Cush Core - would you recommened?

[55plusmxinsanity]

32 psi with CC. Thats a hard tire/tyre

Plenty of flex still with High Rollers.

 

[smuts]

It’s interesting how everyone mentions puncture & rim protection as the main selling point for Cush Core and compares the product & pricing with cheap “rim protection” foam inserts. In the words of Dan Hallada: it’s a suspension product. I’ve been running CC for years and would not want to miss the additional damping and side wall support that you’re not going to get from pool noodles and rim protection products. There is a price and the installations requires diligence but the riding upsides are well worth it imho, coming from an enduro and DH background. I‘ve got CC front and rear in all gravity oriented bikes, including my emtb.

for more have a listen to:

Cushcore Co-founder, Dan Hallada - The Inside Line Podcast

 

[2wls4ever]

well I just discovered cush core and because where I live is very rocky im tempted cos it looks like a solution to a problem that actually exists but its not cheap so...
who runs it and would you recommend?

I run cushcore and recommend it. It will take a little ride time to understand the tire pressure of your specific tire. Sidewall carcase is a big factor to the pressure and corner loading contact patch feel.

And as others have probably stated, tire plugs and fresh sealant are essential.

The traction, damping, and feel are amazing when set up correctly and thought of as a system (including suspension).

 

[Elover]

After a few of us visited the lakes 2 years ago and got a load of flats, even with tubeless..... i tried vitoria and they have been great. No flats last year, with 5 riders hitting knarly rocks over 4 days.... We all run them... One mate fitted cushcore and said it was a ball ache.... Vitoria takes 10 minutes. And.also supports tyre with lower pressures, feels great.

 

[jsharpe]

After a few of us visited the lakes 2 years ago and got a load of flats, even with tubeless..... i tried vitoria and they have been great. No flats last year, with 5 riders hitting knarly rocks over 4 days.... We all run them... One mate fitted cushcore and said it was a ball ache.... Vitoria takes 10 minutes. And.also supports tyre with lower pressures, feels great.

A few days ago I fitted Vittoria Air-liner (large) in a 2.6 Agarro. When I was mounting it up I thought I might have made a mistake using the large airliner rather than the medium since it basically filled the entire space inside the tire. However, after a couple breaking rides, with lower pressures the tire is amazingly plush with unreal grip and no squirm. I'm still exploring the bottom end, but at this point I doubt I'll be brave enough to go much lower than the 15-18lbs in it now and to be honest doubt there would be an additional benefit. Probably the biggest surprise was that at 18lbs the tire rolled just as easy as with mid 20's. I was expecting lots of mushy drag on the pavement and hardpack.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

after thinking on all this stuff I put the michelin wilds on the bike and smashed the granny out of the rocky trails around here on a 20 miler. the wild enduro sidewalls look like they have taken a real battering, scuffs, missing lettering etc but no sign at all of tears or rips etc.. so im just gonna stick with a tubeless setup for now..

 

[SidLawrence]

I went from Cushcore to Nukeproof ARD.

The ARDs slot in & out easily. If needed you could whip one out & throw in a tube to get you home.

Cushcore tough to fit, although it does get easier with practice. Not a hope of popping one out trail side though.

On the trail.....if the Cushcore is considered the bench mark at 10/10. (& they really are superb!)
I’d give the ARDs a 7.5/10.

The Cushcore’s really felt like an extra 10mm of suspension on my Levo & offered very tangible sidewall support. The ARD’s don‘t offer the same level of cushioning or support but so far....they‘ve done everything I’ve needed them to do. No punctures yet (admittedly not out as much as I was pre Covid) & they’re working well. Whilst they don’t match the Cushcore on the trail, you know they’re there & they inspire confidence.

Given the ease of fitting, the huge cost differential, the ability for trail side removal etc......they’ve won my vote!

I sold my 2nd hand cushcores for more than I paid for the ARDs, so happy out ?

I’m currently weighing in at a delicate 120kg on an XL Levo.

It‘s only fair that I post an update.

In short, I’ve gone back to Cushcore. My initial enthusiasm for Nukeproof ARDs was sadly misplaced.

Pros:
Cost
Ease of fitting
Trail side repair.

Cons:
Less cushioning (Really noticeable on some trails!)
Less side wall support
They stretch.......oh my they stretch!

