[PHeller]

What's the diameter of a pool noodle? Any ability to find solid ones? I assume they are 6' long, so it would require 3 for a set of two 29" wheels.

 

[Gunnar Westholm]

~60mm thick and 126cm long.

I used 1 + 1/3 length and that was a few cm to short so had to add a stump

Sent fra min moto g(8) plus via Tapatalk

 

[dsciulli19]

Just gave this a shot with 3/4" ID pipe insulation from Home Depot and a 1/2" ID PEX tubing core. Used 5/8" heat shrink to join the PEX tubing and 2" Gorilla tape to join the foam segments. Also ran a strip of gorilla tape around the inside diameter of the foam with darts to avoid wrinkles. Hopefully this will help avoid the rim chewing up the foam on impact and increase its durability. I can upload some pics if there is any interest.

I rode it for the first time on Saturday night, and still need some more time to experiment to give a good report.

 

[Vernonbikes]

Hi guys, I've put Homemade inserts in today to ride at Cannock tomorrow. I've used 30mm Backer Rod, which is solid closed cell foam which I believe most of the top brands are made of. I've done a fair bit of homework on this, there's a guy on YouTube had them in for a year with no issues and I fitted them easily by hand with no levers. You must use insert type valves so it doesn't stop air flow. Zip tie and gorilla tape the end, and your good to go. I'm really looking forward to the test tomorrow as people say you get more grip everywhere with no folding 😁. Also I weighed them today and they come in at 90 grams the pair, which I definitely won't notice. Oh and I bought 20 of them for 18 quid. See how it goes tomorrow, fingers crossed 🤞.

 

[CU-Murph]

I rode it for the first time on Saturday night, and still need some more time to experiment to give a good report.

Please upload some photos. Did you weigh the insert you made? Curious as to about how much it is. Thanks!

 

[CU-Murph]

going to try MyneSweepers inserts, which are pretty dense. I figure if they seem like overkill, I can always cut them in half as I would backer rod. I also want to use them as gauge to compare against the densities of pipe insulation and backer rod, if I find it.

Hi! How have the mind sweepers held up? How does it compare it density to the diy foam options. Thanks!

 

[CU-Murph]

I have ordered some 1/2" thick neoprene adhesive foam and self gripping velcro strips to secure both ends.

Hi. How did the neoprene inserts work out? Where were you able to source them? Thanks.

 

[CU-Murph]

These have been working out really well for me and getting great rim protection running low PSI. Probably just as good Cushcore protection wise and my guess on the weight is about 150 grams per wheel.

Hi! Do you have a long term review of your setup from you, your friends that tried it, or both, please? Did you ever try using the Alfaflex pipe insulation?

Thanks.

 

[Surestick Malone]

I've tried the 2" backer rod version of this and it seems to work in the 2.25 tires on my XC bike and in the 2.35 tires in my trail bike but I feel like the tires need a bit more sidewall support in hard turns. The inserts weigh next to nothing either. Certainly not enough to change the feel of the tires in terms of acceleration.

I've found that hot glue seems to work the best in gluing the ends of the insert together. I tried rubber cement but it just peels off the foam. The hot glue is hot enough to melt to foam so I'm not sure if it's the glue that's holding the ends together or the melted foam welding itself together but it holds well enough that if the insert is sized to fit tight on the rim (80.5" in circumference on a 29" rim) it holds strong.

Given the sidewall support issue, I think I might try 3" backer rod next, however, I think I'm going to try and cut out a bit of the foam so that it fits down into the rim like Cushcore does.
I'm thinking of building a simple 3" square to a side (internal dimensions) box out of scrap wood to pull the backer rod through and keep everything aligned and then either two right-angled pieces of wire heated with electric current to cut the corners or razor blades.

Under pressure in the tire, the rod should shrink a bit leaving a bit more air volume. If that doesn't work it would be easy enough to cut some of the top of the insert off to give extra air volume and ensure that the tire is riding on air and not the insert. The extra width should give more sidewall support either way and put more of thicker part of the rod under the sidewall giving extra protection to the rim.

