Righty ho, something I know little about. So After swapping from a a 29er XC FS to a 29er XC HT with the same build kit, the most important bit being the wheels - Hunt Proven XC - which are carbon, I've noticed on 2 occasions I've banged the rim on a square edge hit, which is not a nice noise to be honest.
Tyre pressures are bang on for everything else but it's happened at the exact same place twice, so I thought to myself an insert in the rear would be a good idea for that little bit of added protection to the carbon hoops.
Being an XC bike the tyres are your typical XC fayre, either a Spesh Fast Trak or Renegade in 2.35" 2bliss variety, so I'm not going to go burlier on those.
Any advice on which would be the best XC type inserts to go for, and how long to they last, both in time and distance wise?
Hi Steve
I had the same rim ding problems and have been running skinny Vittoria rear wheel inserts for nearly 2 years with no issues whatsoever (from when Merlin were selling them for under £20). Now discontinued and the new shape Vittoria insert is more expensive. Myself and Tom have been running them in bigger tyres than specified (up to 2.45") but you still get the same rim protecting benefits, plus lightweight and easy to fit as you aren't trying to cram a huge insert in - you just don't get the same big insert support of the tyre sidewall if running super low pressures (irrelevent for XC use).
The old Vittoria one looks very similar profile to the blue cheapies on Amazon, and the groove position means you just use a standard tubeless valve setup so no faff to fit or remove:
I got a lightweight insert for the rear a couple of years ago. Tubolight, which was sold by Halo/Ison. It turned out to be too light. The rim just sliced straight through it like a knife and pinched the tyre and dented the rim anyway.
Haven't got any recommendations as I don't usually run inserts. But it's not worth bothering with the really lightweight ones.
Interesting take on the Pinkbike podcast earlier this month. The suggestion was that a slightly heavier tyre offers greater support and protection than using a lighter tyre backed up by an insert.
On a side query, what is the feature you keep hitting?
On a side query, what is the feature you keep hitting?
It's halfway'ish down Upper Cliff at Cannock on the Monkey, it looks like there's nothing there to cause any issues, but I've clobbered something twice in successive visits.
Didn't have an issue at Llandegla the other week or on my local stuff either, which is odd.
Cushcore xc with exo tyres. Haven’t trashed one since fitting.
i've not had a rim dinged in along time, mainly because i have rimpact in the tyres of all my bikes including the gravel.
the last rim i dinged 2 1/2 years ago the rimpact arrived in the post a day earlier but no time to fit them :0(
Interesting take on the Pinkbike podcast earlier this month. The suggestion was that a slightly heavier tyre offers greater support and protection than using a lighter tyre backed up by an insert.
On a side query, what is the feature you keep hitting?
+1 for running a slightly heavier tyre with better sidewall protection, but...
Tyre pressures are bang on for everything else but it's happened at the exact same place twice,
...I would just ride round the feature, thus saving yourself some cash rather than buying new tyres or inserts.
The suggestion was that a slightly heavier tyre offers greater support and protection than using a lighter tyre backed up by an insert.
Came here to say this. Use to be more trail focused rider but now moved back to more xc riding although still like to bash through the technical bits which doesn't always end well for my rims. Ive found Exo TR tyres strike the right balance of sidewall strength & support for my weight & riding so always buy the Exo TR versions for xc, currently using rekon race on my xc fs & ramblers on my hardtail.
Recently went back to using a non-exo reckon race (coz they were cheap) and promptly dinged rim and put a hole in the side so lesson learnt
No matter how heavy the tyre is there's still no physical barrier between your rim and any rocks or sidewall it wants to smash into. Yes they'll hold up 99% of the time but you'll still slice them open on one big hit. If I worked for Pinkbike and had free tyres on tap I might feel differently.
I'm a big fan of Rimpact even when I'm using DH tyres. They've saved me a small fortune in rims and tyres. I've had no punctures or breakages since I started using them.
I don't know anything about lightweight or XC inserts but a regular pair of Rimpacts weighs less than a 29er inner tube.
I like the ride feel, I love the protection, I hate fitting and removing them. They do get easier when they loosen up a bit but it's still a massive PITA.
Heavy tires also have more rolling resistance that isn’t an an issue for a well sized insert. Using Victoria airliner XCs which allowed me to get to the end of a race at Cannock the weekend with a puncture leading to a very soft tire without my lap times getting too slow.
I don’t understand the assertion that sidewall support isn’t useful for xc.
@minus I've just bought one of the very same, like you say heavier tyres is not the answer in this situation.
No matter how heavy the tyre is there's still no physical barrier between your rim and any rocks or sidewall it wants to smash into. Yes they'll hold up 99% of the time but you'll still slice them open on one big hit. If I worked for Pinkbike and had free tyres on tap I might feel differently.
Totally agree with this.
Rimpact original inserts would be good for XC use, though it sounds like you might have bought something now anyway.