After not a huge amount of Kilometres.......the bike developed a truly awful noise. I actually pulled into the side of the trail fully expecting to find a cracked frame or something equally catastrophic. Nope.....couldn’t find anything.
Long story short.......both ARDs, front & rear, had stretched & were literally hammering around inside the tyre.

Was so delighted with the ARDs initially, but for me......they‘ve proved not to be up to it. So.....I’ve thrown more money at Cushcore ?‍

Front wheel.........

Rear wheel!

(Yep....there’s some rocky trails near me....gutted I’ve scratched the new wheels already ?‍)

Regardless of any manufacturer blurb......they stretched in 60.9kms. They absorbed nearly 4oz of Orange fluid each!! ?

 

[Hamina]

Just installed pair of cushcores. If you watch their video, it’s not anything special than ordinary tire install. Tire&roll + push the bead in and use soapwater in right places.

If you don’t watch it and try outsmart the instructions, then all hell breaks loose.

 

[Nobblynik]

I'm using a ratbite in the rear of my Decoy,2.8 tyre no problems so far but early days.

 

[Ice]

Basically, you will be able to limp home.... albeit a lot slower than you were originally travelling as what happened to a friend of mine when we were racing enduro. He was coming first and got a puncture on the last stage and limped home to 3rd place For me personally, in the terrain I ride, no thank you, I will stick to my trusty old SG carcass, 28 psi and continue enjoying my puncture free ride.
In the very unlikelyhood of getting a tyre slash puncture I have my new toy, the Stans Dart tool which funnily enough I have not had to use yet

The panzer insert did get me to the finish line?Quite a gutting day that was , as I was in first position and in for the series win , but hey shit happens and we had a fun weekend ??

 

[Eddy Current]

Im mainly interested in the anti-squirm effect of this foams ... what’s the best of them for that? Is better than a heavy duty sidewall carcass in this regard?

 

[EDYM]

Already talked about it elsewhere, but here seems to be THE place.
I had a look on Cush Core, but way too expensive, then on Flat Tyre Defender, way more affordable, but can't find the precise model i wanted in 29"

I'm using those Slicy products , only on the rear wheel at the moment, 130grs for a 29", relatively cheap and very easy to install.
I discovered it reading a Nico Vouilloz interview on Pinkbke (the famous weight-weenie ) where he says he's using it.

 

[leftside]

I've been running Cush Core for a few weeks now and absolutely love it. Had tubeless before, but never some kind of "liner" like Cush Core. Taken the bike down the rockiest trails here on the North Shore and the bike is so smooth! I consider this a great upgrade to an e-bike.

I put Cush Core Pro on the front and Cush Core Plus on the rear with my setup: 29" 2.6 tire, 31mm rim, 27" 2.6 tire, 36mm rim

People say the motor is "cheating" when going uphill. I'd argue Cush Core might be "cheating" when going downhill I made a few adjustments to the fork and shock by adding a little more air and adjusting compression. Dialed in nicely now. Times on Strava have definitely improved on the gnarlier trails.

If I hit the bike parks again next year, I'll also put Cush Core in the DH bike.

Yes, there are other options - but I haven't tried them. Others on here have great reports of Tannus, Procore, etc so definitely check those out as well.

 

[leftside]

It’s interesting how everyone mentions puncture & rim protection as the main selling point for Cush Core and compares the product & pricing with cheap “rim protection” foam inserts. In the words of Dan Hallada: it’s a suspension product. I’ve been running CC for years and would not want to miss the additional damping and side wall support that you’re not going to get from pool noodles and rim protection products. There is a price and the installations requires diligence but the riding upsides are well worth it imho, coming from an enduro and DH background. I‘ve got CC front and rear in all gravity oriented bikes, including my emtb.

for more have a listen to:

Cushcore Co-founder, Dan Hallada - The Inside Line Podcast

I don't think I'll ever be able to go back now.

 

[Jamy]

Tannus is crap!!! After 1000kms got 6 pinch flats and have complety flattened out and lost all cushioning and puncture protection and am currently in dispute over getting refunds, put a set in both my bikes as I was sick of cleaning up tubeless sealant all the time, they are recommended for up to 7000 km, apparently the first batch had a different material and flattened out after a while but apparently the second batch are better but I'm not taking my chances I've gone back to sealant and being tubeless check out the photos below if you knew what they look like from the start you could see the comparison. View attachment 31380 View attachment 31381 View attachment 31382 View attachment 31383

1800 miles with Tannus Armour and not a single puncture, must be how they are fitted

 

[Rosemount]

Hit some thing the right way and cush core can`t save you ...

