So been looking at a couple of options

Procore
rimpact
ratbite

anyone got any reviews of either – good or bad

The pro rimpacts look good but start getting expensive as they recommend they are changed pretty regular.

The procores are very faffy and seem old hat these days. Probably heavier than foam stuff also

Will be looking for rim protection mainly. I will unlikely reduce my pressure that much as I not a huge fan of that rolling tyre feeling.

I really rate the Vittoria Airliner, the Nukeproof ARD in currently is pretty poor in comparison. They do change the feel of the rear and that’s the one downside apart from the weight gain.

STW did a grouptest a while back, worth looking at

I’m a 100% confirmed Cushcore fanboi. Quite heavy & quite expensive, but if you want rim protection they are, IMO, the best.

How much protection do you need?

The standard Rimpacts are very good and keep their shape very well, I’d expect to get a couple of years at least out of them.

I was running pro-core for a few years, it was frankly a bit of a faff…
The valves seemed to go stiff and difficult to open on the expensive tubes, and the inners would go flat annoyingly often meaning they were not fit and forget.
You had to frequently check the inner pressure by opening the valve and pumping up, sounds like not a big deal, but annoying all the same.
Because of the valve issue I had taken to carrying a mini set of pliers as well as a valve core tool.

Recently fitted Rockstop’s in an attempt to find something less faff and more fit-forget with a thumb test for tyre pressure…
So far so good, ish.
I’ve not destroyed a rim or had a snake bike carcass puncture (yet, have cursed myself now) but I’ve noticed the front one slaps/rattling it actually took me ages to arrive at that conclusion, thinking the noise was loose headset, brake mounts, disks, and then concluding it was a creaky steerer.

Finally thought about the insert, and if I bounce the wheel on the ground off the bike I can hear the insert slap the rim…

Now to decide if I can live with it, or bodge something to stop it, or go back to pro-core

Btw, the stw group test suggests that pro-core is lighter than Rockstop’s

I have the Nukeproof ARD, i think its quite good however after a little while they seemed to expand and rattle abit – i thought i had a weird knocking sound in the bb or the headset was loose but it was the insert in the wheel.
I had to remove it, cut a section out and cable tie together- been ok after that. I also removed the front one.
Im pretty sure its saved me a couple of times so worthwhile having something in the back at least.

I’ve got Rimpacts in the rear of both of my FS bikes and they’ve been great. No dinged rims or pinch flats since installing them and they have definitely been doing their job as there are a few witness marks and cuts on both when I last changed the rear tyres over to summer ones. They’ve been in there about 18 months and still have life left in them, both bikes are used regularly too. How long they last will depend upon how much you ride and your terrain though. The one in the Rocket has even survived being dragged down Rim Dinger for a bit after I slashed a tyre there and couldn’t stop easily and safely immediately. It did become unglued at it’s join but 2 holes and a ziptie and it’s been fine again for the last 7 months. No damage to the rim whatsoever though!

The bonus with Rimpacts is their valves, the best ones I’ve come across for not clogging and they don’t rely on the insert having a cut-out to let air in, they vent from the sides. When the inserts eventually die I’ll be getting the same again.

Just installed Rimpact also – they seem to do everything Cushcore does at a quarter of the price and half the weight. Early days for me but no rattle or noise really nice supported feeling in a few berms/corners where I used to feel some roll/fold on the back tyre at speed.

Wot @reluctantjumper said.

Running rimpact front and rear in my bike since September when I built it, swapped the front tyre last week and no wear or damage showing, stuck it straight back in.

It’s nice to be able to run 20psi on a 2.35 tyre and not worry about pinch flats.

And definitely get the valves, they’re brilliant.

On my trail bike I use a Vittoria Airliner and it does a great job, although a little weighty. On my DH bike I use Huck Norris inserts front and rear and have never had an issue with them.

I’ve got rockstops in my hardtail.

It didn’t prevent a ding in my rim when my front tyre got slashed, but I guess that was a side-ish impact that it isn’t necessarily designed to prevent.

Otherwise, they’ve been pretty good – no pinch flats, keep the tyre semi-ridable if you have a something the sealant can’t deal with.

I do need to buy some non-clog valves though.

interesting, thanks all

Same as I have found else where on-line, there is no one outstanding product.

or if thats cushcore its at a tasty price, same with the rockstop.

Might bite the bullet and go rimpact as my wheels are aluminium, if they were carbon I might splash a bit more cash for protection.

Will hang off the buy button until the end of the day to see if there any other recommendations though

I once tried the foam inserts that One one were selling. barbieri or something. I didn’t rate them and found the tyre was always washing out on the front and caused arm pump – less of an issue on the rear. They were slightly better when cut in half but then you get less protection. Thats what puts me off the vittoria airliner

The Airliners a much denser foam than backer rod or the On-one efforts

Rimpacts on two bikes here, given the state of them and that I’m now running tyres until they are almost slick, definitely worth getting them. Saved me at least 4/5 tyres getting binned…

Huck Norris for over three years and have had no problems running a dual ply rear plus tyre on a hardtail sub 20psi. Not convinced by the damping claims some of the heavier inserts punt, so HN for me offers puncture protection for the least weight gain. Also, one of the easiest to carry home if you ever do need to put a tube in.

had ratbite in
will probably put hem back in for winter when pressures drop
they saved me at least twice when I had a sudden loss of pressure.. didn’t even notice after finishing one of the windhill trails that my front was flat
sensible price, sensible weight, do everything ARD do?

