Cushcore Review

The What

Cushcore is a tire insert that claims to improve your riding experience by offering a suspension system for your rims.

The Why

So the Cushcore folks have been hitting the mountain bike podcast series this past winter and after listening to them describe the benefits of Cushcore I was interested in trying it out.  They claim the product is like suspension for your rims.  They will protect your rims on harsh impacts, provide stronger sidewall support while cornering, roll faster and allow you to run lower tire pressure for a plusher ride.  A lot of great advantages for adding something that weighs a little more than a tube.

I’ve spent this Spring running some light weight 2.6” tires.  These aren’t big burly tires I’m used to riding so I am looking for some sidewall support and rim protection.  I’m running this test to see if I can safely run lighter tires on harder terrain.

The How

So installing Cushcore has always been a bit of a meme in the mountain bike community.  The horror story of one hour installs is a common tail.  Cushcore has debunked those claims and has put out a video on how to properly install the product.  They even offer to install it for you if you buy it from them at a bike festival.

My experience installing and removing Cuchcore has been difficult but there were no epic sessions.  The first time I installed Cushcore, it did take me 45 minutes to install on one wheel but that was because I wasn’t folding the tire under the Cushcore enough.  My next tire took under 20 minutes since I now knew the proper technique.  One side effect of installing Cushcore is very tired hands and forearms.  It is a hard process and took a couple days for my hands to feel normal again.

Removing Cushcore is another challenge.  That tire is on there good with the foam holding the tire bead in place.  Unbeading the tire will require a tire lever to help push back the Cushcore.  It’s another experience that won’t be a piece of cake.

Now that you have it installed, should you go ride the rowdiest trails you can?  I suggest not doing that.  Take a nice long mellow ride to allow the Cushcore to settle into your tire.  I made the mistake of hitting the rockiest trails near me and ended up walking my bike back to my car.  Don’t make that mistake.

My first ride impressions of Cushcore were impressive.  It rolled fast and felt good right until that first rock garden.  I hit something hard enough it cut through the cushcore.  Sadly this cut the tire, popped the bead off the tire and I couldn’t fix the issue on the trail. I was walking the bike back to the car after 1.5 miles of riding.

My second ride also ended with me walking my bike back to the car.  The tire lasted longer but I cut a knob and couldn’t fix the leak trailside.  I had the option of removing the Cushcore but chose no to.

On the following rides, I found that the added weight didn’t really overweigh the benefit of Cushcore.  The trails I ride have a lot of short punchy climbs to short descents.  The added weight led to me working harder on the climbs with no significant improvement to the descents.

Conclusion

My original goal with Cushcore was to run it in some lighter 2.6” tires.  That test to me failed.  The lighter 2.6” didn’t roll faster and it was a bit of a struggle to find a tire pressure that wouldn’t lead to flats or blowouts.  Maybe running Cushcore with a 2.6” is a mistake.  Cushcore says the normal insert would work with the tire/rim combination but it would be on the very edge.  I decided to pull Cushcore out of my bike and run a burly set of 2.6” tires.  So far I’m not missing the Cushcore inserts.