The backer rod is cheap enough that if an insert doesn't work the most annoying part is removing and re-mounting the tire with the sealant in it.

 

[CU-Murph]

I've tried the 2" backer rod version of this and it seems to work in the 2.25 tires on my XC bike and in the 2.35 tires in my trail bike but I feel like the tires need a bit more sidewall support in hard turns....

Cool. Thanks for the advice. I look forward to hearing how the cut to shape backer rod works out.

 

[ShadowGS39]

DIY tire inserts is just an experiment. Been thinking about tire inserts for about a year after Schwalbe came out with the Pro-Core inserts. I think tire inserts are a good idea but the weight (usually 200-350 grams) and cost (100-200) is kind of a deterrent. Was thinking of using pool noodles to try out but couldn't find one with the correct diameter, but found some plumbing insulation that is correct fit. So, final weight is 62 grams for 27.5 and cost was 5 bucks. Used shipping tape to seal up the split and tape sections together. Also, made it so it was snug to the rim.

Seems like you can run lower pressures. You can almost ride with no air. Haha. Been holding air fine and haven't noticed differences in riding characteristics. There are some issues. Not sure if the sealant is flowing really freely around but it could be because tire has not been losing air. However, not sure how it will seal punctures. It is more difficult to put the sealant in because you insert through the valve very slowly otherwise it will overflow. However like I said, the tire has sealed up fine and holding air fine. I do have so ideas of improving it.

It is just an experiment because I haven't found anybody who has made a tire insert product that I like. Just food for thought.

View attachment 1137645
View attachment 1137646

DIY tire inserts is just an experiment. Been thinking about tire inserts for about a year after Schwalbe came out with the Pro-Core inserts. I think tire inserts are a good idea but the weight (usually 200-350 grams) and cost (100-200) is kind of a deterrent. Was thinking of using pool noodles to try out but couldn't find one with the correct diameter, but found some plumbing insulation that is correct fit. So, final weight is 62 grams for 27.5 and cost was 5 bucks. Used shipping tape to seal up the split and tape sections together. Also, made it so it was snug to the rim.

Seems like you can run lower pressures. You can almost ride with no air. Haha. Been holding air fine and haven't noticed differences in riding characteristics. There are some issues. Not sure if the sealant is flowing really freely around but it could be because tire has not been losing air. However, not sure how it will seal punctures. It is more difficult to put the sealant in because you insert through the valve very slowly otherwise it will overflow. However like I said, the tire has sealed up fine and holding air fine. I do have so ideas of improving it.

It is just an experiment because I haven't found anybody who has made a tire insert product that I like. Just food for thought.

View attachment 1137645
View attachment 1137646

DIY tire inserts is just an experiment. Been thinking about tire inserts for about a year after Schwalbe came out with the Pro-Core inserts. I think tire inserts are a good idea but the weight (usually 200-350 grams) and cost (100-200) is kind of a deterrent. Was thinking of using pool noodles to try out but couldn't find one with the correct diameter, but found some plumbing insulation that is correct fit. So, final weight is 62 grams for 27.5 and cost was 5 bucks. Used shipping tape to seal up the split and tape sections together. Also, made it so it was snug to the rim.

Seems like you can run lower pressures. You can almost ride with no air. Haha. Been holding air fine and haven't noticed differences in riding characteristics. There are some issues. Not sure if the sealant is flowing really freely around but it could be because tire has not been losing air. However, not sure how it will seal punctures. It is more difficult to put the sealant in because you insert through the valve very slowly otherwise it will overflow. However like I said, the tire has sealed up fine and holding air fine. I do have so ideas of improving it.

It is just an experiment because I haven't found anybody who has made a tire insert product that I like. Just food for thought.

