Cush Core on front wheel for EMTB?

[ah1]

Hi,
I have CushCore Pros for both my front and rear wheels on my Specialized Kenevo-SL which weighs ~43lbs. Originally installed them thinking "it's an e-bike so who cares about added weight?", but now that I'm seeing some of the downsides. I'll definitely keep the rear for protection, but wondering if the front is really necessary - does it really prevent anything given the less abuse the front takes. Thoughts?

 

[Montana St Alum]

I tried using Turbolight inserts for a short time. The set up acted like a butter churner and separated out the latex from my sealant making it ineffective for sealing holes. Also, removing the tire (in the event that is needed on the trail) was very difficult. I removed them front and back as I ended up not needing them, even at low pressures. That's on a 47 pound Elite 3. If you need them, fine, but it's likely many people don't.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

I had cushcore pro both front and back at first. but after a while I took the inserts out of the front tire as I thought it felt like the bike was understeering.

It defently had a positiv effect on rockgardens to have a insert front but for me it doest worked out.

 

[Jurassic]

I've run inserts front and rear in the past but now just run one in the rear (even on my ebike). I just found that the front one was unnecessary in practice (whereas the rear one does a solid job protecting my tyre and rim to some extent at least).

 

[KnollyBro]

Hi,
I have CushCore Pros for both my front and rear wheels on my Specialized Kenevo-SL which weighs ~43lbs. Originally installed them thinking "it's an e-bike so who cares about added weight?", but now that I'm seeing some of the downsides. I'll definitely keep the rear for protection, but wondering if the front is really necessary - does it really prevent anything given the less abuse the front takes. Thoughts?

I have the same bike and run Cushcore front and back. It weighs in at 44 lbs with a coil shock. I have not had a flat in years nor had to replace a rim, which makes me happy, as they are carbon. What downsides are you experiencing?

 

[ah1]

I have the same bike and run Cushcore front and back. It weighs in at 44 lbs with a coil shock. I have not had a flat in years nor had to replace a rim, which makes me happy, as they are carbon. What downsides are you experiencing?

Downside is weight and rolling resistance. I sometimes ride the bike light on power to 7-8k feet elevation rides, and so rolling weight makes a difference. I don't need the dampening in the front - Assegai with fox 38 is plenty. The only reason I put it there is protection

 

[KnollyBro]

Downside is weight and rolling resistance. I sometimes ride the bike light on power to 7-8k feet elevation rides, and so rolling weight makes a difference. I don't need the dampening in the front - Assegai with fox 38 is plenty. The only reason I put it there is protection

Perfectly understandable. My concern has always been rim protection as it can be pretty chucky with sharp edged rock chutes, slippery roots and built up features to deal with. Rolling resistance is not a concern as I am on the brakes a lot! What kind of trails do you like?

 

[ah1]

Perfectly understandable. My concern has always been rim protection as it can be pretty chucky with sharp edged rock chutes, slippery roots and built up features to deal with. Rolling resistance is not a concern as I am on the brakes a lot! What kind of trails do you like?

Mostly steep and rocky / rooty. But getting to the bottom quickly has the price to pay for getting back up. You can see the trails I ride here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVi-XIg7LJ-Wl1U-EUIwMnQ No doubt rim protection comes in handy but I haven't had any front wheel incidents on my other bikes.

 

[Jurassic]

Mostly steep and rocky / rooty. But getting to the bottom quickly has the price to pay for getting back up. You can see the trails I ride here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVi-XIg7LJ-Wl1U-EUIwMnQ No doubt rim protection comes in handy but I haven't had any front wheel incidents on my other bikes.

Nice videos and those trails look fun. Although it's hard to be completely certain after just watching a video, I reckon I'd be happy riding that terrain without a front insert. It doesn't look particularly rocky.

 

[ah1]

Nice videos and those trails look fun. Although it's hard to be completely certain after just watching a video, I reckon I'd be happy riding that terrain without a front insert. It doesn't look particularly rocky.

