Review on CushCore Tire Inserts Tubeless Valves Tools & Equipment by Chris Tardy

UPDATE: Another season (2 seasons) passed at AngelFire Bikepark with no punctures or dents on the wheels! Damn good! I've been using CushCore for about two years at AngelFire Mountain Bike Park in New Mexico with no flat or dented wheels. Anyone who has ridden this mountain knows how brutal riders and bikes can be as this is one of the craziest MTN bike parks in the US. I'm in my 40's and my goal was to soften the hard bumps and not get beat up as often after a full day on the trails. Cush Core fulfilled EVERYTHING they say. Want a nice, smooth ride? Cush Core to the rescue! Want great grip? Cush Core to the rescue! Do you want to prevent pinching? Cush Core to the rescue! Looking to lower your tire pressure (18psi front and 21psi rear all day) to improve traction? Cush Core to the rescue! Looking to repair punctures on those expensive carbon wheels? Cush Core to the rescue! Tired of thinking about which line to take through that rock garden? Cush Core to the rescue! Want a smooth ride? Cush Cores help with this by allowing you to run at a lower PSI, which in turn absorbs those hard rockfalls for a noticeably smoother ride. Those silly foam inserts absorb the force of impact very well. yes they are expensive But they WORK! Want great grip? With Cush Core you can run at a much lower PSI. I use 18psi front and 21psi rear every day when I'm in the park! This in turn helps the tire lay flat on the ground and make better contact with the ground. The shot you get will be a game changer! Berms are a blast of speed, allowing you to push the front wheel MUCH harder into corners and be rewarded with confident traction! Like rolling tires? Get Cush seeds! You will not break the bead at all at low psi pressure! Do you want to prevent pinching? One of the main benefits of using Cush Core is the anti-pinch protection these things provide. I had NO flats running these things at 18psi front and 21psi rear. I crash my bike on the roughest rocks because I'm going a little crazy and not taking good lanes. and not once did I have a pinch, even if I had a hard hit and the rock managed to hit the rim the foam gets in the way and prevents the pinch. Do you want to use lower tire pressures to increase traction? As I said above, I use 18psi front, 21psi rear all day, every day in the mountains! The handle is off the hook! It made me soar higher than ever! Cornering and tire roll without worrying about bead breaking or tire detachment is a thing of the past! Cush Cores allow you to run insanely low PSIs that offer insane grip! What else can I say? Those who have ridden PSI's like this know what I'm talking about! Try it. These things work! Do you want to repair damage to expensive carbon wheels? These crazy little foam inserts save you money because you can be really brutal with your bike in the mountains and not worry about damaging those carbon wheels. I'm sure you can actually push it and still damage the Cush Core wheel, but you'll also likely crack the bike frame with that level of abuse. If you puncture a tire and puncture it (this has happened to some pro riders with Cush Cores) you can safely ride downhill and not damage the wheel! Getting an apartment on a mountain with a 7 mile elevation gain is no fun and can ruin your day! Won't happen with Cush Cores! You can ride your bike without damaging the wheel with a flat tire. Tired of thinking about which line to take through that rock garden? With Cush Core, just guide the bike and go! Stop worrying about which line to take to get through that awkward stretch of road. Stop worrying about hitting your rear wheel on a flat landing because you didn't make the transition during that massive gap jump. Just do it! Cush Core's will get you through without pinching or damaging the wheels. As you can see, I am completely convinced of this product! I do NOT ride without Cush Cores! You are so good! They are worth every penny you have to pay for them. If they took more money I would pay! Even if they were harder to install than what they already are, I'd always love to do it again! They change the rules of the game by 100%! Do yourself a favor and buy these for your MTN bike! This will MAKE you a much more capable rider, your bike will be much more durable and your experience will be much better than ever. I hope this review has helped you make a decision about these things without any hassle. Please read below for tips on installing these things that will make your life easier when putting on these bears for the first time. Cush Core Installation Tips: Watch the installation video on the Cush Core website. There is one thing most videos don't tell you to make installation that much easier, and that is to stretch the foam inserts BEFORE attempting to install them on the wheels. I used 45 pound dumbbells to stretch them for about 30 minutes. They were absolutely easy to put on the wheels once stretched. This has removed any fuss you see in installation videos where everyone makes birth sounds trying to install them. Then buy tire levers with a steel core! They'll break regular plastic tire levers, so get those with the steel core! This will go a long way in getting the final piece of tire fitted onto the wheel. Once you have Cush Core installed on the steering wheel, the fun begins; Putting one side of the tire bead on the wheel. The first bead isn't that bad, but the second bead is a real headache. What I did was a lot of soapy water. Some people say that personal lube works really well, but I did it with soapy water. Lower the bead and wheel and then use this technique to attach the bead; Starting with the bar, firmly grasp the tire bead with both hands and "roll" the bead under the core towards the center of the wheel arch. The pearl goes in easily. When push comes to shove, it's the last 3/4 tires where you need to use tire levers. Spray the exposed bead and wheel beforehand and then use the pusher to push the bead already on the rim further into the wheel housing. Once that's done, you can use the levers to get 3/4 of the remaining bead on the wheel. If you follow the instructions and also stretch the inserts prior to installation, your installation will be successful with a minimum of fuss and swearing. Don't let any naysayer stop you from getting these things. Yes, it's a little harder than fitting a new tire, but not much harder than most reviews say. They are NOT getting it right and are making installation a lot harder than it needs to be.