 

[Doug Stampfer]

I have just read this & found it interesting about what they sayabout the lesser volume of air inside causing a quicker ramping effect & pinging off rocks. CushCore Pro Tire Inserts

 

[Akelu]

Has anyone used the new tubeless tannus armor inserts?

 

[Hamina]

Has anyone used the new tubeless tannus armor inserts?

Not gatekeeping, but the thread was about cushcores, not inserts generally.

 

[#lazy]

Not gatekeeping, but the thread was about cushcores, not inserts generally.

So what’s your views on then then ?

 

[urastus]

Has anyone used the new tubeless tannus armor inserts?

I do, in the rear only. Very rocky here, and sharp rock. I use it with a maxxis welterweight smaller size tube and a lightweight maxxis (exo only) tyre. I've had it for about 2 months and it just works. I'm still tubeless in the front - it seems to be a good mix for me. Do a search here - quite a few people are using them.

 

[#lazy]

I do, in the rear only. Very rocky here, and sharp rock. I use it with a maxxis welterweight smaller size tube and a lightweight maxxis (exo only) tyre. I've had it for about 2 months and it just works. I'm still tubeless in the front - it seems to be a good mix for me. Do a search here - quite a few people are using them.

Good point about rear only as the fronts can be steered out of harms way ! I used to use Chuck Norris but when it came to a tyre change the thing had almost disintegrated so left it out . Probably only had about 5 punches ever so will stick with thick walled tyres !

 

[urastus]

Good point about rear only as the fronts can be steered out of harms way ! I used to use Chuck Norris but when it came to a tyre change the thing had almost disintegrated so left it out . Probably only had about 5 punches ever so will stick with thick walled tyres !

what's chuck norris, other than that weird king of red neck values?

 

[Rikster]

thinking of setting up the bike with cushcore. Has anyone tried it on Bontrager Line 30 comp wheels?

Suggested setup:
Bontrager Line 30 comp with plastic bontrager rimstrip
Cushcore XC
Maxxis Aggressor 2.5 WT EXO Dual

 

[Rikster]

what's chuck norris, other than that weird king of red neck values?

its Huck Norris and its a lite foam insert form Scandinavia. Using it currently but when I changed the tyre I saw some pretty big dents in the foam so looking for something better.

 

[urastus]

Good point about rear only as the fronts can be steered out of harms way ! I used to use Chuck Norris but when it came to a tyre change the thing had almost disintegrated so left it out . Probably only had about 5 punches ever so will stick with thick walled tyres !

I'm not sure about steering out of harm's way; it's probably that there mustn't be as much weight on the front usually. Because of that the fork is generally more supple than the shock too - lower pressure. And lower pressure in the tyre all adds up to lighter, more reactive suspension?

 

[Doug Stampfer]

thinking of setting up the bike with cushcore. Has anyone tried it on Bontrager Line 30 comp wheels?

Suggested setup:
Bontrager Line 30 comp with plastic bontrager rimstrip
Cushcore XC
Maxxis Aggressor 2.5 WT EXO Dual

I can't see you fitting te cushcore in with the rimstrip if it's the insert type, they'd be taking up the same area wouldn't they?

 

[Eddy Current]

Hit some thing the right way and cush core can`t save you ...

View attachment 41471

View attachment 41472

Cushcore isn’t the best for rim impacts. Neither all the “half” foams. Airliner from Vitoria is really the best for that, but don’t have all the sidewall support and damping Cushcore has, maybe with the bigger ones like @jsharpe do it is better ... I would run normal airliner with heavy casing for the best of worlds for start...

 

[Hamina]

This has been said in the Cushcore installation instructions but...

Protip: Put the wheel on top of an old car tire. Pushing the bead will be a lots of easier. You don't need actually much force when doing it this way. Without the tire (or big bucket) it's hard (at least for me).

btw. In the picture there's a faulty Panaracer Aliso that wanted to make soapy bubbles.

 

[BikeTrailsAndWaggingTails]

Yup, I definitely would recommend Cushcore.

I have very, very bad luck when it comes to pinch flats. Sometimes I'd get them after 1 mile into a trail ride but since Cushcore, I haven't had a single pinch flat. Now all my emtbs have Cushcore.

However, the installation can be a pain but I use this guy's technique and found it to be really helpful. Now installation is super easy: