Insert Troubleshooting

Tyre Wobble/Warp/Hop/Kink/Deform can be due to a number of causes. Here we cover most of the causes and solutions, work through the list in order for the highest chance of success in resolving the issue. Please note, if the below doesn't solve the issue it is likely that the wobble is irreversible and you'll need to speak to your tyre retailer about a possible warranty. 

Bead Not Seated Correctly

•  Tyres have a bead line a few mm above the bead that indicate correct seating. Check your bead line is a uniform distance from the rim all the way around the tyre, sometimes the difference between an incorrectly installed tyre and a correct one can be very minimal so take the time to carefully inspect the seating. We recommend identifying the max inflation markings on the tyre and ensuring the tyre is inflated to this pressure. (Note: Hookless rims have a limit that is usually lower than the tyre max inflation limit. Do not exceed this as you may incur spontaneous blow out). Leave the tyre for a while to allow it to seat over time, if you inspect the bead you may see the bead line slowly moving outward. It's possible you will need to deflate, manipulate the tyre to free it up and allow it to seat properly and reinflate, repeating the process a number of times. If you are sure the bead is 100% Seated move on to the next step. Sometimes, installing the bead with soap and water can lubricate the rubber and help it seat. 

Rim Not True/Has Buckle, Has a Hop

• It's possible the wheel you have mounted the tyre too is subtly buckled and you have not noticed. If you have a truing stand you can check accurately. Alternatively you can use a tooth pick or zip tie to identify the wobble. Place it on the fork leg or seat stay so it is rigid and spin the wheel, watching for the small gap between the pick and rim changing. Assuming it's not buckled, move on to the next step.

Insert Twisted During Installation

• Whilst we have very little evidence to suggest that Rimpact (or any other insert brand) Inserts cause tyre wobble directly, we concede that if the insert became twisted during installation, there is a chanced that it could inhibit the correct seating of the tyre causing the wobble. The density of the foam is such that it decreases slightly in volume when under the pressure of 20+ psi meaning it does not actively press on the tyre when the wheel is static. It is designed to engage the tyre once the tyre is moving and beginning to roll in the corners. Further to this the outward force that 40+ psi applies on the carcass of the tyre significantly outmatches the outward pressure the foam exerts on the sidewalls. Thus, if your wobble remains at this pressure, the likelihood is that the insert is not the item at fault. With the above said, it's still worth following these steps to ensure all bases are covered. First, deflate the tyre and begin rolling it back and forth to level the insert out. You should be able to feel the insert within the tyre and grab and manipulate it somewhat. Repeat the process around the tyre until you are sure it is fully level and straight and then reinflate. 

Bead Has Snapped/Stretched or Failed

• A common issue we see with tyres is failed beads, particularly on Maxxis tyres. The cause of this is partially due to over zealousness during installation and the use of burly tyre levers, stretching the bead and causing failure however, often the two layers of rubber that make up the carcass are misaligned. As inserts significantly reduce the space available to fit the bead and carcass over the rim, often users resort to using levers prematurely rather than ensuring more care and attention is placed on following the step by step process. Skipping to the tyre lever stage and forcing the bead over the rim before the bead is ready can cause the bead to snap, stretch or kink. This is where it gets complicated. If you've reached this step and think you may have a failed bead, the only way to know for sure is to remove the insert and reinstall the tyre so see if a wobble remains. The insert may aggravate the wobble so pay attention to where the wobble is before removing the insert. If the wobble remains, unfortunately it is likely your bead has failed (or the carcass has failed as per the last step below), and you'll need to look at replacing the tyre. If you didn't use levers or put any undue force into the bead during installation, you could consider claiming a replacement under warranty. 

Tyre Has Been Incorrectly Manufactured

• The final step of the process is to identify whether the carcass has loosened or has been laid up incorrectly causing a wobble. This can happen when the two layers of a dual ply tyre that are laid on top of each other are not aligned correctly. The causes tight spots and weak spots which in turn manifests as a wobble. This can happen at any point in a tyres life, not just from new. Assuming you've covered the above steps and the wobble remains, it is more than likely your tyre has failed (this is way more common that you'd think) and it's time to contact your retailer to see if it will be covered under warranty. Whilst all of our research, investigations and years of experience point us to the conclusion that inserts (from all the major brands we've tested) aren't the direct cause of tyre wobble, we concede that they play a roll in increasing the difficulty of fitting and thus lead users to force tyres beyond their capabilities. We do not believe that tyres should fail so easily as they are expected to perform under harsh conditions and extreme loads exceeding the typical forces applied during an installation.

