What Tyre Pressure Is Best? | How A Tyre Insert Can Help
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the benefits of tire inserts for mountain biking, focusing on their ability to prevent punctures, protect rims, and improve grip at lower tire pressures. It discusses the use of closed cell foam inserts and their impact on handling and stability. The script also compares different types of inserts for various riding styles, from downhill to cross country. A hands-on experiment tests tire performance at different pressures with inserts, revealing insights on optimal setup for aggressive riders.
Takeaways
- 🚴♂️ Tire inserts are used in mountain biking to prevent punctures and protect rims, especially popular in downhill and enduro disciplines.
- 🔄 Inserts are becoming increasingly common in cross-country biking as well, where weight is a more critical factor.
- 🧼 Inserts are made of closed-cell foam, which is durable and doesn't absorb moisture, unlike open-cell foam or everyday foam products.
- 🛡️ They serve as a barrier between the tire and the rim, preventing damage from sharp edges and impacts, enhancing the tire's durability.
- 💨 Inserts allow riders to run lower tire pressures for better grip and control without the risk of pinch flats.
- 🏞️ They can act as a 'run-flat' system, enabling riders to continue riding even after a puncture, providing a safer ride home or to the finish line.
- 🏍️ For aggressive riders, inserts provide structural support to the tire, reducing deformation and improving handling and cornering stability.
- 🔑 The size and shape of inserts are crucial; larger inserts offer more damping but may limit tire flexibility and performance over rough terrain.
- 🔄 Different types of inserts are available for various riding styles, from downhill-focused with high-density foam to XC inserts that are lighter and use lower-density foam.
- 📉 Experiments with tire pressure and inserts showed that dropping pressures can improve ride feel but going too low can lead to loss of control and safety risks.
- 🤔 The decision to use inserts involves a balance of weight, protection, and performance, with personal riding style and preferences playing a significant role.
Q & A
What is the primary function of tire inserts in mountain biking?
-Tire inserts serve as a barrier between the tire and the rim, protecting against punctures and rim damage, and allowing for lower tire pressures to improve grip and control.
Why are tire inserts becoming popular in cross country biking?
-Cross country bikers are using tire inserts more due to the added security they provide, despite being traditionally associated with downhill biking where weight is less of a concern.
What type of foam are tire inserts made of and why?
-Tire inserts are made of closed cell foam because it doesn't absorb moisture, liquids, or sealant, making it more durable and suitable for this application than open cell foam.
How do tire inserts help with tire puncture prevention?
-Tire inserts prevent punctures by acting as a barrier that stops the tire from compressing fully against the rim when hitting sharp objects, thus protecting both the tire and the rim.
Can tire inserts act as a 'run flat' system for mountain bikes?
-Yes, tire inserts can act like a 'run flat' system by maintaining tire volume even when punctured, allowing the bike to be ridden back to the car park or to finish a race.
How do tire inserts improve handling and grip?
-Tire inserts improve handling and grip by adding structural support to the tire, preventing excessive deformation, especially during aggressive riding, and providing better stability and control.
What is the difference between downhill and cross country tire inserts?
-Downhill inserts are thicker and use higher density foam for maximum protection, while cross country inserts are lighter with lower density foam, offering protection and stability without adding too much weight.
What is the recommended tire pressure when using tire inserts for cross country biking?
-The recommended pressure can vary, but the script suggests experimenting with lower pressures than usual, such as 19-21 PSI front and rear, to take advantage of the added protection without compromising performance.
What is the 'faf' factor mentioned in the script in relation to tire inserts?
-The 'faf' factor refers to the added weight and potential inconvenience of having to install and remove tire inserts, especially for those who frequently swap tires.
What is the impact of tire inserts on tire damping properties?
-Tire inserts change the damping properties of the tire by occupying some of the air volume, which can firm up the tire more quickly, similar to adding more tokens to a suspension system.
Outlines
🚴♂️ Tire Inserts: Mountain Biking's Secret Weapon?
This paragraph introduces tire inserts as a crucial accessory in mountain biking, particularly for downhill and enduro riders where weight is less of a concern. It discusses the growing trend of cross-country cyclists also adopting tire inserts for their benefits. The narrator plans to conduct an experiment to test the impact of tire inserts on ride performance by lowering tire pressures with inserts installed. The audience is encouraged to engage by liking, subscribing, and commenting on their experiences with tire inserts. The paragraph concludes with a brief explanation of what tire inserts are: closed-cell foam barriers placed inside tires to prevent punctures, protect rims, and enable lower tire pressures for better grip and control.
