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CushCore...yes or no?


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40 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

Who is using Nukeproof ARD?

I need a solution: 25mm internal rims, 29x2.4 tires, 160 pound rider on hardtail. I need to run 28-30 psi (checked using an Accu-Gauge) to keep from pinging my rims. on SATN stuff, no less.

What's a better investment: wider rim (I build my own wheels) or inserts?

(Very, very skeptical about CushCore. $150 for two foam rings seems like a scam.)

Here's my old setup:

Rider: 190lbs
Rims: 35mm internal
Tires: 29x2.4
Pressure: ~22 front, 25 rear
Bike: Steel hardtail (Karate Monkey)
Riding: Pretty much anything. no huge hucks or anything, but lots of chunk (3lap dragonslayer, double down at brushy), and moderate drops (2-3 ft)

Loved the setup. I rode the same bike on mellower terrain (midwest) for about a year with narrow rims, and the wide rims made a noticeable difference in stability, comfort, and grip.

Never tried inserts, so I can't compare 🙂

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6 minutes ago, schoolie said:

Here's my old setup:

Rider: 190lbs
Rims: 35mm internal
Tires: 29x2.4
Pressure: ~22 front, 25 rear
Bike: Steel hardtail (Karate Monkey)

🙂

I'm also on a KM. I am lighter but using narrower rims at considerably higher pressure. I have not dented a rim lately, but hearing the pings is getting old. I've gotten a few flats that way, and I have not had a tube in my tires for over 8 years.

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7 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

I'm also on a KM. I am lighter but using narrower rims at considerably higher pressure. I have not dented a rim lately, but hearing the pings is getting old. I've gotten a few flats that way, and I have not had a tube in my tires for over 8 years.

Having both ridden a lot on older rims and now ~3 years on wider rims (while also still having my SS HT with the narrow rims) I can tell you wider rims are huge in what they allow you to do.  I used to have to run higher pressures just to keep from burping--let alone pinch flats.  I couldn't run certain tires on the narrow rims because riding off-camber would cause burping and putting extra pressure to keep that from happening made them ride horribly.

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1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

I'm also on a KM. I am lighter but using narrower rims at considerably higher pressure. I have not dented a rim lately, but hearing the pings is getting old. I've gotten a few flats that way, and I have not had a tube in my tires for over 8 years.

How old's your KM? If it's old enough to run 135/100QR, I've got a wide wheelset you could borrow or buy for cheap. They're a little beat up, but good enough to see if you like it.

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I installed a Nukeproof ARD Friday night and tested in on BCGB Saturday. Under $50 and shipping from CRC was fast! Only slightly harder to fit the tire than any other install I've done. The included special valves are really nice.

 

I dropped my pressure from my usual 26/28 F/R to 20/22. Proceeded to session all the troublesome ledgy climbs I encountered until I cleaned them or gave up in exhaustion. Attempted every ledge up HOL multiple times before turning off toward Dumptruck.

Loads more traction with the lower pressure! Finally got a plugable puncture attempting a stupid up-ledge near the old Ewok bridge area. From now on, that's a down-ledge only. Pretty sure I would have punctured some long before that without the inserts.

 

Screenshot_20200202-084157_Gallery.jpg

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The ledge in question is the staircase in front of my front tire. I plugged the puncture in the middle of the tread but also got a small puncture right by the bead that I could not get to seal and leaked slowly. Limped to HEB to meet my wife because it was getting late and I have a craving for avocadoes.

Anyone have tips for repairing a sidewall/ bead area puncture? The rim took a ding but it's just on the top of the rim. The bead seat area seems fine.

Edited by mack_turtle
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  • 2 months later...
On 2/2/2020 at 8:46 AM, mack_turtle said:

The ledge in question is the staircase in front of my front tire. I plugged the puncture in the middle of the tread but also got a small puncture right by the bead that I could not get to seal and leaked slowly. Limped to HEB to meet my wife because it was getting late and I have a craving for avocadoes.

