I had the original Rimpacts and liked the way they worked but did NOT like the faff of removing a tyre that contained one and was a little surprised by the damage inflicted on them in a short time by my mincing around. Now I see Rimpact have a ‘Black Friday’ sale on and I’m tempted/have had time to forget the removal misery
Should I
a) Give them another go, the inserts and tools have both improved and I only swap tyres on that bike a couple of times a year.
b) Give them a miss, tyres have improved so don’t need the help and no one needs a tyre lever shaped like a butt plug.
Thanks
Are you putting a lot of holes in your tyres without inserts? Or dinging your rims a lot?
My wheels are about 50/50 with and without them, but if I were more organised I'd probably have them in all but my XC wheels.
The Pro versions don't fall apart so much BTW.
Are you putting a lot of holes in your tyres without inserts? Or dinging your rims a lot?
Not when I remember to check my tyre pressures but it may be nice to drop those pressures a couple of psi for the winter. I don’t tend to put dents in decent rims but do hit the rim hard enough to slice tyres if I let the pressure drop to 24/25 psi.
The Pro versions don't fall apart so much BTW.
They do look significantly improved. Think I will give them a go
They make sense if you damage rims or tyres. If not then why bother with the hassle?
It’s a compromise. Maybe I can stick in an insert and run a couple of psi less for more grip and comfort without flatting tyres.
I ran Rimpacts on both bikes for years but I've now just got a Rimpact (Pro I think) in the back of the hardtail (XM481 rims) and upgraded the ebike's rear tyre to a downhill casing (EX511 front, EX471 rear). That Cushcore tyre lever does help a lot but they're still not much fun to get on and off!
I may be asking for information overload 😀 but why insert and non DH tyre on the hardtail then no insert but DH tyre on the ebike? Are you as undecided as I m on which way to go?
If you need them you need them. If not, don't bother. I used to waste a fortune in rims and tyres and I've had no catastrophic failures since I started using Rimpacts a few years ago.
I've got a new pair in the garage ready to do bike number 3. I burped the tyre off the bead on a berm last week and had a very long walk back to the car. Wouldn't have happened with an insert in.
I'm putting it off because they're a giant PITA.
I love the benefits, I hate fitting them and switching tyres. All things considered I hate riding without them now.
Not a chance I'm fitting inserts personally but I've never broken a rim in 20 odd years. Also put off after watching a mate have to cut a newish tyre into several pieces with a stanley knife after slashing the sidewall at Dyfi earlier this year, he lost half a days riding trying to get the tyre changed
I put a panzer insert in the back tyre at the weekend after using four plugs in a week. It was easy to fit at least.
“why insert and non DH tyre on the hardtail then no insert but DH tyre on the ebike”
The hardtail’s rear tyre gets smacked into stuff pretty hard (it’s a 160mm Moxie) and the rim isn’t the toughest. The ebike has tougher rims and 157mm of travel to take out the sting but I’ve punctured quite a few non-DH tyres recently on it (despite the inserts then) and it was annoying me.
Also I’ve got a stockpile of 29” trail (rear suited) tyres to use up and I just mulleted the ebike, so I want to use them on the hardtail!
Also I’ve got a stockpile of 29” trail (rear suited) tyres to use up and I just mulleted the ebike, so I want to use them on the hardtail!
Same reason I run inserts in the rear: got a stash of tyres to use up where ideally I'd prefer a stronger/tougher sidewall. Cushcore on one bike, Rimpact V1s on another two. My Tallboy came with a fast-rolling tyre with trail carcass but with Cushcore XC insert - seller's explanation was wanting a fast-rolling but tough enough for DH use tyre and nothing off the shelf filled that niche.
I'm sure some inserts are harder to fit than others but I'm the one responsible for fitting and removing inserts in our household and we use a mixture of the rimpacts different offerings and I run maxxis and the husband runs schwalbe and I manage just fine even with my puny female computer typing hands. Sure I wouldn't want to be the type of person who changes tyres three times a year but I really dont understand people who have insane difficulties doing it. I just follow the videos from them and it's pretty straight forward, just takes a little longer to change a tyre.
They make sense if you damage rims or tyres. If not then why bother with the hassle?
I wasn't damaging rims or tyres but I fitted them anyway. I used to run my tyre pressures around 20/22psi, now I'm running them 13/15psi (and lower if conditions mean I'm still struggling for grip).
I also downgraded the sidewall thickness of my tyres, so now less energy is lost to hysteresis, even with the far lower pressures. And they are lighter (although of course that weight is still there with the inserts).
I also found I could stiffen up my suspension so now the bike sits nicer in corners and generally feels more predictable.
I also ended up dropping my handlebars as I felt I was sitting too high all the time with the stiffer suspension.
To get the most out of inserts you have to think of it as changing the entire system, not just sticking it in the rear tyre and keeping everything the same.
I run an old nukeproof and insert in the rear the spare one hangs from the garage roof awaiting a bike.
I'm always impressed at the amount of damage on the insert that doesn't make it way to the rim.
I run an old nukeproof and insert in the rear the spare one hangs from the garage roof awaiting a bike.
I'm always impressed at the amount of damage on the insert that doesn't make it way to the rim.
I think it depends on the bike and use.
On my Sentinel I now just run Conti Enduro casing tyres most of the time on the back - unless I’m going somewhere like Dyfi then Input a DH casing on the rear. No insert / no damage. I’m not heavy enough / hitting stuff hard enough to need an insert with those type of tyres. Mostly run about 23 psi on the back - in slow speed gloop I’ll go lower. On high speed rocky stuff on an uplift I’ll go up to 25 psi. The front is never an issue for me and I use enduro Conti’s or a grid trail hillbilly typically.
Where I do use an insert is if trying to run thinner / lighter tyres for either weight saving or faster rolling. I’ve just built a Top Fuel and going to run a rekon exo+ on the rear - I’ve stuck in a standard rimpact just to save the rim in case I hit something too hard with less travel and weaker tyres.
On my hardtail I was taking the same approach but decided instead to use Schwalbe super trail tyres with no insert and these have been all good. The hardtail typically doesn’t get the hammer the Sentinel gets though.
I always just have the rear in. Can't be doing with changing tyres so run it all the time to cover those trips where there may be rocks.
Haven't wrecked a tyre since using them although did destroy one fitting the rimpact at first... Haven't had an issue fitting them since, especially as I read the instructions after the 1st attempt.