If you are having trouble releasing air from Rimpact valves with your newly installed Rimpact insert:

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The most likely cause for this is that the insert has been wedged down over the valve during installation. The sidewalls of the tyre may have pinched the insert down against the rim and prevented the valve from releasing air. This rarely happens but when it does it is almost always after initial installation, once fixed, shouldn’t happen again for the life of the insert.

If a small amount of air is being released from the valve when depressed, do so until the tyre is fully deflated. If no air escapes when the valve is depressed, loosen the lock-ring to the point you can wiggle the valve around, and then push it up into the insert, allowing air to escape. A small Allen Key may be useful to press into the valve with the valve core removed to help get the purchase on the valve when depressing.

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Once the tyre is flat, manipulate the tyre and insert around the valve area, which should release any sealant trapped between the insert and the rim/ valve. Having the valve orientated at the top of the wheel will also help as gravity will help drain any pools of sealant. The aim is to roll the tyre back and forth laterally over the rim to tease the insert off of the valve and let it relax its positioning.

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Re-inflate the tyre to 10 psi to see if the air can escape when the valve is depressed. If not remove the insert entirely, rotate 90 degrees so a different side of the insert is in contact with the valve and reinstall.  

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Inflation Issues

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It may occur that you are unable to correctly inflate the tyre rather than deflate. This can happen in some set-ups due to the lack of air channels in our inserts. As it is an issue that affects very very few of our users we don't install channels ourselves but do recommend it to customers who struggle to get good airflow. To install an air channel into your insert, cut a hole through the centre of the insert approximately 10-15mm wide to allow air from the valve to reach the upper part of the tyre. A good tool to use to core out the hole that most people have access to is a copper pipe. Press this through the insert to cut a clean hole. Don't worry, sealant won't get absorbed into the insert due to its closed cell nature. One hole should be enough but repeat the hole 2-3 times through the insert if necessary to get the airflow you need. This should not do anything to affect the performance of the insert and will not void warranty. 

Sealant is by design, intended to fill and clog holes up, so occasionally it will find its way into your valve and stop you from lowering your air pressure. There’s a difference between this and the Insert blocking the valve from above, if you follow the below steps and the problem isn’t resolved, try out tips by clicking the ‘Unable to Deflate Tyre Link Above’.

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To remedy Sealant blockage, remove your valve core. If Air rushes out the blockage is located in the valve core so use a pin to unclog the core or replace it entirely. If no air rushes out the blockage is located further down the valve. Loosen the lockring to the point you can wiggle the valve around, and then push it up into the insert, allowing air to leave the tyre if the tyre isn’t already fully deflated. Remove the tyre, just enough on one side so you can remove the valve. Once you have removed the valve from the rim, use a 2mm Allen Key to poke to poke around the valve and dislodge any little blobs of sealant. For the “exhaust ports” on the side of the valve, a pin or something smaller will work best, again making sure you removed any bits of sealant which are potentially blocking airflow.

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Attach the valve to a high pressure pump or compressor to force the air out of the valve and push the sealant with it.

Click here to watch a quick Youtube tutorial on removing your tyre the most effective way!​

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• Remove wheel from bike and deflate tyre pressure. Ensure the tyre is fully flat, the insert can be deceiving as it will sometimes hide a little bit of pressure in the tyre so manipulate it around to ensure its totally flat.
• Stand the wheel up and rest it firmly against your knees, with your knee caps pressing against the tyre on either side in a squat stance. The squat stance is key as it will allow you to use the muscles in your upper back to remove the bead rather than your forearm grip strength alone. 
• PULL on sidewalls above the bead towards you, engaging your back muscles to assist your grip strength (don't push with your thumbs).  Pull the bead into the centre of the rim using your fingers not your thumbs. The bead should pop off the rim, if it does not, rotate the rim a bit and try again (Repeat all the way around one side of the tyre.)
• Rolling the tyre towards you and levering the insert inside over the rim helps break the bead.  The bead may try to re-seat itself thanks to the insert doing it's job so you'll need to un-seat a good portion of the bead in quick succession to prevent this from happening.
• Once you've succeeded breaking the bead most of the way around the wheel, take two tyre levers, hook them under the now unseated bead about 3-4 inches apart.
• Lever both at the same time to dismount a decent portion of the tyre at once. Then push one lever along the rim surface to unhook the rest of the bead.

And you are done! Still having issues, drop us a message describing in detail where you are stuck and we will do our best to help resolve the issue. Don't cut your tyre off! 

There could be a few causes for the rattle other than the insert so it’s worth checking for these prior to contacting us. Firstly, remove the tyre from the rim and clean up the sealant.