Anyone have tips for repairing a sidewall/ bead area puncture? The rim took a ding but it's just on the top of the rim. The bead seat area seems fine.

unfortunately, if you got a bite in your bead area, you were running too low pressure, even  with the ARD. Reminder that these systems are not full proof. i have broken a carbon rim with cushcore installed.

I have heard from antonio that you can suture tears. I think that would be the best solution in that area, but have never tried it. suture kits are on amazon.

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Stitching is needed for cuts that damaged the fibers too much.  For really small areas you can patch only.  I have an Ikon 2.35" I repaired with a piece of old inner tube and contact cement.   Even just  suture and letting Stan's do the work would be OK but I think suture + patch leaves the tire basically like new condition as far as leakage.

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On 2/2/2020 at 8:42 AM, mack_turtle said:

I installed a Nukeproof ARD Friday night and tested in on BCGB Saturday. Under $50 and shipping from CRC was fast! Only slightly harder to fit the tire than any other install I've done. The included special valves are really nice.

 

I dropped my pressure from my usual 26/28 F/R to 20/22. Proceeded to session all the troublesome ledgy climbs I encountered until I cleaned them or gave up in exhaustion. Attempted every ledge up HOL multiple times before turning off toward Dumptruck.

Loads more traction with the lower pressure! Finally got a plugable puncture attempting a stupid up-ledge near the old Ewok bridge area. From now on, that's a down-ledge only. Pretty sure I would have punctured some long before that without the inserts.

 

Screenshot_20200202-084157_Gallery.jpg


Okay... Off topic... But interesting...

Squint your eyes and look at the photo... Tell me what you see between the two wheels.

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15 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:


Okay... Off topic... But interesting...

Squint your eyes and look at the photo... Tell me what you see between the two wheels.

No! I refuse to be psychoanalyzed by a Rorschach test from my own photos! The light does create a weird highlight on that rock though.

To anyone who knows this spot, its' a really fun place for a "session".

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Purchased a new set of tires this morning and decided this would be as good of time as any to get some inserts. Ended up ordering a set of cush core inserts. I've been going back and forth for a while now on which inserts to get. I'm not crazy about how annoying cush core is going to be to install and uninstall but the consensus on the internet seems to be that they have the best performance.

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1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

No! I refuse to be psychoanalyzed by a Rorschach test from my own photos! The light does create a weird highlight on that rock though.

To anyone who knows this spot, its' a really fun place for a "session".


It looks like some sort of ragged animal standing just in front of the chainring... Two front legs, two back legs, a body, a face.

 

Edited by RidingAgain
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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally got around to installing cush core. Installation was a breeze. It’s all about pushing the bead into the center channel. Took about 10 min per tire.
 

Annoying issue though. I filled both tires up to 40psi to allow the bead to set properly. Came back an hour later and the rear was at 18psi. Set it back to 40 and same deal. Half the pressure was lost after an hour. Took the wheel off the bike and started spraying it with soapy water. Air was leaking out of the spoke nipples. Uninstalled the tire and Cush core which, by the way, is a bit more involved but not too bad. Definitely not something you can easily do trail side. I removed the gorilla tape and throughly cleaned the rim before laying down a new strip of gorilla tape. Reinstalled the tire without Cush core. Same issue. Air leaking from the nipples. After some googling, it may be that the valve is not seated well, allowing air to leak into the second chamber. Going to try laying down a second strip of tape over the valve hole to make a better seal. 
 

I’ve never had this issue before so I’m hoping it’s just a quick fix with the valve core. I’d really like to ride this week and test out the new Cush core inserts!

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8 hours ago, WLemke said:

Air was leaking out of the spoke nipples. Uninstalled the tire and Cush core which, by the way, is a bit more involved but not too bad. Definitely not something you can easily do trail side. I removed the gorilla tape and throughly cleaned the rim before laying down a new strip of gorilla tape. 

