CushCore Tire Inserts | Review & The New Bead Bro Tool

    Are you tired of burping your tires in corners and denting your rims in rock gardens? Well, CushCore could be your answer. We’re going to be looking at the industry's most popular tire inserts, as well as some of their other products, including their brand new Bead Bro tool.

    CushCore is best known for their tire inserts, which we are huge fans of here at The Lost Co. These inserts sit inside your tire and provide a few different performance advantages out on the trail, such as increased sidewall support, rim protection, and puncture resistance. While installed, the CushCore is always pressing against the sidewalls of the tire, and it actually helps the tire hold its shape while pushing hard into corners. This keeps the tire from squirming underneath you and prevents tire roll and burping air out of it. With CushCore, you can run lower pressures and still keep the rim on your tire while hitting berms as fast as you want.

     
Alright, let's dive a bit deeper into this CushCore review!

    Tire inserts let you run lower pressure by acting as a volume spacer similar to what you would find in your suspension. The CushCore fills up a lot of the volume in the tire and as a result, you can run a lower tire pressure to get more traction out on the trail.

    While you’re running these lower tire pressures, CushCore also offers impact protection to keep your tire and rim safe when you inevitably take one of those square edge hits. The closed-cell foam insert sits farther out than the outside of the rim, so if you ping a rock or root, it takes the brunt of the hit before it gets to your rim or tire bead. This helps to prevent pinch flats, which happen when the tire is pinched against the rim and punctures along the sidewall or the bead. Tire inserts also provide some support to your tire helping to increase rolling speed and help create a more damped feel. Lastly, it also saves your rims from those blunt force trauma injuries that would cost you a trip to our wheel builder Russ!

    CushCore is actually the only tire insert we sell here at The Lost Co at the moment, and that’s because it’s all that we ride here! I run it in the front and rear on my personal bike, and I’m actually in the middle of building up a new bike that will definitely be rolling on CushCore Pro. I feel way more confident taking risky lines that could jeopardize my wheels compared to if I wasn’t running CushCore, and I love being able to lower my pressure to get a little more traction out of the tires.

    Some people say that getting CushCore on is super difficult, but with the right technique, it’s not much harder than mounting up a regular tubeless tire. CushCore also makes some sweet tools to help get it installed in case you’re having trouble with it - the Bead Dropper and the new Bead Bro.

    First up, we have the Bead Dropper tool. This is CushCore’s take on a tire lever, and it is the best darn tire lever I’ve ever used. The handle allows you to get way more leverage while getting the tire on the rim and dropping the bead into the rim. Dropping the bead into the channel of the rim is the step most often skipped by those who struggle with installation, and is so crucial because it allows the tire more room to stretch around the opposite side of the rim. It’s also made of durable rubber which is strong enough to mount DH casing tires but won’t scratch your rims.

    Next, we’ve got the brand new Bead Bro tool.

    The Bead Bro is a nifty tool that acts as a third hand while installing your CushCore. It sits on your rim bead and hooks around a spoke to keep the tire from slipping along the rim while you deal with pushing the bead into the channel of the rim to give yourself some slack in the tire. These are super popular in the moto world where the tires are even thicker and harder to get mounted up, so if you’re struggling to get mountain bike tires on, these will definitely be a lifesaver. If you’re having trouble with the tire slipping along the rim while installing CushCore, then the Bead Bro is for you.

     
    When running a tire insert like CushCore, you need to make sure that you have an insert compatible valve stem. These valve stems have holes on the side to allow air to get around the insert. Luckily, they are included when you purchase either a single or a pair of CushCores.

    With these tools, getting CushCore mounted up really is a breeze, and it’s so cool that CushCore listens to feedback from the people running their products. People said they were having trouble getting them mounted up so CushCore stepped in with some sweet solutions. CushCore isn’t just another company trying to shove foam in your tires, they’ve got the most innovative insert as well as a few products surrounding it to give you the best experience on and off the trail.

Got questions? Feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call!

360-306-8827

sales@thelostco.com