CushCore Is It Worth It??

We had our friend Singletrack Surgeon help out and give his feedback on the Cush Core tire inserts. After months of testing, he reported back with his findings on whether or not they're worth the money and weight penalty.
Check out his YouTube here:

#Cushcore #loamwolf #mtb

[PickledShark]

Ummm, your analysis of air volume at 11:00 is wrong. Road bikes don’t need higher pressures because of lower air volume, but because the contact patch is tiny. Think of it this way: the contact patch has to hold up your body weight(lets just say 200lbs to keep the math simple). a roads bike might have a contact patch less than 1 square inch. Therefore, if you don’t want the tire to sag, the PSI within the tire needs to be greater than the downward force on the contact patch. So if a road bike has a contact patch of 1 square inch, it will require 200 psi to hold your body weight without deflecting. On the other side of the spectrum, a plus tire might have a 10 inch contact patch, which means it would only require 20 psi to hold your body weight without deflecting.

CushCore, by reducing the volume but not the pressure, is taking up damping space within the tire. So, when you hit a rock with that tire, the pressure within the tire spikes more quickly than in a tire without CushCore because the loss of volume from impacts represents a greater percentage of the whole, causing pressure to increase because the displaced air has less room to move. It’s exactly the same a volume spacers in your fork. The opposite of what you state in your video. This is part of why people run lower pressure with CushCore. You get a cushy grippy ride, but when your tire takes a big hit, the pressure ramps up quickly in response.

In other words, think of two tires, one with Cush, the other without. For easy math, lets say CushCore is passively taking up 50% of the volume of the first tire. Both tires start with the same air pressure, but the second might contain 100 cubic “units” of air, while the first only requires 50 units to maintain that same air pressure, since half the volume is taken by the CushCore.
Then, both tires encounter a pointy rock that takes up 10 units of air by deflecting the tires almost all the way to the rim. This event will increase the pressure in both tires, but because 10 units of displacement is a whopping 20% of the first tire’s volume, but only 10% of the second’s, the pressure in the CushCored tire will be higher, sooner than in the tire without. This means the tire will be more stable and will protect the rim better, even without the foam, but simply as a matter of pressure and volume. Even if foam didn’t protect the rim, the reduction in volume would.

[djjmann]

Ran CushCore for two years. Yes, its absolutely wonderful....if all you do is gravity riding. If you do XC or anything that relies on you pedaling up as much as you descend, you WILL notice the weight penalty. I'm now on Huck Norris simply for rim protection. CushCore simply was too much of a weight penalty for my riding, you may think a few hundred grams is not much, but rotational mass is rotational mass.

[bluestraycat]

This is the most detailed explanation of CushCore I have seen! It is pricey though, and the damage sustained in your test riding makes me wonder how often you would need to replace it. I did buy the cheaper Nukeproof ARD but my tyres are such a tight fit on my Bonty carbon rims that I wasn't even able to fit them.

[shark]

Well that's an absolutely brilliant review, totally agree with all the things you said. Also pretty impressive to see the result of a used insert. Thanks for this video, cheers !

[Xilinjsh]

Note: their valves are an important piece of the set. As using the wrong ones might put air and sealant between the rim and the foam. And in time (2 months in my case) the roam will stretch to the point it rattles inside the tyre. I bought my wheels preinstalled with cush cores and they had some fancy mucoff valves. That did not work. Also the foam might block off the valve making it impossible to adjust tyre pressure. Either get the correct valves or take an 8mm-or-so drill and make a hole where the valve would sit. The benefit of doing that is the ability to top off the sealant via the valve. Also avoiding the whole stretching the foam thing.

Also if you think: if it expands I'll just cut it down to size and re-glue... none of the glues I tried stick. They either dont stick or just rip chunks out.

Either get the correct type of valve or make a hole.

[mnbdysl]

Spot on review, Taylor.
Been running CushCore F/R for 2 months.
Before my first pedalstroke, I was worried, "Is this just a gimmick?"
And then...
All these wows sprouted in my head as I bombed the trail.
Honestly, I just wanted extra flat protection on long epics.
Didn't expect the
- Minimized trail chatter
- Awesome damping
- Confidence-inspiring cornering
- Deadening of hard hits
Sold. Worth every penny IMHO.

[knowledgeallbe]

Thank you for the air volume/pressure explanation! I've been struggling to understand this for a few months, and think I have been dramatically under what I need. Thank You!

[terrypohl]

I've ridden off road for 25 years in BC Canada, I've been a bike mechanic for over 20 years. I hate installing these things with a passion and I've straight armed all the customers praises of these things. But...being a bigger guy (230ish) I've always wondered. Listening to you here, now, made me want to go and order some immediately.

[leonidas]

Wow. The most thorough and helpful review of ANY format of Cush Core I've seen. Thanks!

[DemonicVelocity]

As someone who is mostly doing non-assisted Enduro tours and a few bikepark days a year, I installed the CushCore XC (~100g lighter) in the back. Since I do a lot of climbing, it would have been overkill to go for the full protection.
I have reduced the tire pressure by 0.3bar since and have less noticeable impacts on the rim, as well as a more supple feel in the rear. The weight is noticeable, but definetly worth the cost for me.
I think the XC version is the way to go for most riders.

[ItalianStallion]

You think like I do. Thank you for making this excellent video. I just bought my first EMTB and the salesman offered to install CushCore on my rims. After watching this video, I realized this upgrade will help me get introduced to the sport with more confidence. If my tires slip (and I crash badly) when I am trying to get a feel for the bike, I will lose way more confidence (than an experienced rider otherwise would), resist going faster, and push my limits less than the bike reasonably allows without CushCore.

[vin]

I run them front and rear. Love the product

[TheTrace]

Just installed on the back of my Roscoe 8 with a 3.0 tire. LOVE IT. It actually does all it claims. Primarily, it just lets you go down to the softest feel you are comfortable with, with no concerns. That’s the real advantage.

[scottcoulas]

Fantastic review, in addition to the installation video. Just had my first ride after an easy installation and your description is exactly what I found as well. Keep up the good work . Thank you so much!

[milkburps]

This was really helpful! I wish all reviews were like this.

[Illsamustache]

Best review on CushCore that I’ve seen. I ordered some to go on my new Fezzari Wasatch Peak build. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend the extra $$$, but now I’m glad that I did, especially with a hardtail. 👍🏻

[alvarojuarez]

I appreciate you acknowledging the fact that not everyone can just drop $150 on a bike upgrade! With that being said, this will definitely protect your bike in the long run!

[albertfranqui]

No pr nonsense just real bike talk, great man!

[someguydino]

Thanks, just one man's explanation of the tech; but a decent presentation and useful none the less.

[raheemgahelable]

Food for thought..., I know non pro local fast/good riders who broke thier carbon & aluminum rims WITH Cushcore! Cushcore IMHO, is good for ski lift access parks! So you're telling me that we ditch the tubes to have lighter / easier rolling resistance, and then I add that foam to gain that weight back? Don't get me wrong, .. I rode Cushcore on carbon SC reserve rims, at Snowshoe WV, and it was from a different planet! But..., Why going through the hassle, if a DD tire or a DH casing tire with ( proper air pressure) should do the job? IMHO, Cushcore isn't worth it for someone like me! Great video 🤘🤘