Tire Sidewall is Where a Lot of Your Traction Lives

You Get More Grip When Your Tire Sidewall Can Gobble Up Terrain

Foam inserts are good at absorbing energy, but they have to take up a lot of space to do it. They press against the sidewalls and change how the tire engulfs terrain. That affects traction, especially when you’re on the edge of grip. You may get more sidewall support, but sometimes that sidewall support can compromise other aspects of your ride that, to some, are more important.

The tire sidewall is where a lot of your traction lives. It lets the tire deform and track the terrain. I like to think of a tire like a hovercraft, gobbling up terrain to keep the tread in contact with the ground and soak up small bumps. If there’s foam pushing back, the tire can’t always move out of the way of that terrain. That quick shift in sidewall spring rate can throw your tire off line, especially right at the limit of grip (where racers like to ride), and that kills confidence. If confidence drops, you ride slower.

I think that’s why you see many fast riders ditching inserts. They’ll roll the dice on their rims to keep predictable traction. If you’re in that camp but you’re also the one paying to replace rims 🙋, it gets expensive. Foam inserts make a lot of sense for a lot of riders and they are good and many people like them a lot, and that’s awesome. This isn’t a hit piece on “big foam.” Some people love them, and I’m not here to yuck their yum. They just aren’t what me and my friends were looking for, and we saw other riders looking for something different too and that's why we made Rim Saver. We wanted the full use of our tire sidewall for maximum terrain absorption and traction, but we still wanted protection for our rims.