🔍 Exploring the Benefits of Tire Inserts
The paragraph delves into the protective role of tire inserts, acting as a barrier between the tire and the rim to prevent damage from sharp edges and impacts. It explains how inserts can function as a 'run-flat' system, maintaining tire shape and bead stability even after a puncture. The discussion then shifts to how inserts can enhance handling and grip by providing structural support to the tire, which is especially beneficial for aggressive riders. The narrator also touches on the damping properties of inserts, comparing the effect of different insert sizes on tire compression and performance. The paragraph ends with a consideration of the importance of insert shape and size, with a focus on how Victoria, a sponsor of the channel, offers a range of inserts tailored to different riding styles and terrains.
📉 Pressure Drop Experiment: Riding with Inserts
The final paragraph details a practical experiment where the narrator rides a black run mountain bike track at varying tire pressures to assess the impact of tire inserts. Starting with stock pressures, the narrator progressively lowers the tire pressures to observe changes in ride feel and control. The experiment reveals that while lower pressures with inserts provide better grip and tire deformation, they also increase the risk of tire squirm and potential damage. The narrator concludes that their initial tire pressures were too high and decides to try slightly lower pressures in the future. The paragraph ends with a call for audience feedback on the use of tire inserts, the importance of weight in cross-country biking, the need for additional sealant, and personal preferences regarding tire damping and insert maintenance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Tire inserts
💡Closed cell foam
💡Puncture protection
💡Lower tire pressures
💡Rim protection
💡Run flat system
💡Handling and grip
💡Damping properties
💡Sweet spot
💡FAF factor
Highlights
Tire inserts are considered unsung heroes for mountain bikers, offering protection against punctures and enhancing wheel security.
Downhill and enduro cyclists commonly use tire inserts for added security despite the weight being a less significant concern.
Cross-country cyclists are increasingly adopting tire inserts for their benefits, including better grip and control at lower tire pressures.
Tire inserts are made of closed-cell foam, which is durable and does not absorb moisture, liquids, or sealant.
Inserts serve multiple purposes: protecting from punctures, shielding rims from damage, and allowing for lower pressures to improve grip.
Tire inserts act as a barrier between the tire and rim, preventing pinch flats and damage from square-edge impacts.
They also protect rims from sharp edges and heavy landings by compressing and absorbing the impact.
Tire inserts can function as a run-flat system, allowing riders to continue riding even after a puncture.
Inserts improve handling and grip by providing structural support to the tire, enhancing stability and control.
The shape and size of the insert are crucial for achieving the right balance between protection and performance.
Different types of inserts are available for various riding styles, from gravel to downhill, each with unique profiles and densities.
Downhill-focused inserts have a T-shape for better bead retention and use higher-density foam for maximum protection.
Trail inserts offer a middle ground with dense foam for impact protection and stability without adding excessive weight.
Cross-country inserts use lower-density foam for lighter weight while still providing protection and stability.
Experiments show that tire inserts allow for lower tire pressures without compromising performance, enhancing grip on various terrains.
The added weight from tire inserts and sealant is a consideration for cross-country cyclists, but the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks.
The personal preference for tire feel, whether damped or undamped, plays a role in whether a cyclist chooses to use tire inserts.
The convenience of tire inserts can be offset by the faf (faff) factor of having to install and remove them, especially for those who frequently change tires.
