After riding my hardtail a lot last winter and pushing harder than I expected I started to be receptive to an insert in my rear tire at least. I ordered a set of the Tannus tubeless inserts and put one into the rear 29 x 2.6" DHRII on my Cotic BFeMAX. I bought two inserts to defray shipping costs. I may end up putting one in the front, but I've never had front rim flat/damage problems so I'm not sure it's worth it. My other two MTBs are 29ers so that second insert could also end up in the rear of one of those bikes.
I would describe installation as annoying, but uneventful. I got it in by just unseating one bead and then using tire levers to position the insert and pop the second bead onto the rim. I could see this being a real drag if you had a tight tire/rim fit. The tire inflated without using the pump's reservoir. I'd say the extra time required over a standard tubeless install was 3-4mins. The insert is not a very round shape out of the box. It's possible installing a previously used insert would be a lot easier.
First trail ride is tomorrow.
Sept. 9, 2020, 2:13 p.m. - Vik Banerjee
After riding my hardtail a lot last winter and pushing harder than I expected I started to be receptive to an insert in my rear tire at least. I ordered a set of the Tannus tubeless inserts and put one into the rear 29 x 2.6" DHRII on my Cotic BFeMAX. I bought two inserts to defray shipping costs. I may end up putting one in the front, but I've never had front rim flat/damage problems so I'm not sure it's worth it. My other two MTBs are 29ers so that second insert could also end up in the rear of one of those bikes. I would describe installation as annoying, but uneventful. I got it in by just unseating one bead and then using tire levers to position the insert and pop the second bead onto the rim. I could see this being a real drag if you had a tight tire/rim fit. The tire inflated without using the pump's reservoir. I'd say the extra time required over a standard tubeless install was 3-4mins. The insert is not a very round shape out of the box. It's possible installing a previously used insert would be a lot easier. First trail ride is tomorrow.