1st thing, rad article. Thanks for keeping things interesting, AJ!
Recent convert here. I had been running EXO tires sans insert for some time until a botched landing left a rim bent and a couple threads in the tire casing snapped. When I ordered a new tire I decided to give inserts a go. First ride on the local loop had me sold, mostly due to one feature: a spot where you're wedged between a sandstone wall on one side, a river on the other, and a small boulder (2.5' or so) you need to climb over to keep going forward. Every time on that rock I would bang the rim with enough force to always pay mind to the potential splooge of sealant and air escaping. With the insert, no problem. The bike rides up it quite differently/confidently and silently. Couple that with some little rock garden booters that either have you landing clean if at speed or in the garden if not fast enough, and I totally groked what the inserts were doing. The added support under hard turns in berms was just a Luxardo cherry on top of the dirt ice cream.
Oct. 29, 2020, 7:43 a.m. - JT
1st thing, rad article. Thanks for keeping things interesting, AJ! Recent convert here. I had been running EXO tires sans insert for some time until a botched landing left a rim bent and a couple threads in the tire casing snapped. When I ordered a new tire I decided to give inserts a go. First ride on the local loop had me sold, mostly due to one feature: a spot where you're wedged between a sandstone wall on one side, a river on the other, and a small boulder (2.5' or so) you need to climb over to keep going forward. Every time on that rock I would bang the rim with enough force to always pay mind to the potential splooge of sealant and air escaping. With the insert, no problem. The bike rides up it quite differently/confidently and silently. Couple that with some little rock garden booters that either have you landing clean if at speed or in the garden if not fast enough, and I totally groked what the inserts were doing. The added support under hard turns in berms was just a Luxardo cherry on top of the dirt ice cream.