Road Bike: Schwalbe One Tubeless Vs Schwalbe One V-Guard with Latex, Light, and Standard Inner Tubes
In this special article, I will be comparing a 25 mm Schwalbe One Tubeless to a 25 mm Schwalbe One V-Guard with standard, light and latex tubes. I received quite a few requests from readers who want to know how a light butyl tube compares to the latex tubes. Some even said these tubes might be faster than latex tubes. Because the Schwalbe One is also available in a tubeless option, this will be a four-way comparison. I hope this article will satisfy anyone who wants to know the differences between tubeless, latex inner tubes, light inner tubes, and standard inner tubes.
I've used the same Schwalbe One Tubeless and Schwalbe One V-Guard I've reviewed previously. To view all specifications of these tires you can read the individual reviews here and here. All rolling resistance tests are done on the same day to make sure conditions were as consistent as possible.
Test set up
All tests were run with the same wheel, tire, load, and speed. With the only difference being the use of a 25 mm Schwalbe One Tubeless or a 25 mm Schwalbe One V-Guard clincher with an 80 grams latex inner tube, a 70 grams light butyl inner tube or a 100 grams standard butyl inner tube. Measurements were taken at pressures of 120, 100, 80 and 60 psi.
Test conditions
- Speed of 18 mph / 29 km/h
- Total wheel load of 94 lbs/ 42.5 kg
- Temperature between 21-23 °C / 70-73 °F
- Rolling Resistance Test Conditions Explained
Schwalbe One Tubeless set up
- Brand: Schwalbe
- Model: One Tubeless 700 x 25C
- Measured Weight: 344 grams
- No tubeless fluid used
Schwalbe One V-Guard set up
- Brand: Schwalbe
- Model: One V-Guard 700 x 25C
- Measured Weight: 243 grams
Inner Tubes
- Latex tube: 80 grams Michelin AirComp A1
- Light tube: 70 grams Continental Race 28 Light
- Standard tube: 100 grams Continental Race 28
Test Results
Total weight
The set up with the 70 grams light tube comes in as the winner in the weight department, followed closely by the latex tube. The One Tubeless and One V-guard with standard tube have almost the same weight.
Rolling Resistance
The difference in rolling resistance between the One Tubeless and One V-Guard with a standard tube is small. The One Tubeless comes out just a little bit faster. Fitting the One V-Guard with a light butyl tube gives a small improvement over the standard butyl tube. Resulting in rolling resistance that is lower than that of the One Tubeless. Using a latex tube results in another small improvement.
| Tubeless | Latex Tube | Light Tube | Std Tube | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Wheel Weight | 1344 grams | 1323 grams | 1313 grams | 1343 grams |
| Rolling Resistance 120 psi / 8.3 Bar | 11.8 Watts | 10.8 Watts | 11.5 Watts | 12.3 Watts |
| Rolling Resistance 100 psi / 6.9 Bar | 12.5 Watts | 11.1 Watts | 11.9 Watts | 12.8 Watts |
| Rolling Resistance 80 psi / 5.5 Bar | 13.8 Watts | 12.1 Watts | 12.9 Watts | 14.0 Watts |
| Rolling Resistance 60 psi / 4.1 Bar | 16.3 Watts | 14.2 Watts | 15.4 Watts | 16.6 Watts |
| CRR 120 psi / 8.3 Bar | 0.00354 | 0.00324 | 0.00344 | 0.00369 |
| CRR 100 psi / 6.9 Bar | 0.00375 | 0.00333 | 0.00357 | 0.00384 |
| CRR 80 psi / 5.5 Bar | 0.00414 | 0.00363 | 0.00387 | 0.00420 |
| CRR 60 psi / 4.1 Bar | 0.00489 | 0.00426 | 0.00462 | 0.00498 |
Conclusion
If you really want the lowest rolling resistance, latex inner tubes are the winner. Latex tubes do have the disadvantage of losing air quickly which means you have to check air pressure every day. Light tubes hold air better than latex tubes at the cost of a bit more rolling resistance. These light tubes are very thin, I blew the tire off the rim the first time, resulting in another trip to the store. But this might have been the result of bad mounting by me. There are even lighter tubes with a weight of 50 grams, I can't imagine they will last long.
The Schwalbe One Tubeless comes in in 3rd place in the rolling resistance test, beating the One V-Guard Clincher with standard butyl tube by a small margin. The Tubeless tire has the advantage of holding air just as well as the classic inner tubes, and when used with tubeless sealant, it should be virtually impossible to flat. If you have rims that are tubeless-ready, I can't see a reason to go with the One V-Guard clincher with standard tubes.
- Clincher w latex tube: Have the lowest rolling resistance
- Clincher w latex tube: High maintenance / pump every day
- Clincher w light tube: Lower RR than tubeless tires
- Clincher w light tube: Thin, bigger chance of a tire blowout
- Tubeless road bike tire: Lower RR than clincher w std tube
- Tubeless road bike tire: Virtually impossible to flat with sealant
- Clincher w Std tube: Low maintenance, classic set up
- Clincher w Std tube: Use if rims can't handle tubeless tires
Tubeless sealant in inner tubes?
Using a tubeless sealant in inner tubes doesn't work as well as using it in true tubeless tires. For a detailed explanation, read my special article about rolling resistance and tubeless sealant here