If you see any ‘tyre monsters’ (dried up sealant balls), these could cause the rattling sound, remove these. If you see any mud or debris that has made its way into the tyre, remove these, this could also cause the rattle. Finally check the bearings in the hub to ensure the rattle isn’t coming from there.

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Stretch:

Check the insert is tight around the rim with the tyre fully removed, it should fit snug and not fall off when shaken, if not this is a good indication the insert has stretched. There are a number of reasons the insert could stretch. Depending on the age, the stretch could be part of normal wear and tear. We typically expect the insert to resist any stretching for a reasonable period of time, depending on how much the insert is used, whether it has been ridden when flat and also the number of times it has been removed and refitted.

 

Remove the insert, clean it with cold water and leave to dry, it should return to roughly normal size after about 48hrs. If the insert has not shrunk enough, fold it up in a plastic bag and place in a freezer for 2 hours. Allow to thaw slightly before fitting and the insert should have returned to close to it's normal length. 

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Remember the insert is a sacrificial product and is designed to be a consumable meaning it will tear, stretch and deform whilst doing its job of protecting the rim. If however the insert is relatively new, the stretching is not normal and we suggest contacting us for further information. Please let us know the specifics of your set up, order date and how often/far you ride on average. We would also like to know how many tyre’s you have used/worn through in the life of the insert as well as if you’ve had any flats.

This is unlikely. The material Rimpact is made from is a closed cell Polyethylene foam. This foam is rated with a <1% absorption specification and does not have the properties required to absorb sealant. The ‘Cell’ structure means that there are physical waterproof walls throughout the insert meaning fluid cannot pass into or through the material, in the way an open cell foam would like sponge.

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So where is your sealant going? Mostly to evaporation and generally drying up. Most sealant manufactures recommend replacing sealant once per fortnight as they are aware this happens. The sealant is also slowly escaping from your tyre every time you burp a little air or get a miniscule hole in the tread that you don’t notice. Further to this, the surface area of the inside of a tire increases when you add an Insert meaning there is more area for the sealant to tyre and coat. Sealant tends to cling to any surface that isn't super slick and so by upping the quantity you use slightly, (we recommend up to 25%), you mitigate the loss of this sealant spreading over a greater surface area and allow for enough spare to clog any spontaneous air leaks. Whilst replacing the sealant in your tyres every two weeks is overkill, consider checking it semi regularly or at least prior to important races/rides.

There are two possibilities here, either: 

The interface between the valve and the rim is imperfect allowing air to escape past the rubber bung and through the valve hole. OR 

The Valve is faulty and has a hairline crack in it allowing air to escape through it.

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It is much more likely that the first point is occurring. To remedy, tighten the lock ring on the valve a little more. Do't over tighten if immediate results aren't noticeable. If this does not resolve then remove the tyre insert and valve from the rim. Take a 6 inch strip of Gorilla Tape or similar sticky, thick tape and stick directly over the valve hole. If you don't have this type of tape, rim tape can work but we recommend retaping the whole rim to avoid sealing issues and fitting issues as a result of using the extra rim tape.

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Take a sharp knife and slit a small hole in the tape where the valve needs to go through and gently press our valve into place. Tighten the lock ring and reinstall the insert and tyre. Don't forget sealant. The extra strip of tape should act as a block for the air that was escaping and make the system airtight. 

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If this still hasn't resolved the issue, or you believe there is a fault with the valve itself, please get in touch with us. 

If your tyre has blown off of your rim, either during installation or riding this information should help. 

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Do you have Hookless Rims? If you aren't sure what these are, do a quick internet search to determine if your particular Rims are Hookless and what that means. If they are then you'll want to refer to the Rim manufacturers information on minimum and maximum pressures the rim is rated for as usually they are limited to 30PSI or lower. This may be the cause of the tyre blowing off of the rim when initially inflated as it is common practice to seat a tyre at a high pressure. It could also be the cause of blow outs on the trail, if you are running higher pressures and railing turns when the total system weight exceeds the Hookless design's capability, blow outs could occur. It is also important to run Hookless compatible tyres with Hookless rims as some tyre manufacturers explicitly forbid their use with Hookless rims, although finding information on the tyre's hookless compatibility is often difficult.

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Another reason for blowouts could be due to old, worn out tyres. How old are your tyres, how loose are they on the rim, has the blow out happened many times or is this the first time? All of these factors could contribute to blow outs. Consider refreshing your set up as blow outs are a sign that components could be beyond their usable life.

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If none of the above is relevant and you've had more than one blowout indicating it wasn't an isolated incident, please get in touch.

If none of the above resolves your technical issue, please get in touch with us and provide as much information as possible so we can help.