Finished: Ask Us Anything - Schwalbe, Procore

For this edition of Ask Us Anything, Schwalbe Procore...

It's only been in more recent times that reliable tubeless tire setups have become the rule rather than the exception, but it appears as though the next step in tire and rim technology, along with the possible advantage that it could provide riders, could be right in front of us. I'm talking about Schwalbe's dual chamber Procore system that, somewhat ironically, reintroduces a tube into the equation. It employs a small volume, high-pressure tube with a bead attached around its diameter that's installed inside of a large volume tubeless tire. The small volume tube is run at a high pressure, but the tire itself is only pumped to between just 10 and 20 PSI.

How does it work and what are the possible advantages of using the system? The special tube works to hold the tire onto the rim, so the chances of pulling a bead off are greatly reduced to zero, and it also protects the tire from being pinched from sharp, hard impacts. Greatly improved traction is like probably the first thing what comes to mind first, but there's another, less obvious reason that Procore could be the next big thing: better suspension performance. Jo Klieber, Syntace founder and one of the developers of the system, explained to us that when he added the highly pressurized tube to the inside the tire, the spring rate of the tire would ramp up quicker when the two began to compress in unison and thus would activate the suspension in a more seamless and gradual manner. If successful, the dual chamber system could allow the rider to use lower pressures and at the same time force the suspension and tire to react as a single unit to small bumps.

There are two provisos here, though: first, we've only just now began to test the system, so the jury is still out as to if it is worth the weight gain over a standard tubeless setup. And second, it's certainly more complicated than what riders are used to having to deal with. Most of us can repair a flat, change a tire, and set up a common tubeless system, but there are more components to Procore and a more involved assembly process required. Questions remain, and that's why we have Schwalbe here to answer them, including: Markus Hachmeyer - Head of Product Management, Michael Kull - Marketing and Race Support Manager, Steffi Marth - Brand Ambassador and World Cup racer and Jeff Clarkson - North American OEM Sales.



The Panel








How ‘Ask Us Anything' Works:

Starting at 10:00 AM PST/6:00 PM BST on Wednesday, June 3rd Schwalbe will have a go at answering your questions. Sometimes your answer will pop up in a few seconds; others may take a while, as they will be busy responding to the flood of questions. Everyone who posts a question, large or small, will be taken seriously. To make the process as efficient as possible, try to follow these simple guidelines:

• Keep your questions relative. While this is an 'Ask Me Anything' session, the concentration is on Procore. Questions related to this are encouraged, but still feel free to ask whatever pressing queries you may have.

• Stay focused. Try to keep your questions on one topic if possible. You can always ask about another item later.

• Try to keep your questions to about 100 words.

• Ask Us Anything is a service to PB readers who are seeking helpful information, not a forum to broadcast opinions or grievances. If you do have a negative issue that you want to ask about, no worries, just keep your complaints relevant and in the context of a question so that it can be addressed in a productive manner.

• Use propping to acknowledge good - or not so good - questions. Bump them up or down to where they belong.