Why foam tire inserts are one of the best upgrades for your gravel bike

I run the Vitoria gravel liners and I completely agree with everything you guys said. I had one instance were I got a huge screw in my tire that scratched the rim tape and it wouldn’t seal. It really didn’t take any significant extra time to remove the liner than it would without a liner, other than a sloppy mess in my back pocket

Cushcore is a total game changer for all bikes. I’ve been banging the Cushcore drum for a little while and it’s great to hear the big players saying it too.

I can see your next video... Solid rubber tires are great for gravel !

I just rode a road insert home. 10 miles they definitely work.

James adjusting the mic @ 3:43 is pretty great

Ild have to say another thing you will need with inserts is to use (much) more sealant as there's a lot more surface to coat the inners of your tube. I use a vittoria on my gravel/cross/road bike and love it, rear only though.

Having ripped a side wall on my gravel bike tyre last year, it’s no fun fixing that to ride home, so I am going buy this upgrade this year. I agree the foam inserts appear expensive, however so are tyres and if they save a tyre from damage that’s a good thing. I am going to upgrade my road bike first as that’s more at risk given the poor roads in the UK.

I think your missing the point. Cush core is primarily a suspension upgrade. It was designed to help suspension. 50 % decrease in fork travel and 12% decrease force on the rider. Listen to the podcast on Cush Core website. I run Cushcore on 2 mtb and thinking about running it on my gravel. You do need to decrease the tire air pressure get the gains.

Tubolight Gravel 33g each. Totally worth it.

They keep saying Cushcore but keep showing the Rimpact. Rimpact gravel inserts only weigh 55 grams! Rimpact are also MUCH easier to install than Cushcore and much cheaper. About $100,00 delivered get's you a pair. They are factory direct from England and I've been running their 95 gram MTB version for a couple years now. They're great. I highly recommend them. Very disappointing that you don't reference the product verbally once throughout the whole video. Just kept flashing Cushcore not Rimpact in print but still threw out the Cushcore specs.

I’d love to hear you discuss the pros and cons of using flat bars vs drops on a gravel bike. My old, tired wrists don’t like drop bars so much anymore…!

Shame you didn't compare against Vittoria for ease of fit, price, rideability when flatted est

I bet it would turn into a sponge with the sealant, do you have to use more sealant due to that?

Nice summary! How much are you able to drop the tyre pressure by with the inserts versus without?

Running tannus here and love them. Rim impacts and sidewall dents eliminated, lower psi more comfort, easier tubeless punp up as inserts compress tire to rim giving better sealing, easy to install and lighter; riding home with flat is possible without rim on road damage. BUT.... If you flat and need to add a tube, do you need to remove the insert and wear it on your chest? I don't see how you can avoid that....

Love to hear it. Great take on bike tire inserts. Well said! Cheers

After seeing this video, I feel like there wasn't a proper wrap up to the field test videos this year.

I have been using RhinoDillos for gravel and road. I find them to be enough for the terrain I ride.

Consumers demand lightweight, supple race tires, but also complain bitterly when those tires aren't robust. Foam inserts seem to be a nice addition, but I wonder if the extra weight of the foam was put into the tire in the first place you might end up with a better overall balance.

They don’t react with any of the tubeless tyre goo brands?