Transcripts
Tire inserts the unsung hero of the
mountain bike vanquisher of punctures
savior of wheels or are they just extra
weight and extra
[Music]
faf in the word of downhill and injo
they're pretty common place with the
weight not really being an issue and the
added security being nothing but a bonus
but the people in the cross country
world are starting to use them as well
that's right even though weake conscious
like her clad lovelies including myself
in XC are starting to use them a lot
more too so today we're going to do a
little bit of experimenting we're going
to try inserts myself front and rear on
this bike start to drop some pressures
and see just how much difference it
really does
make right before we dive on into the
video why not show us a little bit of
love by liking and subscribing get
active in those comments down below and
let me know what you think of inserts do
you use them don't use them thoughts and
feelings please people
all right let's crack on what is a tire
inser or tire liner what are they well
it's essentially a round piece of foam
that sits inside the tire and kind of
acts as a barrier between the rim and
the top of the tire now they're
generally made of foam but not just any
old foam they're not like pool noodle or
some kind of foam you'd find in your
cushions oh no they are in fact made of
something called closed cell foam now
this is done so because it doesn't
absorb any moisture liquids or sealant
or anything like that and is actually
far better for this kind of application
than an open cell phone it's also much
tougher and more durable as well they
fill up the void inside the tire
partially sort of making a barrier if
you like and they come in all sorts of
shapes and sizes so what are the main
reasons that we would use an insert well
there's a few protect from punctures
protect our rims from damage and to run
lower pressures for kind of better grip
and control so let's dive into those a
little bit more
[Music]
a tire inser then acts as a barrier
between the tire and the rim so
effectively when you hit a square Edge
bump it stops that tire from compressing
all the way and pinching against the rim
causing damage to the tire this is
especially beneficial running an insert
if you are someone who runs lower
pressures having that sort of added
bonus of a protection is going to stop
either damaging the top of the tire or
if you had no inserts pinching the
sidewalls as well which can be an
absolute game over for your
[Music]
ride so as I've previously touched on
they help protect your tires to a
certain degree but actually most of all
they help protect your rims as well from
any sharp edges clanging on rocks things
like that or particularly Hefty Landing
essentially the foam compresses as you
can see it kind of does here and what
that does is stop the tire hitting
straight down onto the rim damaging a
rim be it carbon or metal I've actually
taken inserts out from either WS races
I've done in the past where there's been
all sorts of gouge marks chunks missing
outside of the insert but absolutely no
damage to the wheel if I didn't have
that insert in it would definitely be a
game over for that race inserts can
actually act as like a run flat system
as well and what I mean by this is if
you are still unfortunate enough to get
a puncture something like this can
actually help you get home or finish a
race run how that actually works is it
means the volume or some of the volume
of the tire is still taken up so you can
ride that wheel or ride that tire and
wheel combo if you like back to the car
park end of a race run and not only that
it's going to help hold the bead of the
tire in place as well so you ever see
those people sort of snaking around
because the back tire is moving loads
when front is moving loads when they do
have a puncture this can actually help
avoid that as
[Music]
well now this is one of the biggest
tooling points these days is that
actually inserts can improve handling
and grip and it can do this in a number
of ways this is essentially achieved by
adding extra structural support to the
tire giving the rider better stability
and control now where this is going to
make a huge difference is especially if
you're quite an aggressive Rider it's
going to not sort of let the tire roll
and deform so much especially when
really pushing it into corners or
hammering it through those really gnarly
sections it does this by pushing
essentially out and up on the tire so
what an insert is doing you know whilst
you're just rolling around is one it's
kind of helping lock the bead in place
around the bottom of the tire so when
you are hammering it when you're leaning
that tire tire over it has a tendency to
deform like this either left or to the
right what the insert is doing is
pushing out on the bead holding it
nicely in place it's also then pushing
up and out on the side walls as well
stopping those from Rolling quite so
much and deforming under a lot of load
now inserts are also going to give you
some kind of damping properties what
does that mean think of your tires like
your suspension you have a volume of air
in there but if you put something in
that takes up some of that space it
changes the characteristics of how it
compresses think of it this way the
larger the insert you have in your tire
the more damping you kind of have it's
like adding more tokens to your
suspension it it firms up a lot quicker
so for example on my cross country bike
here if I was to run one of the biggest
inserts that Victoria make well then the
tire is not going to squish or compress
much before hitting that insert this can
be good and bad ideally you would want a
little bit of space because what it
means is you're not actually allowing if
that insert is really big you're not
actually allowing that tire to mold and
conform and compress over stuff it's
more going to deflect than anything so
you do need a certain kind of sweet spot
or balance if you like that's why the
shape and size of the liner is so
[Music]
important so on that note then not all
inserts are created equal and they're
certainly not all created of the same
size now here on the channel we're
sponsored by by voria and they make a
wide range of inserts everything from
kind of gravel shaped all the way up to
Big gnarly eite ones and you can kind of
see although they look very similar in
some ways they're very different in
others obviously for the smaller tires
of the gravel world and the different
kind of hits that it takes it's a much
sort of Slimmer profile the big bad boy
ebike one here is a a denser foam it's a
much bigger sort of size to take up the
volume but what are the more common ones
