With a standard tube and Tannus insert being considerably lighter than the thorn-resistant Kenda (which, though generally pretty reliable, do add some palpable rolling resistance), acceleration is unaffected – another definite plus. Dropping the Road Cruiser to 55psi (slightly below the recommended 65psi minimum) bought some extra traction on some icy lanes without any hint of squirm or bad manners.

The benefits of this could be three fold. A more supple tire that was yet further enhanced by running lower pressures to give higher levels of grip, combined with added support from the insert in turns while also offering better rim protection.

Road  bike tyre sizing

However, you don’t have to remove the wheel, but it is better to take the whole wheel off and do it properly.

Save yourself the time of filling and replacing Tubeless Sealants, Using Tyre Boots or Plugs for tubeless tyre Punctures. One problem with these stiff liners is that the ends damage the inner tube. After 1000 km of use, the inner tube repeatedly punctures at the ends of the liner. It is practically impossible to cut the liner so that the ends touch each other. Either the liner is too long or too short. So you get 1000 km of trouble free riding and then a puncture, with no obvious cause of it in the tire. Upon closer inspection, the puncture happened exactly at the ends of the liner. Upon even closer inspection, the sides of the stiff liners have also started to damage the inner tube. One can actually get the sealing benefits of tubeless tires when using inner tubes. Simply put the tubeless sealant inside the inner tube. The problem is that it makes a huge mess, making patching the inner tube impossible.

The bike came with Big Ben tyres - they are thin walled. They suffered more than their fair share of punctures hence my desire for an insert and I upgraded the tyres to 'Plus' as I learned about their availability when looking for an insert. A rear wheel puncture on an eBike is a little troublesome compared to a standard bike. Tannus Armour can easily be changed to new tyres and wheels, the polymer compound lasts a long time and does not degrade over time, and can also be fully recycled when no longer needed. Free yourself of worry The testing involved an initial dry run while I was in Portugal using a Trail casing Vittoria Martello 2.35” tire on some 30mm wide Silt AM 29 wheels. This period was very brief and was largely by way of making the above video. I was due to begin another test period on a new set of wheels, a set of Mavic Crossmax XL, also with 30mm width, and I didn’t want to muddy the water by adding a variable. now one can also additionally incorporate and utilize a 120 mesh 304 stainless steel mesh which has a hole size aperture of 0.125mm between hole diameters; Ultimately, the Tannus inserts not only offer improved defence against punctures, they also deliver a more compliant ride. They're a good option for commuting/utility e-bikes, where fixing a flat can be more involved because of weight and complication. That said, I would prioritise a tyre and rim tape upgrade over these if you were running budget tyres and flatting frequently. Verdict

There are several inner tubes that have a slime that's supposed to seal holes. It has the same problem as tubeless tires, namely that they don't seal all holes. Also when patching is needed, the slime has made a huge mess making patching impossible.FLATBIKE ASSESSMENT: Airless tires will remain more difficult to install/uninstall than inflated tires. But not by much, with the right tool. And it’s a one-time deal. I think it's also worth mentioning that just because something is quiet it doesn't necessarily mean that it means the rim is impervious to damage. Similarly, if something is making noise it might not be from the insert bottoming out and the rim hitting an obstacle but rather something such as the insert slapping the rim. In the second part of testing, we'll look further into maximum loads for the inserts in a more controlled manner. For now, it's a fool's errand to try and assert which impact would mean what in something that is so hard to repeat.

How to best keep our tires inflated? And, what’s more, is there a way that not only means we’re less likely to puncture but also includes a handful of performance benefits?

OneOdio OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds

Every single one of these inserts improved the performance of my tires. If I were to separate them, I would say the Vittoria, Rimpact and CushCore offer the most support. The other three, while definitely offering a lot, are better used in conjunction with slightly higher pressures. If it’s all out support you’re after then I would say the Rimpact offers an equal amount, if not even more, than the CushCore but both are leading in this regard. The Vittoria does offer a similar feel to these two, but that stability is not so pronounced in turns.