View attachment 1137645
View attachment 1137646

Have been riding my homemade tire insert for a couple of years now and they have been great especially when you get a flat. Have been through 3 set of tires and I'm still using the same insert pretty durable for just being foam.

 

[274898]

Have been riding my homemade tire insert for a couple of years now and they have been great especially when you get a flat. Have been through 3 set of tires and I'm still using the same insert pretty durable for just being foam.

Whoa, this thread got revived. It is really outdated. After riding a month on the DIY foam inserts when I started this thread, the foam just compressed making it not work. It did work for a little while. However, not worth getting foam from hardware store and using it because the new tire insert products on the market are excellent and are made to not breakdown. Foam inserts are definitely worthwhile. It is just the weight penalty that is not great.

 

[dsciulli19]

For those it may concern, I recently got my hands on a set of cushcore pro, and they are MILES better than anything one could make in their garage, especially my 2.25" OD pipe insulation + PEX + duct tape invention. The foam is quite firm and the flared-out shape is where the magic can be found. Unless you are casting your own foam in your garage, it's probably just better to save up and buy yourself some cushcore despite the ridiculous price.

 

[ShadowGS39]

Well that good to hear, i have run my homemade inserts for more then 2 years and in a few races and they have done what there supposed to do and that protect the rim and help during flats. i ride 40 to 60 mile races on them. They have not deformed and easy to install and clean when changing tires. well i keep to mine, they are cheaper and have been proven to work during long uses. You can say by how much time have been riding them they are trail sirtified. Yes, and if you don't want waist time making stuff right I do recommend paying the money.

 

[274898]

Well that good to hear, i have run my homemade inserts for more then 2 years and in a few races and they have done what there supposed to do and that protect the rim and help during flats. i ride 40 to 60 mile races on them. They have not deformed and easy to install and clean when changing tires. well i keep to mine, they are cheaper and have been proven to work during long uses. You can say by how much time have been riding them they are trail sirtified. Yes, and if you don't want waist time making stuff right I do recommend paying the money.

What foam are you using for 2 years that hasn't broken down and doesn't absorb tire sealant?

 

[ShadowGS39]

What foam are you using for 2 years that hasn't broken down and doesn't absorb tire sealant?

I used the heater line foam and cut them to size and use foam adhesive to form a complete circule and seal the seam. I make a hole through the foam and fill it with a little of foam insulater and re-open the hole so air and sealant move through the tire and does not end up in the foam cavity itself.
it dose absorbs some tire sealant until it cures, and when i change tire i wash them with soapy water and let dry before reinstalling, I did have to change one in the beginning cause it was not seated right and split through the side. Trial and error until i got it right. There is one benefit of the insert it great when inflating the tubeless ready tires it helps them seal quick. Maybe if I do geta serious flat the inserts might be destroyed but I know they will protect the rim.
Like the other day had a flat and the insert helped me get to a safe area while riding so that I could repair the tire and get home.

 

[Dictatorsaurus]

Getting backer rod for my 29er tires 2.25 - 2.35.

Would a 1.5" backer rod work or I need to get a bigger size? Also for gravel, whats a good backer rod size for a 40mm tire?

 

[Brochamp17]

I just did a set of CX 33 mm tires with 1 1/4'' closed cell backer rod and the fit was TIGHT. 1 1/4'' would probably be ideal for 38-40 mm tires

 

[mack_turtle]

Where are you people finding backer rod thatsy large enough for a mtb tire and doesn't come in INDUSTRIAL quantities? I can only find it in 5/8" diameter or in massive spools that seem interested for large public infrastructure projects.

 

[mobilenemo]

Where are you people finding backer rod thatsy large enough for a mtb tire and doesn't come in INDUSTRIAL quantities? I can only find it in 5/8" diameter or in massive spools that seem interested for large public infrastructure projects.

I bought and used this 2" backer rod for my hard tail rear tire 29" DHR2 WT 2.4". Cut the backer rod in half length wise and connected them together with zip ties. seems to protect the rim and doesn't add any tire support.