[doccoraje]

Not wanting to steal other threads, with all the new (and not so new) options which would be your choice: cush core, huck norris, rimpact, tyre invader, vittoria liner, barbieri anaconda, pepi's tire noodle, marshguard or schwalbe procore.

 

[jimarin]

Kind of depends on intended use. I still think Cush is the best for smashing. If you want light weight with less protection the rimpacts look really nice. I’ve got a set in the garage waiting for my new wheels but I like the shape. I weighed a rimpact at 90 grams and Cush is 300 (both 29). They are shaped similar to the Cush so I’m hoping they provide some of the feel the cush gives. I haven’t seen the new pepis in person yet but the red ones aren’t great. Slightly better than no insert. I found huck useless. Procore is pretty low on the list too. I’d like to see the marsh and tyre invaders in person.

 

[06HokieMTB]

Don't buy into the CushCore 'feel'... it's a foam insert to attempt to protect your rim from impacts. You can still kill a rim even with CushCore. I did, through a DoubleDown tire nonetheless.

I still run CushCore out back, but don't mess with lower pressures

 

[jimarin]

Don't buy into the CushCore 'feel'... it's a foam insert to attempt to protect your rim from impacts. You can still kill a rim even with CushCore. I did, through a DoubleDown tire nonetheless.

I still run CushCore out back, but don't mess with lower pressures

I’ve killed rims through cush/dd too but out of all of the inserts I’ve tried it’s still the most effective. For me (and multiple people I know) it improves feel. It’s not one of those placebo things, from the first dh run it’s immediately apparent. You get better side wall support and it deadens the chatter a bit. They’re all foam but the Cush is much more dense than the lighter options. I don’t drop the pressure much but my wheels last a lot longer when I run it. It’s total overkill weight vs reward for trail riding but for dh and some enduro courses it’s pretty worth while.

 

[Forest Rider]

I'm tempted to try Cush Core in my 2.8's for 1) optimal air pressure, yet not hit the rim and 2) maybe reduce the bouncy feelings on the rough stuff.

I don't expect it to be a solution to all things bad, but hopefully allows 14 or less PSI and not hit hard on the chunk. I'm 155lbs....generally do okay with the chunk, but when I plan the harsh trail I air up a bit more, probably 15ish. Still need a proper gauge to know the PSI better than the gauge I have currently.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I’ve killed rims through cush/dd too but out of all of the inserts I’ve tried it’s still the most effective. For me (and multiple people I know) it improves feel. It’s not one of those placebo things, from the first dh run it’s immediately apparent. You get better side wall support and it deadens the chatter a bit. They’re all foam but the Cush is much more dense than the lighter options. I don’t drop the pressure much but my wheels last a lot longer when I run it. It’s total overkill weight vs reward for trail riding but for dh and some enduro courses it’s pretty worth while.

I agree. Cushcore made a big difference in feel for me. The improved sidewall stiffness made for much more precise handling in the turns. It felt like I was correcting understeer that I never knew existed before. I've yet to crush a rim with cushcore, but don't drop below 18 psi on 27.5 x 2.4 or 27.5 x 2.5 tires.

With Huck Norris, I typically run 22 psi F &R

I weigh 165 lbs, for reference. Currently, because my legs are poo this time of year, I'm running Huck for the weight savings but will likely revert back to CC later.

 

[EatsDirt]

I’ve killed rims through cush/dd too but out of all of the inserts I’ve tried it’s still the most effective. For me (and multiple people I know) it improves feel. It’s not one of those placebo things, from the first dh run it’s immediately apparent. You get better side wall support and it deadens the chatter a bit. They’re all foam but the Cush is much more dense than the lighter options. I don’t drop the pressure much but my wheels last a lot longer when I run it. It’s total overkill weight vs reward for trail riding but for dh and some enduro courses it’s pretty worth while.

I could feel a dampening right off the bat with CC, no questions. Too bad it's just not a little more user friendly for daily use.

 

[GRPABT1]

I've chosen Rimpact and I'm happy. If I was Downhill racing I'd probably run a cushcore but I still pedal up and I practice obstacle avoidance pretty well.

 

[LMN]

I am a big fan of 2" (1 1/2" for XC tires) closed cell backer rod, tape, and glue.