How wide is the tape, and what's the inner width of that rim? The tape should be wide enough to reach the inner sidewall of the rim. There are holes in the rim, most likely, from the manufacturing process in addition to the spoke holes.

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48 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

How wide is the tape, and what's the inner width of that rim? The tape should be wide enough to reach the inner sidewall of the rim. There are holes in the rim, most likely, from the manufacturing process in addition to the spoke holes.

32mm inner width and the tape does indeed reach from rim wall to rim wall. 
 

I actually just went out to my workshop and after sitting over night, both tires are hard as a rock. I’m guessing the sealant must have plugged anything up. 

Edited by WLemke
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that's good news. I have used tape that was a bit too narrow and it seems to be a common mistake.

the other one is over-tightening the valve nut and damaging the rubber seal on the inside of the rim. there's a narrow margin where your valve nut is tight enough to seal everything up, but a little tighter will cause damage. some people will wrap a little plumbing tape or something like that around the valve inside the rim to get a better seal.

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Removed the tire this morning to reinstall the cush core after leaving the tire in a state of "vanilla" tubeless last night. In my haste, I reinstalled the tire in the wrong rotation direction...oof. Another round of uninstalling and reinstalling made me late for my morning coffee. Silver lining, I've now got a lot of experience installing and uninstalling a tire with cush core. Now that I've done it a few times, I have to say that the cush core insert almost makes installing a tire easier since the inserts really holds the bead into the rim trough when you stuff them down to get that last 12 inches of tire into the rim.

Anyways, holding air well. Got the rear tire at 18psi and the front at 16psi. My normal is 20rear/19front. Looking forwarding to testing them out after work today. Will report on my thoughts.

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2 hours ago, WLemke said:

I reinstalled the tire in the wrong rotation direction.

First world problems. But I'll be damned if this isn't the single most frustrating thing in cycling. I'll check, and double check, and still 1 of 10 times, I install the tire in the wrong direction. Makes me want to delete Strava put my bike curbside for about 0.2 seconds. Then I calm down, have another drink (realizing that's likely the problem anyway) and re-do it. 

 

Given the size of our stable, and how quick we burn through tires, at some point, I am likely to mess up on the second install and go backwards twice. 

 

And... 

 

image.png.278ef7b06088bd32445c59469e61f4f5.png

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15 hours ago, WLemke said:

Finally got around to installing cush core. Installation was a breeze. It’s all about pushing the bead into the center channel. Took about 10 min per tire.
 

Annoying issue though. I filled both tires up to 40psi to allow the bead to set properly. Came back an hour later and the rear was at 18psi. Set it back to 40 and same deal. Half the pressure was lost after an hour. Took the wheel off the bike and started spraying it with soapy water. Air was leaking out of the spoke nipples. Uninstalled the tire and Cush core which, by the way, is a bit more involved but not too bad. Definitely not something you can easily do trail side. I removed the gorilla tape and throughly cleaned the rim before laying down a new strip of gorilla tape. Reinstalled the tire without Cush core. Same issue. Air leaking from the nipples. After some googling, it may be that the valve is not seated well, allowing air to leak into the second chamber. Going to try laying down a second strip of tape over the valve hole to make a better seal. 
 

I’ve never had this issue before so I’m hoping it’s just a quick fix with the valve core. I’d really like to ride this week and test out the new Cush core inserts!

I pulled the trigger last night on a set. Since I’m all in on the hardtail life I figured I could use the help for my knees. Saves $23 with the hardtail party coupon code, so it’s an easier pill to swallow. Should be here in a few days, hopefully the same time my 40mm wheels are. 

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35 minutes ago, Barry said:

First world problems. But I'll be damned if this isn't the single most frustrating thing in cycling. I'll check, and double check, and still 1 of 10 times, I install the tire in the wrong direction.

I thought I was the only one. I've been doing this since I started riding in college. My percentage has improved over the years, but I started closer to 50/50… so it's still not good.

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