Gravel bike tire inserts?
 

Are there foam inserts (like Huck Norris or Cush Core) for gravel bike tires yet? Why not? The reasons for it would seem to be the same. The XC versions (20-ish mm rim and 55-ish tire) make it kind of plausible for the bigger gravel bike tire but I can see the same benefits with 35+ size tires and no reason it wouldn't work

Scroll down to the bottom of the page. https://www.cushcore.com/kit-specs/

I just looked. There is a cx/gravel version:

https://www.cushcore.com/product/cus...gravel-cx-set/

not coming from a MTB world I only heard about these today. What happens if you tear a giant hole in your tire that sealant can’t repair? How do you put in a tube at that point? Do you remove the insert I guess?

Yeah, but it’s less likely you’d do so with the insert than without because it’s letting you run even lower pressure than tubeless alone and it won’t bottom out an edge agains the rim.

I haven’t seen any serious discussion of rolling resistance of these things, surely it’s worse, but how worse?

Sure enough. I guess I thought the last one would be fat and just didn’t scroll that far.

So, anyone tried it?

This thing improves cornering? How?...I genuinely dont know how cornering is degraded when tires with all air are used.
So since there is less air volume in the tire, do you have to run the tires at a higher PSI? Traditional tire inflation rules would point to yes, but I would guess no since that defeats the purpose of large tires.

This guy recommends a tire insert.

That's where I first heard of them. I don't doubt there's benefit but I've certainly learned over time that I need to sort through the Pros and Cons for MYSELF. I've only recently switched to tubeless as the level of screaming from others THAT YOU MUST RUN TUBELESS AT DIRTY KANZA OR YOU'LL DIE finally got to me. I know everybody raves about the magic of tubeless but considering prior to switching I'd been running tubes for 3 years and had a single flat and I'd don't feel like there's an overwhelming difference in feel no matter what psi I run them at. obviously tire choice can make a difference there.

You can read what they claim - it's supposed to reduce squirm, which you got now that the pressure is even lower.

Of the brands Cush Core definitely has the hardest sell. They paid for some real testing to back up their marketing claims.

In enduro they're running it at both ends. In a trail hardtail MTB it seems like people are running it rear and not front, the front has a big ol' suspension fork. I wonder if on a gravel bike you'd go the other way round, you want low rolling resistance on the rear and thus more pressure, on the front you maybe want it to take a hit better.

Yeah i get that it could reduce squirm, I just didnt realize thats a thing to worry about in gravel road riding as I cant imagine running my tires so low that they squirm. That seems like an unpleasant riding feel and result.
Surprised that is an issue worth addressing for gravel road riding.

My first thought was "I never hit things that hard on my unsuspended bike, so I don't need them."
2nd thought: "Well if I had them maybe I would hit things harder."
3rd thought: "Do I want to hit things harder?"

I was shopping for an all-purpose bike, and the Journeyman came up as a candidate with a lot of nice frame and fork features. The drop bar version is a less expensive version of the aluminum Warbird of a few years ago. The flat bar frame is much the same in its features as the drop bar version but it's nearly 2" longer, and especially the version with the 27.5x2" tires I can see treating pretty much like a rigid MTB. And it's got tubeless rims. Hence the genesis of the thread.

I bent the edge of my front rim on a big hit once (riding 38c tires). Tire inserts may be a consideration if I had a second or third wheelset but right now I only have one wheelset -- and I don't want to deal with that. I ride everything on these wheels and on pavement it seems like it would be a power suck.

From what I can tell, they are a pain to install. Can't imagine dealing with those if I needed to put a tube in a tubeless set up due to a cut tire/boot situation, seems like that plus the sealant all over the place would be a nightmare.

You must have pretty tame nightmares

Perhaps 'Something I'm not interested in risking dealing with on a long gravel ride' would be more accurate.

I have a friend that is a Cat 1 rider znd has tried the Vittoria solution out and had very positive things to say about them. I am not sure if he is still riding them, but he was very positive on the experience with them.

I've hit rocks pretty hard on 40mm tires at 38psi with no issues (I'm 185lbs), and I don't see the need for me to go any lower on pressure, I've able to handle some pretty rough sections on that setup (any rougher and you'd prob need a mtb anyway). But I guess if you need to run lower pressure than that, they might be worth it.

If you want to know how well cushcore performs, just read my review:
https://gravelbikes.cc/tests/cushcor...nserts-review/

In my opinion if you want to improve the comfort, lowering air tire pressure is the best and first thing you should do. And with Cushcore inserts you can lower it to the level unimaginable for a standard, even tubeless tire.

I'd be interested in knowing how well they hold up. I'm assuming that like any foam type product it would deteriorate over time. I'm sure it would outlast the rubber on tires though so it may be a non-issue.

I've read a few threads on MTBR that the cush core is holding up for three or four tires, whereas some of the other options discussed are only holding up for one. But that's for enduro racing where on the one hand they are expected to get mashed all the time but on the other hand the tires are really soft and don't last a thousand miles. In a gravel bike where it's not getting smashed all the time and a tire can last for a few thousand miles, I dunno.

Bump. Anyone have any recent experience with Cushcore’s new gravel-specific insert? Thinking about it when I convert to tubeless figuring I’d make the full switch now vs going tubeless then adding cushcore later.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...77eda1b0c4.png

Unless the tire tread or sidewall spends a lot of time squashed all of the way down to the insert it really might have little effect on rolling resistance. I am getting close to a decision to give these a try and drop tire pressure anoter 10 PSI... I have been riding a lot of very loose chunky stuff lately and want some additional margin for very low pressures on fast sharp turns.

Another bump on this one .. just watched Adam Roberge’s new video on his recent Big Sugar win and these inserts were one of his three “secret tricks”:


(Great video BTW; no race footage but great inside game.)

On my last gravel ride it was pretty rough and my bike only takes 37mm max tires so I think I am going to try some of these inserts to “42-ize” my 37s.