Tubolight says their Diamana is not just the quickest & lightest mountain motorbike tire liner available on the market – however additionally they declare it’s “the winningest tire insert [on the] Global Cup, and the one one profitable in each downhill and cross-country“. Its secret despite the fact that is NOT simply its mild weight or some distinctive subject matter. Tubolight says that it’s the particular shaping in their Diamana liner that manipulates the float of air molecules INSIDE your tire to higher regulate native tire compression & rebound as you roll over tough terrain.
Tubolight Diamana is the quickest, maximum complicated MTB tire liner
I’m all the time a bit of skeptical of a product we’ve now not heard a lot of, claiming to be the quickest and winningest. However but even so sealant itself, tire liners are the least outwardly visual part on a race motorbike. (To be truthful we did listen about, however now not bodily see them on Thibaut Daprela’s Commencal Ideally suited DH V5 downhill race motorbike remaining summer time in Leogang.)
So we’ll simply take Tubolight’s phrase for it at the wins if handiest in line with the rainbow jersey pictures of 2021 XC Global Champ Evie Richards, 2021 Olympic Gold medalist Jolanda Neff, and 2021 DH Global Champ Myriam Nicole on their homepage. To not point out 2021 XC Global Cup #1 Mathias Flückiger and 2022 DH Global Cup #1 Amaury Pierron. The ones 5 riders on my own have it seems that racked up a slew of wins on Tubolight tire liners in addition to a number of different riders on 5 cast MTB groups. There’s additionally the curious sponsorship of professional conti highway group Q36.5, since Tubolight’s most sensible Diamana tech isn’t but to be had in highway tire sizes.
So, everyone knows about MTB tire liners. What makes a Tubolight Diamana liner other?
What occurs within a mountain motorbike tire while you hit a drawback?
Many mountain bikers are on board with the concept tire liners could make you quicker ultimately. You get advanced low-pressure grip & decrease rolling-resistance with out dropping time trailside solving apartments. However Italian tire liner maker Tubolight has a extra nuanced tackle how tire liners could make you quicker…
When your mountain motorbike tire hits a drawback, the tire deforms on the website of have an effect on. That in the neighborhood will increase the air stress within the tire, which in flip briefly rebounds, bouncing the tire again out towards the purpose of have an effect on. This may continuously occur faster than the motorbike’s suspension may even begin to react.
Decrease tire pressures and supple tire casings can prolong that rapid rebound. However there’s handiest so low or supple you’ll be able to move with out sacrificing steadiness, regulate, or sturdiness – even with most normal tire liners, that are already a large growth.
How does the Diamana answer paintings? And why?
The Tubolight Diamana goals to actually create 2 layers of air stress throughout the tire quantity and to regulate the velocity at which air flows from one to the opposite. This creates a twin good thing about slowing native tire rebound with decrease outer stress close to the website of have an effect on and spreading the drive additional across the rim for higher have an effect on coverage with a better stress zone subsequent to the rim.
From the aspect, the blue Tubolight Diamana doesn’t glance anything else like different liners. Its undulating form rises and falls in waves across the wheel, leaving gaps of area above the rim. From an perspective, you’ll be able to see the original scooped nature of the Diamana liner, with dimpled ‘megastar’ shapes stacked on most sensible of one another.
Tubolight claims that once an have an effect on hits the tire from the outdoor, those scoops direct airflow into the rim mattress below the lining by means of the ones lateral channel openings. Their form takes good thing about the Venturi impact to hurry up and compress the air because it strikes below the lining. The dimples additionally declare the similar boundary separation theory we see on golfing balls and Zipp wheels, so extra air is going into the lateral channel openings, and does now not replicate again into the principle tire quantity.
That suggests air flows into the rim neatly quicker than it could break out, delaying the short rebound impact that in a different way makes the tire leap off a drawback.
Tubolight’s claimed effects?
The plain result’s the native air stress within the tire does now not build up just about as a lot on the website of an have an effect on, so there’s a a lot slower native rebound or leap.
That suggests the deformed tire will proceed to stick connected to the abnormal flooring floor for advanced grip and regulate. Tubolight claims a “huge 60%” build up of constant stress in opposition to the bottom for next-level traction. The slower rebound additionally claims 55% upper vibration damping, resulting in lowered rider fatigue and a smoother journey.
They in the long run say Third-party trying out confirms as much as a 9% rolling-resistance aid over tough surfaces.
Tech main points
Tubolight Diamana liners are manufactured from high-density closed-cell EVA foam – assured 100% absorption-free to paintings with any sealant. Relative to different liners, further foam hardness for the Diamana liners is vital to verify they maintain their distinctive form for optimized air motion throughout the tire, and to ship “years” of dependable efficiency. This “results in the longest-lasting tire insert ever made” in step with Tubolight, “even after lengthy runflat rides“.
Those distinctive Diamana liners are to be had in 3 other variations, with other thicknesses & densities to fit mountain motorbike driving from XC to DH. Their distinctive form additionally guarantees they are able to be used with any tubeless valves.
Tubolight Diamana tire liners – Pricing, choices & availability
Diamana SL is the softest, thinnest & lightest for cross-country racing – at a claimed 97g according to tire in 29″ handiest.
The thicker, medium-hardness Diamana HD is probably the most common all-rounder tire liner at 145g in 29″ handiest, meant for rear downcountry, or entrance path, enduro & DH tires.
Finally, Diamana XHD options the thickest liner with the toughest EVA compound, particularly for use with strengthened casing tires. XHD is available in each 27.5″ (205g) and 29″ (220g) sizes to fit hard-charging enduro & DH race motorcycles, in addition to heavier eMTBs.
Tubolight Diamana tire liners are bought direct from Tubolight, to be had for 100€ completely in pairs. These days, handiest the 29″ SL+SL, SL+HD & HD+HD pairs are in inventory. XHD liners don’t seem to be recently to be had.