we use in the mountain bike world
starting off at the Burly end of the
scale let's take a look at some of the
key points of a downhill and Enduro
focused insert you can see the shape of
this insert slightly different a t-shape
that sits deeper into the rim and helps
keep the bead nicely in place the side
sections help press against the
sidewalls and give that sidew stability
and puncture protection we mentioned
before the biggest difference here is
the flatter profile giving the biggest
Air volume possible this uses a higher
density foam for the best protection the
downhill protect insert is that little
bit thicker to give you maximum
[Music]
security what if sort of trail riding
and smashing is your thing you want the
protection but you don't want to carry
around a lot of weight well here is how
the trail ones are different these then
are the trail airliners and they sit as
a middle ground between the heavyduty
downhill inserts and the lightweight XC
inserts they still have a dense foam to
help with impact protection and and tire
stability but don't add too much weight
the size and material help dampen Any
Trail Buzz which is great for those
longer days on the
[Music]
bike and last but by no means least then
the XC insert and kind of the one we're
most interested in today so let's check
them out in Greater detail these little
Beauties use a slightly lower density
foam to help make them around 100 G
lighter than the downhill insert but
still offer good protection and
stability Victoria claim actually on
these that if you get a puncture while
using these inserts the phone will
expand and help provide more support
helping their athletes get back to the
Tech Zone should we say much faster than
if they got a puncture without an
[Music]
insert well whil we're on the subject of
cross country then back in the day
Racers would jack up the tire pressures
to try and stove off any kind of
punctures these days with tracks getting
Wilder bikes being more capable and
races being gnarlier well Racers are
actually running pressures as low as 15
16 PSI but not really worrying about the
weight penalty of using an insert
because they'd rather have the security
but is it just a fad is it all talk well
there's only one way to find out and
that's an experiment I'm at the top of a
black run we're going to start dropping
pressures and let's see how we go so run
number one to set a little Baseline in
kind of thoughts and feelings I've got
my Ora o Victoria XE race tires Mescal
barazo combo we're running my stock
pressures at 23 three on the rear 21 PSI
on the front and I got Victoria
airliners front and rear as well let's
give her a hammer on down then we'll
drop the pressures let's
[Music]
go change okay hell of a run but do you
know what nothing too unexpected there
it's what I run kind of all the time so
it felt comfortable it didn't really
squirm it didn't ding or anything I had
no big nasty compressions so kind of
boring but kind of not to be expected
now I think we need to make things a
little bit interesting and drop it down
5 PSI front and rear and see if that's
maybe a little bit too much and go from
there the pressures are set 18 PSI in
the back 16 up front just for reference
I'm about 90 odd kilos kitted up I'm
riding this bike with a supension fully
unlocked so let's do a run see how she
[Music]
holds
flow become
one now work it don't stop let me see
you po at the part
Shop canot Hold
overflows
one now work it don't just stop
[Music]
right then that pressure there was kind
of optimal on the way back up the tires
were nice and soft and that they were
deforming and sort of molding around the
obstacles going up and gripping really
nicely however on the way down there was
a notable difference in terms of sort of
squirming under pressures especially in
the big burms you know when you hit the
compression of the takeoff and like
under breaking felt pretty good going
down even lower I think is a very high
risk strategy and going 5 PSI lower is
certainly way too much so we're not
going to go five I think if we drop it
another three front and rear that will
be sort of on the limits especially with
my riding star so you got to take that
into consideration as well I ride pretty
hard pretty wild on bikes so going too
soft is definitely not a thing for me
I'd actually go a bit firmer but let's
drop it down three each more get this
jacket off cuz it's flipping boiling and
do another run right I'm nervous on this
one there's only one way to find out
let's have
[Music]
it oh
soft yo right I've had to stop already
no way was I going to be able to jump
that safely or properly as soon as I
went to push into the take off like push
to then compress and pull out both tires
and especially the front just went and
just rolled over that would have ended
very
[Music]
[Music]
badly there we go drop oh no I do not
like the feeling of that that's how
squishy over the roots P little dong big
squish oh no
thanks
[Music]
o oh my Lord
okay that's proving to be a little bit
too live Lively for me at these
pressures I think we may have found just
going a bit too low so basically coming
down there I can feel tires squirming in
burms tires deforming up takeoffs the
odd ding where it's going through to
sort of not the rim but onto the insert
down some of the rockier bits I think we
need to go back up a touch I do think
what I've learned from this though is
actually with inserts my previous
pressures were a little too firm I think
2321 could be dropped down to 219 front
and rear I'm going to try that at
another date this uh this has been a bit
too wild for my liking but also some
other sort of great talking points
actually I think on this is that we we
kind of need to touch on and I want to
hear your thoughts in the comments down
below by adding an insert we obviously
add a little bit more weight does that
really matter when it comes to cross
country I'm not so sure when it comes to
track but also we do have to add
additional sealant as often recommended
by manufacturers so you have adding a
little bit more um some people do like
the the feeling of an undamped Tire as
well as in you know no insert in there
and you've just got the full squish if
you like and last but not least
obviously you have got the faf factor as
I call it have actually taken them in
and out especially if you swap tires
regularly insert your comments down
below let me know what you think when it
comes to them do you have an optimal
pressure did you not use them are you
going to now I want to hear your
thoughts and feelings people but for me
for now from Scotland I'll see you later
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