A bicycle tube is typically made from butyl rubber. Butyl is a very elastic and simultaneously airtight synthetic rubber. Just like with tires, additional additives are necessary for the rubber mixture. The quality of the rubber mixture can lead to significant differences in quality. Schwalbe tubes are extremely airtight and elastic. Due to their high elasticity, a single tube can cover a wide range of different tire sizes.

There are two types of tubes: those that are molded and those that are autoclaved. The vulcanization in a mold results in more uniform wall thicknesses, leading to lighter weights and significantly better airtightness. For this reason, the easier-to-manufacture autoclaved tubes have become increasingly rare in recent years. Schwalbe tubes have always been produced as molded tubes.

Each tube also comes with a valve, which is bonded to the tube through vulcanization.