The All New Huck Norris - MegaNorris

MegaNorris™ - New dual compound tire insert

Huck Norris was introduced for the first time at the Eurobike in 2016. Huck Norrises are designed, engineered and made in Finland. When Huck Norris was introduced, there were very few other inserts available. The idea behind Huck Norris was to improve the tire and rim impact resistance by adding minimal weight. Since then, there have been more inserts appearing on the market. We have listened to our customers and realized that riders need even more impact absorption than we originally thought. Huck Norrises are designed to be used in Trail, Enduro, DH and E-bike applications.

The development

When we started, there was an ongoing battle of which rim width was the future. There were very narrow rims or crazy wide rims - plus-sized tires were also appearing on e-bikes. Since then, the market has changed, and rim widths have settled around 30mm internal width, and tire sizes are now around 2,5". A growing number of mountain bikers have also begun using heavier casings in their tires as they are now more aware that a heavier tire improves suspension behaviour. Tire inserts improve suspension behaviour by not only dampening the impact but during impacts, and insert reduces the travel of undampened larger volume tires.

We experimented with thicker foams that reached the rim, different densities of material, different shapes, and different compound layups. We ended up modifying the shape only a little and narrowed the compounds down to three options that work for all these variants' desired applications. We took our time to design and make the best tire insert for trail, enduro, DH and e-bike riders.


Our take on the inserts remains the same. We believe that the floating insert is the best of both worlds. We don't want to reduce the tire's air volume too much and stress the rim with an insert that sits on top of it. Working with professional athletes, trying different layups and volumes of insert, we came up with the new, improved shape and compound. Matti Lehikoinen has been involved in the development since the start, with Leigh Johson coming onboard in 2018. Joseph Nation started racing MegaNorrises in 2019, and during the 2019 EWS race season, none of our racers had any flats.


Over three years of testing

During development, we learned that the tire's whole air volume is used on a trail with hard cornering. We discovered this by attaching a camera to the chainstay and filmed different terrains and riding styles and trail surfaces. One thing is for sure: if you are a trail rider, we recommend using at least some tire insert so as not to rely solely on the knobs of the tire to help your rim life. Huck Norris is the best choice for a natural feeling of the tire along with great impact resistance. We also learned that while the MegaNorris floats inside the tire beads, it always stays in place when the tire rolls in schlarps or hard corneringWewe - the insert stays in the middle of the rim even in hard schlarping when the tire deforms. The rim is pushed against the insert so hard that the insert won't move. When the insert is stiff, flat and wide, the insert creates more pressure to a wider area to gain more grip. All these features have been developed from our findings through rigorous testing, racing and longterm observations.


Overall, testing has been a great insight and has given us many ideas in other fields. The three different compounds allow the rider to mix their preferred setup with their rides. For the lightest trail rides, we recommend Toasts front and rear. The next step up is Toast in front and Sandwich in the rear or Sandwiches in both ends. The Hamburger version is good for DH or E-bikes. When you match the Meganorris with your tire compound, you get a very fast-rolling tire with medium to maximum impact resistance. Our EWS race teams use Maxxis Assegai 2.5" with DH casing plus Sandwich in front and rear. Leigh Johnson uses Hamburger on lift-assisted races.


Key new benefits in a nutshell:

• The new hard layer protects the rims from hard impacts
• Soft layer smoothes the ride
• The new shape has more surface area to protect the rims.
• New compound is more resilient to impacts giving a longer insert lifespan.
• The same insert works for 29", 27,5" and 26" tires.

Why not follow the other trends

We believe that leaving more air volume inside the tire; the ride feel and the benefits are greater. We continue with the flat and floating tire insert design, to maintain the feeling of having no insert but also offer protection to wheels and tires from damage. Huck Norris is also one of the easiest inserts to install. The new, improved shape covers a wider rim area, and the new layering system gives two functions: the soft compound gives small bump compliance, and the hard compound protects the rims and tires from snakebites. Huck Norris MegaNorris™ models have a different layering construction to match the riders requirements in any condition. Like Huck Norris, the MegaNorris™ protects both the tire and the rims and smoothens the ride - it does it overall better than before.


MegaNorris™ comes in three different layering options and two widths for different tire and rim options. The options are called the Toast, the Sandwich and the Hamburger. The two widths are 55mm and 60mm.

• Toast* - XC, Trail and Enduro front ~120g (55mm or 60mm width)
• Sandwich - Enduro and Trail rear ~200g (55mm or 60mm width)
• Hamburger - E-MTB and DH ~250g (55mm or 60mm width)
* MegaNorris™ Toast only has the soft compound layer.

All inserts are sold for every mountain bike wheel, rim and tire size options—no limitations per use case, just recommendations.


The layering system
MegaNorris™ layering is the answer to different MTB disciplines. XC and trail riders will benefit from Toast the most. Rough trail and enduro riders get a good balance of weight and protection from the Sandwich. Hamburger layering offers the most protection and is best suited for enduro racing and downhill.

Where to buy MegaNorris™
Meganorrises has been shipped to all our distributors worldwide and should be available in your local bike shops very soon.

More information: https://hucknorris.com/meganorris