You don’t come across a lot of folks running a tube nowadays. Tubeless tyre systems in mountain biking are certainly here to stay but it doesn’t entirely eliminate the chance of a flat tyre does it? The early days of tubeless setup were only just okay but I was beating my rims up pretty badly in those days. Now though? Touch wood, I haven’t copped a dented rim for a long time thanks to rim protection. I’ve used a few and have been very satisfied with what I’ve used. There is one in particular that has ticked every box on my list though; the Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Defence from Chain Reaction Cycles.
I’m surprised that there isn’t more rim protection out there. There are a few types but the ones that make sense to me are the simple idea of a chunk of material inside the tyre that creates a barrier between that sharp edged rock and your alloy rim. The Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Defence is a super light closed cell foam material that sits nice and snug against the inside face of your rim but is roomy enough to allow your tyre bead to be seated just right. Its stupidly cheap and ridiculously light. My scales say the pair of ARD’s weight under 300 grams and my credit card statement says $80.99 for the pair. I’m running the system on a set of 650B wheels but the price stays the same for a 29er setup. Also included in that price is a great pair of tubeless valves with a nifty groove in the base of the valve stem that allows not only the air to circulate into the tyre to get your desired pressure but for those who use a tyre sealant injector, its plenty of room for the sealant to stream in. They’re a sweet copper coloured stem too! That never fails.
Fitting the ARD to your wheel is a simple exercise. Take your tyre off, chuck the ARD valves in, lay the hoop of the ARD around the rim and whack that tyre on. Fitting the last part of the tyre is tighter than normal as the tyre needs to get underneath the ARD and seat itself. That’s the first nod of confidence though as you know the Rim Defence is located exactly where you want it when the hardest rock on earth tries to get intimidate with your alloy or carbon rim edge. Worth noting is this closed cell foam material doesn’t absorb sealant but I add an extra 40ml just so it covers me in case I need that bit extra that is stuck to the ARD.
How does the Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Defence feel on a ride though? Does it actually feel any different to what you’e used? Yes and no. If you’re using tubes then this will feel similar to that but way lighter as the rotational weight of a tube is gone and replaced with something super light. If you are used to running tubeless and no rim protection then you’re gonna feel something similar to a tyre that has a stiffer sidewall but paired with lower pressure for grip; you’re winning. Lets touch on the lower pressure thing. Why run your tyre pressure lower? Well, lower pressure means more tyre surface making contact with the trail as your tyre flattens it’s contact face and those knobs that too many people refer to as side knobs are actually biting into the trail. Lower pressure has more positive than negative and if it means you’re getting more grip? Do it. This is where rim protection comes in! Lower pressure means the gap between the trail surface and your pricey rims is less and having that barrier between your rim and that hard rock is reassuring and I guarantee will stop pinch flats (…..snakebites in a tube) and will protect your rims. Running a higher tyre pressure will still see the need for rim defence as the characteristic of the tyre only changes by how much the tyre can flatten out with lower pressure. Higher pressure means less rolling resistance but less grip, feel me?
This review is not intended to be a long winded babble about some snake oil cool aid thing. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that we’ve seen some top notch developments that have progressed mountain bikes into the next phase. Things like adjustable suspension, hydraulic disc brakes and dropper posts to name a few. While tubeless tyre systems aren’t a new thing, we certainly haven’t seen any radical enhancements to that setup. The idea of rim defence is a must for anyone running tubeless though, I cannot say enough about how valuable this system is. I have rim defence in all of my mountain bikes and to this day, I have not had one flat tyre and my rims look fresh with no dents or chips from hard hits. Rim defence is a no brainer and is executed extremely well with this amazing interpretation of how to make a simple product work so well with the Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Protection. Don’t even think it over, add it to your basket on Chain Reaction Cycles and ride harder with more confidence in your gear. It really is that simple.
I’m surprised that there isn’t more rim protection out there. There are a few types but the ones that make sense to me are the simple idea of a chunk of material inside the tyre that creates a barrier between that sharp edged rock and your alloy rim. The Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Defence is a super light closed cell foam material that sits nice and snug against the inside face of your rim but is roomy enough to allow your tyre bead to be seated just right. Its stupidly cheap and ridiculously light. My scales say the pair of ARD’s weight under 300 grams and my credit card statement says $80.99 for the pair. I’m running the system on a set of 650B wheels but the price stays the same for a 29er setup. Also included in that price is a great pair of tubeless valves with a nifty groove in the base of the valve stem that allows not only the air to circulate into the tyre to get your desired pressure but for those who use a tyre sealant injector, its plenty of room for the sealant to stream in. They’re a sweet copper coloured stem too! That never fails.
Fitting the ARD to your wheel is a simple exercise. Take your tyre off, chuck the ARD valves in, lay the hoop of the ARD around the rim and whack that tyre on. Fitting the last part of the tyre is tighter than normal as the tyre needs to get underneath the ARD and seat itself. That’s the first nod of confidence though as you know the Rim Defence is located exactly where you want it when the hardest rock on earth tries to get intimidate with your alloy or carbon rim edge. Worth noting is this closed cell foam material doesn’t absorb sealant but I add an extra 40ml just so it covers me in case I need that bit extra that is stuck to the ARD.
How does the Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Defence feel on a ride though? Does it actually feel any different to what you’e used? Yes and no. If you’re using tubes then this will feel similar to that but way lighter as the rotational weight of a tube is gone and replaced with something super light. If you are used to running tubeless and no rim protection then you’re gonna feel something similar to a tyre that has a stiffer sidewall but paired with lower pressure for grip; you’re winning. Lets touch on the lower pressure thing. Why run your tyre pressure lower? Well, lower pressure means more tyre surface making contact with the trail as your tyre flattens it’s contact face and those knobs that too many people refer to as side knobs are actually biting into the trail. Lower pressure has more positive than negative and if it means you’re getting more grip? Do it. This is where rim protection comes in! Lower pressure means the gap between the trail surface and your pricey rims is less and having that barrier between your rim and that hard rock is reassuring and I guarantee will stop pinch flats (…..snakebites in a tube) and will protect your rims. Running a higher tyre pressure will still see the need for rim defence as the characteristic of the tyre only changes by how much the tyre can flatten out with lower pressure. Higher pressure means less rolling resistance but less grip, feel me?
This review is not intended to be a long winded babble about some snake oil cool aid thing. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that we’ve seen some top notch developments that have progressed mountain bikes into the next phase. Things like adjustable suspension, hydraulic disc brakes and dropper posts to name a few. While tubeless tyre systems aren’t a new thing, we certainly haven’t seen any radical enhancements to that setup. The idea of rim defence is a must for anyone running tubeless though, I cannot say enough about how valuable this system is. I have rim defence in all of my mountain bikes and to this day, I have not had one flat tyre and my rims look fresh with no dents or chips from hard hits. Rim defence is a no brainer and is executed extremely well with this amazing interpretation of how to make a simple product work so well with the Nukeproof Horizon Advanced Rim Protection. Don’t even think it over, add it to your basket on Chain Reaction Cycles and ride harder with more confidence in your gear. It really is that simple.
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