Rimpact PRO Tyre Inserts
Contents Per Pack:
2 x PRO Tyre Inserts 29+ and 27.5+
2 x 44mm Rimpact Unblockable Valves or 2x Peaty's Valves (Black)
Rimpact PRO is Rimpact's most protective insert. It utilises an Energy Sensitive layer in conjunction with Rimpact ORIGINAL Foam to harden on impact and dissipate extreme forces across itself and the foam below rather than into the rim. The material remains supple and malleable meaning its easy to install yet when it counts, Rimpact steps it up to maximum protection mode and allows you to ride it out when there's no easy line choice! Read more about the PRO at the bottom of the page.
Suitable for rims with an inner diameter of 23mm - 35mm and tyre widths 2.3" - 2.6". It is possible to use the insert with narrower or wider tyre but it will increase the difficulty of fitting. Do not purchase if your rims are outside of this spec, we have wider Plus inserts available for larger rims.
Use about 25% more sealant than recommended on the bottle to ensure the extra surface area of the insert is coated with plenty of fluid to spare. Our inserts are closed cell and cannot absorb liquid however some sealant will cling to the outside of the insert requiring a slightly higher dosage. It can be injected through Rimpact Valves or poured directly into the tyre.
Weight: approx. 160g per insert for 29", 150g approx. for 27.5"
Please follow installation instructions prior to fitting/removing. There is a QR scan code on the packaging that will link you to the installation page of this website.
Disclaimer: It is not advised to run air pressures outside that of the tyre manufacturers recommendations. Failure to do so may result in injury or the premature failure of the bicycle. Rimpact does not accept any responsibility for misuse of the Rimpact insert or improper installation. Rimpact Inserts are designed to work WITH Rimpact unblockable valves.
Not included: Tyres, Wheelset.
INSTALLATION VIDEO
DUAL DENSITY INSERT DESIGN
Not as Straight Forward as it Seems!
After creating the Rimpact ORIGINAL we went back to the drawing board to design a no compromises Insert. This became the Rimpact PRO.
We theorized that upping the density of the material used would yield increased protection in the form of greater energy dissipation. We expected to see these results in a linear fashion but when using our test jig to destroy many wheels the data showed something unexpected.
What we found that when there was that an increase in density past a certain point the results did not correlate to increased protection seen by rim damage, tyre failure and decreased comfort out on the trail. The data showed us a point in which materials effectively became too dense and began to transfer force applied to it through to the surface below - your tyre bead, rim, suspension and hands.
COMBINATION OF STRENGTHS
After learning this we realised that we needed a fresh approach. The particular foam we used for Rimpact ORIGINAL already performed very well for it's weight but an increase in density negatively affected it's trail feel.
We looked at other materials that would provide a better sharp edge impact absorption but all were much heavier than the Rimpact foam already used. These also significantly effected ease of fitting due to their stiffness. We were trying to find a single material with all of the following properties:
- More impact absorption
- Equal or better vibration damping
- Low weight so ride quality isn't negatively affected
- Malleable enough to allow for easy installation
- Affordable
- Durable
After trying many different materials we eventually realized that one single density of foam wasn't ever going to meet all of our requirements but combining two could hit these goals. This is how we came up with the Dual Density design of Rimpact PRO.
SOLUTION
We looked at other industries to see how similar problems were solved and came across an Energy Sensitive material that remains supple whilst under minor forces like general riding and installation but increases it's impact performance under heavier loads.
Once energy is applied, (think sharp rock impact), the material stiffens and dissipated force across both its surface and the surface of the Rimpact ORIGINAL foam below. We discovered in testing that using just the right amount of foam - not too thick, not too thin - we were able to maximize the impact force dissipation of the two materials when combined together vs anything that was possible with just a single material.
Placing the Pro Layer on the top meant that the Original foam below continued to act as a vibration damper, the insert remained easy to install and the slow speed impacts did not force the wheel to deflect off of the desired line. When the impact force was increased the Pro later would stiffen and protect the foam and rim below and the Original would act as the initial supple spring before bottoming out and the Pro layer acting as the bump stop akin to a variable rate spring.
As low weight was a top priority, using the two materials in conjunction allowed for a significantly lighter design of just ~150 grams for a 27.5" wheel whilst out performing Inserts that were 100+ grams heavier.
We were also able to retained the superior vibration damping that Rimpact ORIGINAL provides as denser, single materials failed to absorb the high frequency trail vibrations that ORIGINAL currently eliminates.
