Vittoria Releases Completely Redesigned Air-Liner Tire Inserts
Vittoria is one of the few tire manufacturers to make their own insert, treating the two as a hopefully cohesive system. To further cover their bases and offer a wider range of utility, they've designed a completely new insert - the Air-Liner Protect - with two variants, Enduro and Downhill.
The two should both offer better protection to the tire and rim, reduce the weight of the overall system, and feel more akin to a typical air-filled tire than the prior Air-Liner MTB model. Some folks might take issue with that last point, as some seem to prefer the feel of a damped insert-filled tire, but now you have the choice between the options. The prior Air-Liners fared well in Henry's multi-insert shootout, but were bested by some of the more robustly constructed options. With the updated changes, that might just change.
As Matt covered in his recent Burning Question with various rim and insert manufacturers, there's some varying feedback on the utility of inserts. Despite that, fans of the foam will probably stick around for the lower pressures and increased tire support they can achieve with them.
The new Air-Liners come in two variants, two sizes, and one price: $69.99 USD. You can mix and match the two different densities and sizes to your liking, allowing for some fine-tuning of the overall tire-insert-rim system.
More on those different densities, as that's the primary differentiator between the two options. The Enduro insert uses a lower density foam, for lighter weight and faster rebound. The Downhill model uses higher density foam that slows the rebound down and offers more protection at high speeds. There's about a 50 gram penalty to the latter, with the overall weight spectrum of the inserts ranging from 125 to 185 grams.
Both use the T-shaped profile, and are optimized for rims with a 25-30mm internal width. Unlike the prior model, the new Air-Liners are a continuous loop, with no sizing and zip-tying required. This will also hopefully help prevent the inserts from stretching, as Henry experienced in his back-to-back test.
For more information on the new Air-Liner inserts, head over to Vittoria's website.
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Not for me though as they don't offer the 26" wheel version.
Great traction & durability, but heavy AF.
1-remove wax from tire if new (Conti) make sure your rim is at least 29mm id if using DH insert
2-make sure rimtape is well friggin done (theres plenty of tutorials) make sure tubeless valve is tidy
3-put some sort of lube on tire beads (could be olive oil, i dont care)
4-install tire without insert, pop er up like a boss, remove one side of tire bead (the disc side)
5-insert annus armour like you would a tube (pro tip: i punch holes in the sidewalls and top of insert to let sealant and air travel more >FREEELLYY) i use a hole puncher, or whatever those things are called
6-re lube bead if its dry
7-start at valve and push bead and insert in middle, if other side of tire breaks contact with sidewall, dont worry, also push into middle of rim. Work both directions from where you started, in the goal of pushing last part of bead on the part of rim oppsosing the valve (180 degrees)
8-once you start swearing (you should have about 35 deg left of tire) tie a strap around tire and rim. that will hold it while you use both hands to bring in the the rest
9-go around tire and push everything in middle as much as possible
10-using all possible leftover teenage angst and hatred that you forget to tell your therapist about, get that frickin last bit on..silicon sparay, olive oil, whatever sopay water floats your boat will help
11-if you do it without tools aint nothin gunna stop you in life, bet
9-
I bought some a couple of years ago as I thought maybe provide a bit of extra rim protection.
But they were beyond miserable to install. I managed to get one into my back rim (a WAO) but found basically impossible on the Bontrager front rim. This was with EXO tires.
That, combined with the fact that it didnt seem to make a notable difference meant it came out when I changed the tire and havent bothered since. Maybe I'll try again this spring using some of your suggestions but I'm skeptical of the the whole insert business
Am I doing something wrong?
Easy no matter the tire or rim combo and 1 person can do it. Taking them off…that can be a bitch
Overall, with the hassle of install and switching out tires etc and issues... I've just gone with a heavier casing in the rear, run a little bit more pressure and carry a tube + boot + plugs. My mtb life is forever improved moving away from inserts.
Even for amateur/fun enduro racing... an insert with more run flat protection isn't going to allow you to ride at full speed anyway so that stage is boned no mater what. Might as well repair properly and be ready for the next stage and again, not have to deal with inserts mid-race.
I don't know... I see the benefits and why people still use them, just not for me anymore. To each their own.
For maximum rim impact protection, there are some better options but i have yet to bend a DT hoop or crack a carbon hoop with them. Lots of ping though.
The amount of hand fatigue the air liners can take out too, especially on an XC bike, is worth it alone (course dependent). Same can be said for park days, lower tire pressure, more foam damping can take just enough sting out to make things more fun. You probably wont notice that at all in loamy PNW conditions since you're basically riding on pillows anyway, but in rocky, hard packed places in the southwest, it's huge.
Kudos as always to the tire gurus at Vittoria for continuing to innovate and lead the way.
What's interesting about this, to me, is the reduced weight. Adding just 100 grams to our stock ENVE (742 grams front, 850 grams rear) M5 rims, is a healthy 25% increase in the rim weight. Then, to put 150g of Vittoria Air-Liner HD on each, adds even more significant weight. A single, insert-ready WTB ASR** (779 grams rear) will add just as much weight as BOTH of Vittoria's newest inserts. So, Vittoria has essentially built the entire system with TWO lighter air-liners, for the same price, and retained good protection from flat tires. Reading more on the tech roundup, it sounds like the Double Compound sidewall also contributes to this design. The lighter air-liner doesn't work on "Rally" compound tires.
There are still more variables to choose from with the "high density" air-liner, which can be fun for shoppers. But for the more weight-conscious among us, it looks like Vittoria has found a sweet spot with these two, that covers the range of super-thin, to "black chiliix" sidewalls.
Oh, and I also thougth it important to note that Vittoria recently updated their compatibility guide with various brands, and incorporated some updated info for the new air liner.
Update: older Air-Liner MTB models (cinquinhundreds grams each) also work well with Compline, G-Sport Ultralight, and Rally/Rally-GR rim families. I have Complines on my rims like that, and they work great, but there is definitely increased tension from those animals holding back the sidewall when air-lined. It sounds to me like these new air-liners with "soft compound" tires will be the most trouble-free pairing option overall, from a manufacturing and material cost optimization perspective, for a rim family like MY Enve's with "aspero" sidewalls. One of the benefits of Vittoria's air-liner models is these rim compatibility updates they publish, which comes from 20 years of testing and tech-cred in collaboration with MRP. Vittoria manufacturers to metallurgy/industrial spec sheets (ISO 13172).
** guy at WTB actually donated an ASR** for our rim brand to test on, and they work just fine. No harm no foul WTB, thanks for your support and involvement in our testing efforts as well. A pioneer in the tire scene too and all your rims accept air-liners work just great as well. You probably know that about your rims too.... but we thought we'd share.
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Original Posted By:
The-Black
*(my actual post was deleted by a mod misinterpreting my words as a personal attack, so I'm posting it here anonymously)
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Thus far Vittoria has taken the most interest in the rim-tire-insert marketplace, and they have long worked together with ENVE (this is a long time partnership with guys in both organizations both involved in material science before entering the tubeless/mtb market,) and other brands to identify
Seems up-to-date! UCI can you hear it?