Thanks Jurassic and others. I've decided to keep the cushcore on for now and just reduce the tire casing form DD to EXO+ and see what happens. Just because the rims are carbon - if they were aluminum I most certainly would remove the front cushcore.

 

[KnollyBro]

Thanks Jurassic and others. I've decided to keep the cushcore on for now and just reduce the tire casing form DD to EXO+ and see what happens. Just because the rims are carbon - if they were aluminum I most certainly would remove the front cushcore.

I am guessing your choice of rim material , tire casing and Cushcore rests mostly on the weight difference rather than side wall stiffness? I run Assegai EXO+ with Cushcore on my front wheels which work fine for my needs (traction, flat and rim protection). I have carbon wheels as well but, at my skill level, I am not sure I notice much of a difference between aluminum and carbon wheels. YMMV

 

[ah1]

I am guessing your choice of rim material , tire casing and Cushcore rests mostly on the weight difference rather than side wall stiffness? I run Assegai EXO+ with Cushcore on my front wheels which work fine for my needs (traction, flat and rim protection). I have carbon wheels as well but, at my skill level, I am not sure I notice much of a difference between aluminum and carbon wheels. YMMV

My bike came with Carbon wheels (the Kenevo SL S-works). I prefer the feel of Aluminum rims - Enduro/DH rims are still plenty stiff but do offer a bit more suppleness compared to carbon rims. And if they dent, I can slip a tube on and still ride. But the difference isn't big enough for me to switch to aluminum.

 

[KnollyBro]

My bike came with Carbon wheels (the Kenevo SL S-works). I prefer the feel of Aluminum rims - Enduro/DH rims are still plenty stiff but do offer a bit more suppleness compared to carbon rims. And if they dent, I can slip a tube on and still ride. But the difference isn't big enough for me to switch to aluminum.

Agreed. My experience with carbon in the past 2 years is that I have not had to true a wheel yet and with Cushcore, I have not dented a rim like I used to with aluminum wheels (DT Swiss 511 and previously Mavic 729) after 2 seasons riding Whistler, Squamish and the North Shore where I would smash at least one AL rear wheel a season, find several dents in my front wheel and have to true my wheels too often. Carbon has been a winner for me and with the life time warranty, thats peace of mind!

 

[Ridenfool]

I like the feel of a CushCore up front at low pressures (23 PSI). Traction is improved with less tendency for the tire to roll to the side, or burp. It seems to also provide a little damping effect on trail chatter bumps when riding, My hands could feel that immediately when I installed them.

Should I flat the front (rare) it offers the option of limping back to the van if I'm nearly done, or, I can stop and plug a hole and keep riding. Either way, I am unlikely to have to deal with a popped bead that I can't get to re-seat in the middle of a ride.

The insert adds plenty of benefits that outweigh a few negatives. At least for me it does. YMMV

 

[Weeksy]

Continental and Maxxis both recommend not using any inserts in their DH tyres as their sidewalls and carcass are designed to work in terms of air volume which compresses in a specific way...
Plenty of DH Racers run no inserts at places like Fort William and 20psi pressures without a problem.

 

[Ridenfool]

Continental and Maxxis both recommend not using any inserts in their DH tyres as their sidewalls and carcass are designed to work in terms of air volume which compresses in a specific way...
Plenty of DH Racers run no inserts at places like Fort William and 20psi pressures without a problem.

Sounds legit.

I would expect that the DH crowd stays on top of what works for them. Though, I don't think I actually know anybody that races DH, nor anyone that runs DH tires on their AM/Enduro/Trail bike. Granted, any who do should take heed of the manufacturer's recommendations to maximize the utility and performance as designed.

For everyone else riding trail tires, they can buy those on the cheap (on-sale prices), then add a reusable insert and get many of the same benefits without running a DH specific tire.