CushCore Trail Insert - The Perfect Middle Ground For Tubeless Inserts

The Perfect Tubeless Tire Insert for MTB and EMTB?

Tire inserts for tubeless tires are pretty much mainstream at this point, and the biggest name in mountain bike tire inserts is none other than CushCore. They have been at it since the inception of inserts and now have a full range of tire inserts as they introduce the CushCore Trail Insert, a middle-ground between the XC insert and the Pro insert. By adding the Trail insert, CushCore didn't just make a size between their two offerings, there are some added features that improve on all previous inserts that CushCore has made.

By now, tubeless tire inserts have become popular in all aspects of cycling that use tubeless tires, from world tour road racing to gravel, xc, trail, enduro, downhill, and ebikes. Yup, even gravel and road racing are using tire inserts. I personally have a set of CushCore gravel inserts that I use frequently when doing big backcountry rides. The concept is the same - they allow the rider to run lower pressure while retaining tire support, protecting the rim from sudden impacts that could result in pinch flats, and a semi-run flat situation if you flat during a race but want to make it to the finish line. My light trail bike has an XC CushCore in the rear for everyday riding, and I add one to the front for any type of race that I do. Previously on my trail bike, I was also running xc inserts front and rear as I felt the pro was just a little too much, but those are now replaced by the new Trail insert. Of course, e-bikes and DH bikes get standard Cush Core inserts, and for myself, I'll probably be running Trail inserts both front and rear in those bikes. 

What's new?:

I mentioned that the CushCore Trail insert isn't just a resized version between the xc and pro insert. Well, the size is between the two, but there are more new features than just the size. CushCore wanted to achieve two things with the trail insert: first, better sealant flow and airflow, and to do that they have made larger channels from the rim bed that flow up the side of the insert to allow both air and sealant to flow. They have also added channels on the rim bed itself to better distribute sealant around the tire and not trap any while also reducing some weight where possible. Last and probably what a rider will notice the most are the fluted sidewall grooves, which allow for the insert to flex a little bit more while cornering so the insert conforms with the trail a bit more. CushCore claims that with these flutes you will get a progressive cornering feel, and that the harder you push the more sidewall support you feel.

Installation and Riding Impressions:

When we got the samples of the new CushCore Trail insert, I immediately noticed that it felt quite light. They did say the samples we got were pre-production but CushCore said that if anything, these are a little heavier than the production run. Installing the Trail insert was unfortunately about the same as installing the pro, it might have been a bit easier but not quite as easy as the XC insert. The good news is that CushCore knows that, and has made two tools to make your life easier. The Bead Dropper Tire Lever and the Bead Bro Install tool. By using those, we have no issues getting this insert installed in 5 minutes or less. 

Riding the CushCore Trail insert has been great. We got a handful of rides on the insert so far and it's exactly what they say - a slightly improved ride feel, either from the size being a touch smaller than the Pro size, or the side flutes that claim to add better support. For me, the Pro insert on a normal bike had a little too much feel for me, I felt like in certain terrain the tire would feel smaller like there was less volume and the tire couldn't fully conform to the terrain. The Trail insert isn't noticeable until you need it, kinda exactly what you want. I first put this on a Crestline RS75/50 that we have been testing, and I think all e-bikes should have inserts, especially aggressive ebikes like the Crestline with 175mm of rear travel. The Trail insert felt great, I was able to run moderately low pressure, around 25-26psi with the insert in there, and I had no rim strikes while I never rolled the tire too much. 

Final Thoughts:

CushCore now has a full range of tire inserts with the new and improved Trail insert, splitting the difference between the xc insert and the pro insert. The Trail isn't just a middle size - it has fluted channels for a better ride feel, more air and sealant channeling, and a great weight so you can ride it all the time in your trail bike or anything with more travel. I personally have been a fan of running inserts especially on longer travel bikes and now with the Trail inserts I think I will only be running inserts more often as it really does work well for my riding needs.

** CushCore Trail Inserts will be available June 2023 **