You can build your own insert for really cheap, and the backer rod is pretty damm effective for most people. And at 60-70grams per insert it doesn't weigh a lot.

 

[Harold]

I put Huck Norris on the rear tire of my hardtail.

It's just a trail bike, so I didn't want the extra burly weight of CC. So far, it's doing what I want/expect from it. Had a leaky valve core and some rim strikes on rocks. The insert saved my brand new rims (seriously, this was my first ride on this bike...brand new valves, too. I'm a little miffed that one of the valves was bad right out of the box).

I'm still figuring out tire pressures, as this bike has a new wheel/tire size for me. 13psi up front actually seems good (which seems strange to me...but whatever). I've been running 16psi in the back, but it occasionally squirms a little. Next ride I'm going to bump it up to 17psi. Running 29x 2.6 tires, and I'm probably close to 190 kitted up.

 

[rpearce1475]

I've run: Huck Norris, Cushcore, Vittoria airliner. Huck Norris I didn't feel like did anything at all. Cushcore definitely had the most effect on ride feel/dampening of the three, but I still destroyed rims (two) with it. The Airliner is what I currently run (rear only), seems to have slightly better rimstrike protection than Cushcore but not as many other ride characteristics. They don't get much press but the few reviews I could find (from British mtb mags/sites) seem to agree that the Vittoria gives the best rim strike protection. Also fwiw I only run inserts in the rear, I don't like the muted/damped feel of inserts in my front tire but need them for rim strikes in the rear

 

[Suns_PSD]

I've only ran Pepi's. I currently run the red up front with 20 psi and the yellow in the rear with 24psi.
I REALLY like the feel. It still feels light, rolls fast, but thin sided sidewall tires feel more firm than a Gravity casing. Also I run 4 psi less than my usual F&R.
I still screw up my rear wheel pretty often but I have only once gotten that 'ping' sound one time on the front in the last few months, where I use to get that maybe every other ride.
I'm going to build some new wheels and i'm going DH on the rear this time on a trail bike.

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[ScottieM8]

I am a big fan of 2" (1 1/2" for XC tires) closed cell backer rod, tape, and glue.

You can build your own insert for really cheap, and the backer rod is pretty damm effective for most people. And at 60-70grams per insert it doesn't weigh a lot.

Where do you buy the hacker rod? I'm tempted to try this out.

 

[scatterbrained]

I've been running CushCore front and rear and am quite happy with them. First, the weight. They weigh the same as an inner tube, so it's as if I was still running with tubes weight wise. I've only run them in Michelin Wild AM 29x2.35 tires, which are lighter/softer than some other tires, certainly compared to DH tires. With the Michelins; tubeless I had to run around 25psi to prevent squirming and burping under hard cornering. With the CushCore I am running as low as 18-19psi Fr/Rr and still have great stability and feel. They will squirm a little or burp some if you're getting rowdy at those pressures, but just a little. The front end is much more supple and controlled over high speed chatter too, making it easier to maintain your line. Also, I'm yet to destroy a wheel or snakebite a tire since adding them, despite destroying 4 tires and 1 rim here in SoCal before adding them.

 

[LMN]

Where do you buy the hacker rod? I'm tempted to try this out.

Amazon.

I made 17 inserts for $100 in material.

 

[jeremy3220]

Only one ride in on the Rimpact inserts and I'm still messing with pressures but running the same pressure as before installation I can tell there's no significant damping from simply installing the inserts. The damping must primarily come from lower pressures.

 

[Nat]

I have the Vittoria Air-Liners. In addition to the rim protection I like that they let your tires act as “run flat” tires.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I recently installed the Vittorria, which replaced a Huck Norris, which replaced a cush core, which replaced a Huck Norris.

Cushcore has amazing feel, but the weight on long Colorado climbs got to me, as did the installation PITA.

Huck Norris did what it was supposed to do. I have no pinch flats or major ring dings. But seems a bit pithy and I don't fully trust it.

I don't have enough time on the Vittoria to comment yet, but seems like a nice combo of protection, weight and ease of installation.

 

[ACree]

Amazon.

I made 17 inserts for $100 in material.

Thoughts on your DIY approach mid way through the season?

I'm liking the Vittoria insert, but can feel the weight. Very tempted by the lighter backer rod version.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I'm still a believer in Pepi's.

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