I have tried Rimpact and ARD.

The Rimpacts have an affect on how the tyre feels which I like and must offer some rim protection because though I am not a rim dinger at all the Rimpact on my rear wheel has a lot of cuts.

The ARD I think give better protection because they are firmer but I don’t get that change in the tyres feel that I do with the Rimpacts.  Mine also have become rattly which is irritating

If I were buying some more I think I would try the Rimpact Pro in the hope it is more durable than the original.  I have a suspicion Cushcore may be the gold standard but I don’t have the stomach for the price

I have some rimpacts and some ratbites. Both seem good. Both had the same issue of blocking up the valve, easily solved by cutting out a section of foam.

I’m not a massive fan overall of the concept. Basically the fix is usually to get a better tyre imo. But sometimes that’s not easy. As far as flats go, I’ve had one fail to seal that I’m pretty sure was because the foam was right against the tyre wall so sealant wasn’t circulating to it- it was a wee nothing of a puncture. But then equally, I lost pressure in the mega final last year in the front and I was so, so glad to be able to ride it out on the foam (with dh tyres, which ought to be tough enough, never did find the cause of the airloss)

I think of my 4 inserts, 3 are sat on a shelf just now, though they will see use again I’m sure.

Northwind

Basically the fix is usually to get a better tyre imo.

My thinking was that for less than the price of 1 tyre, I could get Rimpact inserts for the rear of two bikes, and they would cover both summer and winter tyres. If Maxxis actually sold their rear tyres in DoubleDown casings I might have gone for those, but I’d have spent twice as much, and only covered one set of tyres, not to mention three times the weight penalty

Rimpact Valves have openings at the side and top now, so shouldn’t block up.

And if I do have second thoughts, I can look at CushCore and reassure myself that I got a bargain by only paying fifty quid for two bits of foam, instead of a hundred and fifty for two other bits of foam

Sometimes people need a better tyre AND an insert.

Don’t make the mistake of extrapolating your own requirements to everyone else’s.

I have been running an On-One Barberi Annaconda on the rear of my Specialized Levo. The tyre is a 2.8 Butcher, and it seems to have worked perfectly. It was very difficult to fit initially, requiring a bit of a trim, but seems to be doing the job just now.

For the price paid, I am more than satisfied.

I bought the On One ones as above, in 2.8 Nobby Nics. I find them too big; they block the valves so I can’t let air out and seems to touch the sidewalls so much that I the sealant can’t get to sidewall holes.

I’ve got a puncture on the rear and can’t get any more sealant in and am struggling to just get the tyre off at all. Back inside a bit worn so I may have to cut it off.

I was looking at the Vittorias but the plus size ones cover 2.7 to 4” tyres so I reckon they’ll be massive too.

To summarise, what insert for 2.8” tyres?

honourablegeorge
Member

If Maxxis actually sold their rear tyres in DoubleDown casings I might have gone for those

Aye, exactly. For the most part, the tyres I want to exist but not always, so it’s a good way to either bridge a gap, or to temporarily add “more”.

Bottom line is I think it’s only really popular because tyres haven’t kept up with bikes, but that’s where we are

I went for the original rimpact inserts in the end. I hope that along with some new michelin tyres will keep the dings away.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Tannus inserts yet. I’ve been running them for a few months and find them great. Probably best set up with a lightweight tyre and Tubulito tubes.Tannus inserts

I’ve got procore. I’ve not tried foam type inserts and not had problems with the procore valves. I think procore is wonderful, I can run silly low pressures and not had a rim ding since getting them (3+ years ago) I’ve had one inner tube puncture (Not enough pressure in it) but tyre stayed up other than that just grip and rims without a mark on them.

Yes you do have to watch the inner pressure Weekly but I see that as a fairly small price to pay you can also pick them up cheap on eBay now

Had a TyreInvader, now using ProCore (got a new set when they were on offer for £64 a pair last month).

Didn’t get on with the TyreInvader, but the drawbacks of that kind of insert are well known.

I like the ProCore (on 35mm alloy rims) but am using the OKO high fibre sealant in an attempt to stave off valve clogging. At the price you can get them now and assuming the change in sealant works, so far so good for me and ProCore…

So, since early in the year i was running lower pressures, and stuck with ratbite inserts
past few months i found i was running mid to high 20’s (according to the basic gauge on my pump) and one of the ratbites ended up covering up the valve, so i couldn’t use my fancy gauge.

