Home > Bike Types > Gravel Bikes

Rimpact CX tire inserts make clincher tires a viable option for gravel and cyclocross racing

rimpact cx racing tire inserts clincher
8 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Rimpact have released their CX tire inserts claiming to provide sufficient tire support to allow for pressures that rival what is possible with tubular tyres. At 55g per insert, Rimpact reckon these are light enough to be practically unnoticeable on a CX setup. Though specifically designed with CX racing in mind, Rimpact say they also work well as gravel tire inserts to mitigate punctures, provide grip and protect rims.

Rimpact CX tire inserts

rimpact tire insert for cx racing

We haven’t yet had a chance to test Rimpact’s CX tire inserts. However, they do use the same dual density technology as the Rimpact PRO MTB inserts that won our Editor’s Choice 2020. Rim protection, lowered tire pressures and most notably, vibration damping, sealed the deal for Rimpact… thus, I would expect great things from the CX tire inserts too.

Naturally, weight was a huge priority in the design of these cyclocross tire inserts. At 55g they certainly are very light but they aren’t the lightest on the market, however. At 48g per insert, the Effetto Mariposa Tyreinvader is 7g lighter, but doesn’t claim to offer half as many benefits as the Rimpact CX insert… more on that later.

In testing, Rimpact found that their Original foam didn’t scale down from MTB to CX rims very well; protection was compromised. The engineers found that by using two different densities of foam they were able to strike a balance between protection, weight and ease of installation.

tire inserts for gravel riding

You may well expect the harder, higher density foam to sit closest to the rim for protection. After all, suspension is progressive overall so shouldn’t tire inserts be the same? Rimpact have it the other way around for good reason. 

The softer layer sits against the rim, supporting the tire whilst acting as a dampener for both vibrations and larger impacts. The harder layer sits at the tire wall interface to provide impact protection and to act as a shell to absorb and dissipate force.

rimpact tire insert for cyclocross racing on clincher tires offers rim protection vibrtion damping anti-pinch flat

As force is applied (when you hit a rock or square edge) the upper layer of the Rimpact CX increases its protection to dissipate the forces across its body rather than through itself and into the rim it’s protecting. This is also how the inserts are able to offer such great vibration damping qualities.

rimpact cx insert

What are the benefits for the 110g weight penalty?

One of the main selling points of the Rimpact CX tire inserts is that they should allow the running of lower pressures, close to those you might run on a tubular setup, but on clincher tires. Other benefits, and there are many, include the following:

  • Protection from pinch flats

  • Mitigate rim damage

  • Run flat to make it to the finish or a repair stop

  • Dampen vibrations

rimpact pro tire insert mounted to rim tire cut layers visible

Rim protection is what I was after when I got a set of Rimpact PRO MTB inserts in for testing. While they did a great job in that department, it was the vibration damping qualities that took me by surprise.

It may seem like a a fluffy marketing term to some. However, I can tell you from personal experience that, even when run at equivalent pressures, it does translate to a more comfortable ride, less fatigue and thus, going faster for longer. With the lack of suspension on CX bikes, this feature should stand out even more.

Pricing & Availability

hunt gravel wheel rimpact cx tire insert cyclocross racing

£69.99 gets you two Rimpact cyclocross/gravel tire inserts and two 44mm or 55mm Rimpact tubeless valves, designed to be unblockable. The CX inserts are currently only available for 700c wheels, and are compatible with UCI spec CX (33c) tires, any rims with an internal diameter of 17mm to 25mm, and tires in the 33c to 45c range. 

RimpactMTB.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

Running in the high 20’s to mid 30’s PSI tubeless for CX and gravel and never had a tire problem rimming out here and there. Also adding more weight to the outer circumference of a wheel totally defeats the purpose of a race wheel. One of the benefits of lightweight wheels and tires for racing is the spin up to sprinting around the exit of corners, especially for CX. That 55gm is all of a sudden doubles up to 110gm at a certain speed and that wind up with more weight feels like you’re tethered to a bungee cord. For CX never, maybe for gravel if you’re of the b-lining terrible lines ilk.

Andrew
Andrew
3 years ago

Not saying that all of your points are wrong; but if you run “High 20s to mid 30’s” then this likely isn’t for you. I’m overweight at ~180lbs and I typically run about 20-23psi to get the grip that I need. At those pressures on SOME courses I can see the benefit…. When you need the low pressure for grip but higher pressure to avoid rim bottom-outs then you have a conundrum. THis could solve that…. but at a weight penalty.

thehill952
thehill952
3 years ago

would be interested to see a picture of the insert after a couple of hundred miles. absolutely no expert on this but some of the things that i have seen on inserts like this, the get pretty cut up, pretty quick. that’s no biggie if they are consumable prices, but we are not talking about consumable prices here.
i can see the benefit for races or specific events, i am just wondering if they are viable as a long-term solution – would they last a (normal) CX season?

2pacfan187
3 years ago
Reply to  thehill952

> but some of the things that i have seen on inserts like this, the get pretty cut up, pretty quick

which models? The season reviews for Cushcore show that they definitely get cut for impacts that would have snakebit the tire, but that they generally hold up well.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

Why do my comments take forever to post?

Think this one will show up before the year is over?

nooner
nooner
3 years ago

From article above:
What are the benefits for the 110g weight penalty?
Dampen vibrations

Correction: It Damps vibration (nothing is getting wet…)

chris
chris
3 years ago

What’s the increase in rolling resistance?

E B
E B
3 years ago

Could be interesting for some courses.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.