TUbliss Tire Inserts

Tubeless tires are nothing new on streetbikes. But they have yet to be adopted by dirtbikes, which run old-fashioned tubes because their wire-spoke wheels aren’t air-tight.

That’s where TUbliss tire inserts come in. Technically, these aren’t tubeless, as they each use a small, bicycle-sized inner tube. Rather than filling the inner volume of the tire, however, this tube puts pressure on a red rubber liner that pushes the tire beads against the rim. The small tube is inflated to 100 psi via a standard Schrader valve, while the tire is inflated through a second Schrader valve incorporated into the red rubber liner’s bead lock. On some rims this requires drilling out the hole from 8mm to 10mm.

Why go tubeless? First, you can run much lower pressures than normal (10 psi or less) without fear of pinch-flats. Second, you can run a liquid tire sealant that will seal small punctures as you ride. And third, because the tire is effectively locked to the rim around its full circumference, you can continue to ride on it even if you do get a flat.

The manufacturer claims reduced weight, but we found this to be only half true. On our Yamaha YZ450F, the TUbliss front setup was actually .1-lb. heavier than stock, though the TUbliss rear was .75-lb. lighter.

Once installed using the provided metal “tire shoe” tool, we found the TUbliss tire inserts worked as advertised, letting us run lower pressures for increased traction and better bump absorption.We can’t help but wish the company would offer them for adventure-touring and supermoto bikes.  MC

TUbliss Tire Inserts
Price: $99.95 per wheel
Contact: NueTech Laboratories
www.nuetech.com
Verdict 4 out of 5 stars
True bliss, if not truly tubeless.