We've also seen the widespread adoption of tubeless, the use of hookless rims, and the embrace of wider tires. Brands constantly launch new wheels and tires, claiming they're the lightest, grippiest, toughest, fastest, or bestest.
Along with noise about wheels and. tires is new momentum around something that's neither a wheel nor a tire but that interacts with both: tire inserts.
The modern iteration is a hoop of foam that lives inside a tubeless tire. These inserts can fit all types of bikes, from roadrace bikes to downhill MTBs and everything in between and adjacent. For race use, inserts are most often seen inside the tires of mountain bike and gravel pros. There are some road races, however-the Spring Classics, and especially Paris-Roubaix-where an insert could be advantageous, as the roads in play are notoriously tough on tires. Inserts can benefit everyone from the top pros to more casual riders.
The advantage that unifies most tire inserts is flat protection. In a hard impact, an insert functions as a bump-stop, preventing the tire's casing from folding and bottoming against the rim, a situation that often causes a pinch flat. This protection also cuts down on rim strikes that can dent aluminum rims or break a carbon one.
But if you get a flat when using a tire insert, the other benefits kick in. Some inserts lock the tire onto the rim; this. allows the rider to maintain control of the bike, protects the rim from getting chewed up, and prevents the flat tire from peeling off and jamming into the frame.
At the same time, the insert partially supports the tire. This run-flat capability enables gravity racers to complete their runs at nearly full speed or allows road or cross-country racers to keep moving and finish a race without stopping.
This story is from the Issue 06, 2022 edition of Bicycling US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 06, 2022 edition of Bicycling US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
