Cushcore Trail tyre inserts review

Available in 27.5-inch, 29-inch and mixed sets, CushCore's Trail tyre inserts prove to provide excellent support, trail dampening and protection The pair may well be expensive compared to other options on the market but the performance really is second to none making them a worthy consideration among the best tyre inserts for mountain biking. Let's get down to the details.

CushCore Trail tyre inserts - Technical Details

The Trail insert is designed to fill the space between the full protection and support of the Pro and the lightweight nature of the XC. Using the same foam composition as the others, the Trail is 50g lighter than the Pro and has some new features to increase performance.

The side walls have notches which are designed to provide more progressive sidewall support. The inner channel notches reduce weight and allow the sealant to move around the tyre and insert more easily, the latter of which is aided by the addition of more centrifugal channels. It's worth noting that there is also a valve notch, helping air/sealant flow and allowing the insert to sit flush on the rim.

CushCore Trail is available singularly in 29-inch and 27.5-inch sizes with pairs to match, along with a mixed size for those mullet wheel setups.

CushCore Trail tyre inserts - Performance

When it comes to fitting inserts, there is always going to be a battle on your hands but I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the CushCore Trail tyre inserts. As I was fitting inserts into tyres that were already mounted I opted for slotting in the inserts from one side. This worked fine for me but the official way recommended by CushCore is to fit the insert to the rim and then fit the tyre. The insert required stretching into place which was a bit of a fight and inevitably resulted in sealant everywhere. Once in place, there is a roll and push technique required to get the bead of the tyre to sit underneath the insert - perfecting this is key to getting the tyre on.

Cushcore offers a handy little tool called “The Bead Bro”, which really helped with fitting the tyre. It acted as a third hand to ensure the tyre stayed in place and didn’t ping out during the ensuing fight. It's just a case of pushing the tyre bead under the insert as you work around the rim and using the tyre lever to finish the last bit.

The fitting was carried out on DT Swiss 30mm internal width rims paired with a Maxxis Double-Down tyre and a Continental Enduro casing tyre. The Continental tyre did put up a bit more of a fight over the Maxxis tyre but both were still fairly simple to fit.

As a bonus, with the insert already putting pressure on the tyre beads, I was able to inflate both tyres with a regular track pump.

Upon the first ride, I immediately noticed the dampening provided by the CushCore, especially in the front wheel where everything felt a little calmer and tracked the ground better. This is compared to running the same pressures without inserts. I can’t emphasise enough how much of a positive impact this had on my confidence riding rocky terrain, it took me by surprise but was a very welcomed improvement.

On the rear, I felt the extra support in the corners, this was most noticeable on high-speed bike park berms where the tyre felt less like it was folding. The sidewalls still had the flex to grip but the snappy fold and ping you’d usually get is very much dampened with the inserts – like running rebound control on your tyres.

I’ve had multiple episodes where some very nasty square-edged rock hits would have written off tyres and rims but the Cushcore has saved the situation. You can see the “snake-bites” in the insert but the tyre and rim remained undamaged.

Weighing in a 217g per insert, the extra weight is noticeable however it's a penalty I am more than happy to take. If you were to drop a casing thickness (say with a Continental from downhill to enduro saving 120g) that would go some way to balance out the extra weight and still have a very well-performing set-up.

CushCore Trail tyre inserts - Verdict

A pair of Cushcore Trail inserts with valves will set you back £170 (a single insert costs £90). Not exactly cheap but I’d argue with the performance and protection on offer, they’re a smart investment.

At the cheaper end of the scale, around £70, Rimpact Pro offers a foam tyre insert that’s lighter than Cushcore but doesn’t support sidewalls as well and can be trickier to fit. Nukeproof also do a budget friendly offering called the Advance Rim Defence (ARD) coming in at £50 for the pair. These are light and provide some protection but their dampening qualities are sub-par.

There is no getting away from the price of the Cushcore Trail tyre inserts and, compared to other options, they sit right at the top end of the market. However, the dampening qualities are second to none and provide a noticeably more controlled ride on rough ground. Writing off rims and tyres is an expensive game so these inserts are a sensible insurance policy to protect from damage and provide an improved ride.