone running tubeless?
The tubes are made from Thermoplastic Polyurethane and claim to offer superior puncture resistance to a standard butyl tube. While that may be all well and good in the lab, very few mountain bikers still run tubes these days, and so we’d wager that if you’re in the market for one of these tubes, it’s because you’re looking for a compact, lightweight spare.
These tubes roll up impressively small, less than half the size of a normal 29er tube.
While the compact nature isn’t really anything to write home about for a TPU tube, the metal valve is. A number of similar options utilise a plastic valve, which saves weight, but they are also an easy point of failure. We’ve pulled them out of saddle bags with broken valve stems and also snapped them while pumping up the tyre.
On top of being metal, Guee has made the valve stems compatible with extenders and used a removable core, adding to its versatility. The valves also feature rubber-tapered spacers and rim protection.
Side by side with a Tubolito S-MTB lightweight tube, given the Guee version, is double the weight, it should not be much of a surprise that the TPU is quite a bit thicker than its orange relative. These ultra-light tubes are a little fragile when you’re installing them and easy to pinch. The Guee version are a little more robust and slightly easier to work with —especially when you’re in sweaty frustrated mess on the side of the trail.
For mountain bikes, the valves come in a 40mm length, which should work with most common rim depths. There are two sizes available in the Mountain bike range: the 29×1.9/2.35in option that we have here and a 27.5×1.9/2.35in version — they also come in gravel and road sizes too. Despite having a removable valve core, the tubes won’t work with sealant, and it is strongly advised not to try to add any.
Compared to the going rate of about ten bucks (give or take) for a butyl tube, the $34.99 AUD price tag for the Guee tube is going to be difficult to rationalise. However for others trying to get everything into downtube storage that’s a little tight, or for a race kit, the Guee Aerolite make a great case.
