Tubeless inserts?

[Akelu]

What's everyone's thoughts on tubeless inserts?

For example, tannus armor tubeless.

I'm about to setup my wheels as tubeless and wondering if it's worth getting inserts? I don't ride any crazy downhill or do big jumps or anything, mainly just single-track.

Thanks!

 

[urastus]

Just on the rear, tannus with a smaller maxxis welterweight tube. That's inside a 27.5 x 2.6 maxxis dhrII exo. I'm about 80kg and have it at 15psi. It bags out a fair bit when I'm climbing but has been no trouble on drops and jumps which I've been practising on. I've had it for about 300km and really liking it so far. I went that way because I've got 3 tyres to get through on the back, and they're all exo casings. Too soft for tubeless setup on the back.

 

[steve_sordy]

What's everyone's thoughts on tubeless inserts?
...................
I don't ride any crazy downhill or do big jumps or anything, mainly just single-track.
......

Then don't bother. Just keep up to the sealant.

 

[slippery pete]

Nothing comes for free.

Pinching the tyre down onto the rim comes predominantly from sharp edges - rocks. Rocks at speed or rocks where you're pushing into the bike rather than unweighting. Rocks where you're just caught out unexpectedly. Obviously there are other sharp edges than just rocks but you get the point. Nobody goes out intentionally battering into rocks but how much it is a problem in practice depends on how often you feel you're likely to be unlucky in rocky terrain vs the extra fuss of set up.

My own experience is that I like rides on rocky terrain (at speed) and I get it wrong often enough that my rear rim gets dinged to hell pretty quickly. I was already on some pretty heavy casing tyres (Magic Mary Super-Gravity 29x2.3) at decent pressures (28-30psi) on tubes. I weigh 78 kg. I went to tubeless on the rear specifically to run an insert which has so far, on balance, been a positive experience. The set up was however a complete pain and involved swearing. I'm not looking forward to any trailside repairs and in fact I'm rather dreading replacing the tyre when it wears out.

I went with Rimpact.

Verdict: +ve Seems to work as intended; -ve Horrible to set up

Oh, one last point.... you *must* use rim insert specific tubeless valves that vent sideways. The normal straight through kind get blocked by the insert so you can never let air out of the tyre.

 

[Tim1023]

Oh, one last point.... you *must* use rim insert specific tubeless valves that vent sideways. The normal straight through kind get blocked by the insert so you can never let air out of the tyre.

I bet that was a great source of swearing when you found out!

 

[oldmanmx]

I run Tannus front and back and I'm really happy with the way they feel and no flats so far even with lightweight tyres but Tannus ARE NOT for running tubeless. I prefer them over tubeless as I'm lazy and I can't be bothered with all the mess and fiddling about.?

 

[Akelu]

Tannus ARE NOT for running tubeless.

They have tubeless version of their armor inserts

Tannus Armour Tubeless

Tannus airless bicycle tires are puncture proof bike tires that don't go flat. Bike tires that are solid and made out of a lightweight foam that will last long

tannusamerica.com

 

[oldmanmx]

They have tubeless version of their armor inserts

Tannus Armour Tubeless

Tannus airless bicycle tires are puncture proof bike tires that don't go flat. Bike tires that are solid and made out of a lightweight foam that will last long

tannusamerica.com

New product. Doesn't look like they are available in Australia yet.

 

[PanchoBuc]

Cheap solution here, I cut in half those foam floating tubes kids use in pools, join them with zip ties, do some holes about 30 cm apart, align one hole with the valve, et voila. Proven efficiency over 6000km.

 

[BrentD]

Cheap solution here, I cut in half those foam floating tubes kids use in pools, join them with zip ties, do some holes about 30 cm apart, align one hole with the valve, et voila. Proven efficiency over 6000km.

Do the "pool noodles" absorb sealant?

 

[PanchoBuc]

Do the "pool noodles" absorb sealant?

Yes, first time you should add extra sealant, once it soaks, you just keep adding as usual (2 or 3 months in my case) . One advantage is that if you really have a puncture that doesn't seal, and you are near home, you can ride slow and easy to make it wothout making a mess to remove the foam and install a tube.

 

[jerry]

Cheap solution here, I cut in half those foam floating tubes kids use in pools, join them with zip ties, do some holes about 30 cm apart, align one hole with the valve, et voila. Proven efficiency over 6000km.

Eh, no, it doesn't prove anything. Same as saying: I've had no punctures for 3000km WITHOUT inserts - proving that you don't need them.

 

[Doug Stampfer]

@PanchoBuc Why do you drill holes every 30cms?
Can you run lower pressures with them? Haver you damaged rims before?
I'm interested in running lower pressures more than anything to make for a softer ride overall.
I'd also be interested in hearing long term experience with cushcores & the like - if they wear out.

 

[PanchoBuc]

@PanchoBuc Why do you drill holes every 30cms?
Can you run lower pressures with them? Haver you damaged rims before?
I'm interested in running lower pressures more than anything to make for a softer ride overall.
I'd also be interested in hearing long term experience with cushcores & the like - if they wear out.

The holes are to allow sealant to move and sure one advantage is running low on pressure without risking the tire lip going out of place. They wear out for sure, but since they are so cheap, maybe every 6 months or a year you can replace it. Here we have soft soil, but some small rocky areas where almost every one damage rims and tires, this is not bullet proof solution, but definitely the damage ratio to the rear wheel have improved, this bikes puts a lot of weight on the rear wheel.