Review on CushCore Tire Inserts Tubeless Valves Tools & Equipment by Roberto Strumer

I was very excited to try CushCore and see what it can do for vibration dampening, cornering and rim protection. Based on the great reviews from Vital Bikes, Skills with Phil, and many other professional reviews, I gave it a try. First, they are incredibly light and feel very durable. Contrary to many other reviews I had no trouble getting them on Hope Tech DH Pro 4 wheels. I left them over the rim in a warm place overnight to give them a better chance to stretch before mounting the tire. I went with the Maxxis Minion DHR II (DH body) and DHF (all-mountain body). The tires ran perfectly again. The trick is to press the bead well down the center to give enough clearance to push the last few inches onto the rim. Your instructional video was also helpful. This is where I started to run into problems. I've been exclusively using a tubeless rig for years and this is the first time I've had problems. As usual, I set the air regulator to 50psi to seat the bead. They snapped easily by ear, but let air through the full wheel circumference on both sides. It only took a few seconds for the tire to be 100% deflated. I used soap and water to ensure no air was escaping through the spokes. I pumped, deflated, and tried to deflate about half a dozen times before emailing CushCore to see if this was a common issue. They suggested increasing the pressure until the sides were properly gripped. I tried again at 65psi (maximum tire pressure reading) to no avail. I tried 75psi and again at 85psi. At this point, the tire and CushCore broke off the rim and ruptured the valve core. I emailed support with an update and where should I go from there. I suspect they decided it was no longer their problem and didn't bother to call me back or answer any questions. I checked the rim tape after the tire blew out and everything was fine. To be on the safe side, I put the tire on the rim, blew it and sealed it for a few minutes. This told me that CushCore was definitely the weak link in the setup, so I decided to box it up to return. The rear CushCore had already come loose from the rim, but the front one was still installed. The CushCore held the bead in place (but still leaked like a sieve) even after trying to get the tire off the rim for 4 hours without damaging it. I ended up having to CUT a BRAND NEW TIRE FROM A BRAND NEW RIM to get the CushCore out. So not only did I lose a wrestling weekend, I lost $80 and have to buy another front tire.