Rimpact are the latest tyre insert manufacturers on the market and Ben has been putting their goods to the test to see how they stack up.
Ben tested a heap of different tyre inserts earlier in the year, so was well set to test the Rimpact offering to the tyre insert gods. Find out how he got on below.
Key features:
- 95 grams per insert for 29” as tested
- UK, rider owned company
- Available in 2 widths
- £36.99 RRP (valves included)
- Rimpact.com
Earlier this year, Ben reviewed a selection of the most popular tyre inserts on the market. Rimpact are the new kids on the block with a bargain price, light weight and the promise of top performance. Here’s how they stacked up against the rest.
This summer I took delivery of a pair of 29” Rimpacts inserts. They come with special valves that won’t block under the insert and at less than £40 they are an absolute steal. Fitting is really straight forward. It is similar to Ride Panzer and Flat Tire Defender and way easier than Cush Core. For my full impressions of these other inserts you can read my review here.
The actual insert is made from a light weight closed cell foam that doesn’t soak up sealant. It has a similar profile to Ride Panzer, except it has a flat bottom that sits nicely into the well in your rim, whereas the Panzer has a ridge and can tip to one side during use. This flat bottom also helps to keep the tyre bead seated on the rim when using low pressures and the whole profile pushes the tyre walls out and makes tubeless setup easier.
Depending on the tyre, these inserts fill about 2/3 of the volume, leaving a decent space to fine tune air pressure and ride feel. I typically ran 2-3 psi less pressure than normal whilst running Rimpact inserts. This gave me loads of grip, fast rolling and peace of mind that I would not burp the tyre or roll it off the rim.
The ride feel of Rimpact is up there with the best. It is damped, secure, and fast, without feeling wooden or dead. The ability to drop some air pressure lets you get insane amounts of grip, especially in wet, winter conditions where the tyre can deform over rock and root without stressing about punctures.
Where these excel though is on flatter, more pedally trails where you really appreciate the light weight compared to the competition. At only 95g for 29” and 90g for 27.5” these are less than half the weight of CushCore and Flat Tire Defender, weighing in at 250g and 260g respectively.
I used the Rimpacts on 3 different 29” bikes and had no punctures or wheel damage at all. They give as much protection as Cush Core or any other insert I know of, or have tried. I used them with a mixture of Maxxis EXO and EXO+ casing tyres and felt confident smashing expensive carbon wheels through the rocks at Bike Park Wales.
What do we think?
Overall it is hard to fault the Rimpact and I honestly can’t think of a better upgrade to your bike for less than £40. If we compare it to CushCore which is arguably the market leader and biggest player in the insert game, it feels just as good, seems to offer a similar level of protection but is 1/4 of the price and less than half the weight.
At that price and weight and with the performance advantages it brings, Rimpact is a no-brainer for any rider who cares about performance.
We love:
- Low weight
- Low price
- High Performance
Could do better:
- We’re struggling to think of anything.