Skip forward, and last week i grabbed some carbon rims, few 100g lighter than my sun ringles, i figured since i was in the higher pressures for a few more months i would leave the ratbites out.

But the 2 rides ive done since, pedal up and ride down.. i’ve been slow.. like 10% across the board.. i feel like im going just as quick.. but really am not. Last night for example, my front wheel washed out a few times, i cant remember the last time i had that happen.. one of the times was at a walking speed climbing switchback…

Do the high volume inserts make any significant change in performance/feel when running at ht higher end of the pressure range? I understand how at lower pressures, they will… Or is it the change in wheels making things feel different?

Been running Pro Core since 2015 but only for gravity based riding and racing (badly).
I found I could overtake other riders on the sides of the trails during races with no fear of flats from the jaggedy rocks and carry more speed.
Have had problems with valves clogging until moving to oko sealant.

For anything other than racing or uplifts I don’t tend to bother.

Really missing racing now.

so. to update
I put the ratbites back in..
it feels nicer to ride in every way.. upper 20’s rear, lower 20’s front…
cant put my finger on it.. i think its the damping i can feel, low pressure and the inserts as a combo is beautiful

Yeah I can run nice low pressures and they feel lovely.

22psi rear 18psi front, that’s on a 2.35 rear and 2.6 front. Could easily drop to 16psi front.

alan1977
I think carbon rims can be far too stiff and that spoils grip and feel on rough ground. Maybe with Cushcores they’d be OK as the pressure could drop and cushcores add damping I’m told (still to try one myself as I gave up trying to get it to fit a Magic Mary 2.35/29 on a DT511.) I changed back to ally from Carbon (Derby, Mavic Pro) and much prefer the alloys despite the weight.

Have you guys had any squeaking, with tire inserts? I have the RimPact dual in a 2.35 rear tire, and it’s squeaking like crazy!

I have used Rimpacts since they came out. Love the damped out feel on long rough downs. Never had a puncture for years with them until this last week. Tore my double down DHR2. Usually It is easy to get the tire off. Never had an issue changing them out and getting the tire off. Also have had good luck with tyre and rim combos. Always installed by hand, barely a tyre lever. I could not get the tyre off this time. Snapped all my levers. Made space. Moved the beads to centre of the wheel. It was weird. This summer I got some long high elevation rides planned and its no inserts for me this time. Haha sods law demo a wheel!

Procore is good I just found it a bit tedious checking all the pressures before every ride. My inner tubes would lose quite a bit of psi over a week. Was using 80/15 in the Tweed Valley on a commencal meta 4.2 am and it was a really fun grippy setup. Have some PRs that I cant get close to still.

I’ve used ratbite and, er, some other pink lighter weight one. Pretty much destroyed a ratbite at the mega but it did the job, by the end there was zero air in it but it still got me down. Equally I’m about 99% sure that I would never have got a flat without the insert- it was a tiny sidewall nick where the foam touches the tyre, so no sealant got to the hole!

I’ve stopped using them day to day though. For racing I probably will still use them and there’s a set in my burly dh wheels but I didn’t consider it worth the hassle and weight for normal riding. Basically I trust my tyres and I reckon that as long as the tyre exists, a tougher tyre is pretty much always better than adding the same weight in inserts.

Got a Nukeproof ARD in my rear wheel, had it in for 6-9 months, had to change the tyre and expected a nitemare. It really wasn’t, just popped off without issue, hasn’t expanded and didn’t rattle in the tyre. I’m definitely happier with it in and wish I’d done it earlier. Though it not had a lot to guard against over the last few months, so can’t comment on it’s abilities

I’ve tried Cushcore, Nukeproof A.R.D, Vittoria Airliner and now Rimpact. My totally unscientific observations;

Cushcore – the most clear damping sensation. Still totally useable after a year of riding. By looking at them, it’s clear they have saved the rim on many occasions.

Nukeproof – Seemed to give ok protections, but swelled up and could be heard rattling around inside the wheel.

Vittoria – Didn’t feel very much from it, but definitely saved the rim a few times. Crappy design of having to cut to size thought. Seems very low rent compared to the others.

Rimpact – Seems a good balance of protection, damping and not being crazy bucks.

Insert-curious here, XM481s on a trail bike 70kg rider. Something to handle by skills/timing failings and the occasional rocky terrain. More for protection, rather than damping and low pressures. And not making the bike feel draggy. Looked around including the group test, narrowed it down to a few – any suggestions or one of the others I should reconsider? Few people mention the voluminous inserts are best run as a pair for a balanced feeling, but I also see people do run them in the rear only which is where I most want it.

Rimpact original F&R, 190g, £43 pair
Rimpact original F pro R, 255g, £60 pair
RockStop R only, 270g, £55 single
Tannus Tubeless F&R, 320g, £40 each

Get the original Rimpacts, perfect for what you want IMO.

I started with just one in the rear wheel, didn’t think I needed one in the front. Tried it to see and it does open up more possibilities and enhance the ride feel.