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Should you run tire inserts for gravel?

Short answer: most gravel racers don't need tire inserts. Good tubeless tires, fresh sealant and sensible pressure handle most courses. Inserts earn their keep on rocky, chunky or singletrack-heavy courses, for heavier riders or anyone who likes low pressure, and for long, remote days where a run-flat ride to the next aid station could save your race. The cost is weight (about 90 to 240 g a pair for the inserts below), money, and a fiddlier install and trailside repair.

Last checked: Oct 23, 2026. Product details come from the retailer and manufacturer pages we checked. Course descriptions come from each race's page, which cites the organizer.

What a tire insert does

An insert is a ring of foam (or similar material) that sits inside the tire, against the rim. Makers describe a few jobs for it:

Rim protection. It sits between the rim and a rock, so a hard hit is less likely to dent the rim or pinch-cut the tire.
Sidewall support. It braces the tire against rolling and squirming in corners, which is why some riders run a little less pressure with one.
Run-flat. If the tire loses air, the insert lets you ride on, slowly and carefully, instead of riding on the rim.
Damping. The bigger foam inserts claim to absorb some of the shock and vibration.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Fewer pinch flats and rim strikes on rocks and chunk	Extra weight in the tire, where you feel it most when accelerating
A way to limp to the next aid station after a big puncture	Not cheap: a pair can cost about as much as a pair of race tires
More support for lower pressures and better grip on rough ground	Harder install and removal, especially on tight tire and rim combos
Some protection for an expensive rim	Trailside fixes are fiddlier, and you need valves that let air and sealant past the insert

Who benefits

Riders on rocky, chunky or trail-heavy courses. See the race table below.
Heavier riders, or anyone carrying a lot of gear, who already run higher pressures to avoid rim strikes.
Riders who like low pressure for grip and comfort but keep hitting the rim.
Long, remote days, where a run-flat option could be the difference between finishing and a long walk.

Probably not worth it: smooth, well-graded gravel and paved-heavy courses, such as SBT GRVL's Red course (described as "champagne gravel and paved ranch-country hills," with one chunky climb, Cow Creek, out and back), flat sandy courses like Croatan Buck Fifty, or mud races like The Mid South, where an insert does nothing for the clay stuck to your frame.

Weight, cost and install hassle

Insert	Setup	Tire width	Listed weight	Notes
CushCore Gravel/CX	Tubeless only	33–46 mm (19–26 mm inner rim width, per CushCore)	120 g each (about 240 g a pair)	Jenson sells it as a set with valves. The most foam of the three, and the most protection and damping claimed.
Vittoria Air-Liner Light Gravel	Tubeless only	Optimized for 42–50 mm (Vittoria also lists a 37–40 mm version)	45 g each for 700c (about 90 g a pair)	Single loop, no cutting; includes a 40 mm valve. Vittoria says to use multi-way tubeless valves.
Tannus Armour	With an inner tube	Check Tannus's size guide	Not listed on the Jenson page	Sits between the tire and tube, with 15 mm of protection on top and 2 mm at the sidewalls.

Weights and fit are as listed by Jenson USA and the manufacturers (CushCore and Vittoria) on Oct 23, 2026. We don't list prices because they change.

Install tips: do it at home, not the night before the race. Use the valve the insert maker specifies, since a standard valve can be blocked by the insert. Add sealant through the valve (with the core out) rather than pouring it in, so you know how much went in. Then practice getting the tire off once, at home, so you know what a trailside tube install involves. Inserts take up space inside the tire, so check sealant levels more often.

Which of our races suggest inserts?

We don't have a terrain rating for every course, so this is based on how each organizer describes it, as summarized on our race pages. If a course sounds like this, inserts are worth a look:

Race	What the course description says	Our read
Bighorn Gravel	Chunky forest-service and BLM roads, singletrack, loose corners, washboard climbs and rowdy descents. The organizer recommends at least 38 mm tires with liners.	Strongest case: the organizer asks for liners
UNBOUND Gravel	Famously sharp flint; creek crossings and rocky, minimum-maintenance roads "where tires and wheels go to die."	Strong case, especially for the 200 and XL
Rule of Three	About 25 miles of singletrack in the 115, plus rowdy, chunky Ozark gravel; pick tires that can handle sharp flint.	Strong case
Big Sugar Gravel	Rarely maintained roads with loose, rocky gravel; the organizer warns they're tougher than typical Arkansas gravel.	Good case
WYO-131	Fast, smooth gravel mixed with chunky, punishing sections and washboard.	Good case for the long course
Vermont Overland	Class 4 sectors: unmaintained old roads that can be rocky, rutted or muddy.	Worth considering
Rasputitsa	Class 4 sections, including "Cyberia," which can hold snow, ice and stream-bed rock.	Worth considering; clearance matters more
Belgian Waffle Ride California	Pavement mixed with dirt, sand and rocky sectors, with technical bits.	Worth considering
Grasshopper: Jackson Forest	About 35% singletrack; the organizer says a hardtail or XC bike suits most riders.	Worth considering on a gravel bike
Ned Gravel	Loose, fast descents, the sandy, rough Switzerland Trail and (on the Tungsten) a rocky singletrack climb.	Worth considering
Homegrown Gravel Adventure	The "rough, rowdy one": about 40 gravel segments on the 100, including pavé, sand and stream crossings.	Worth considering for the 100
Castell Grind	Washboard, cattle guards, low-water crossings and a famously rough final 15 miles.	Optional

For the full picture on tire choice by course, see our tires by terrain guide. And if you'd rather not run inserts, the backup plan matters more: plugs, a spare tube and two ways to inflate. Our packing list covers it.

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Inserts and parts we'd look at

Most protection: CushCore Gravel/CX insert kit at Jenson USA (affiliate link): the bigger-ticket pick. Jenson lists it for tubeless 700c tires from 33 to 46 mm, sold as a set with valves, and says it absorbs shock and stabilizes the tire against roll and squirm. CushCore lists 120 g per insert.
Lightest: Vittoria Air-Liner Light Gravel at Jenson USA (affiliate link): Jenson lists 45 g (700c), a single loop with no cutting, tubeless only, a 40 mm valve included and an optimized fit for 42–50 mm tires.
Running tubes: Tannus Armour insert at Jenson USA (affiliate link): for tubed setups: it sits between the tire and the inner tube, with 15 mm of puncture protection on top and 2 mm at the sidewalls, per the listing.
Valves and spares: Tubes and tire accessories at Competitive Cyclist (affiliate link): spare valve cores, tubeless valves and tire levers. Inserts need valves that let air and sealant past them, so check what your insert requires.

We don't list prices because they change daily. Check the store page before you buy. Product details above are as listed by the retailer on Oct 23, 2026.

Want the deep dive? Our sister site's buying guides: Best gravel tires · Best tubeless sealant (The Gear Stash).

Looking for the roughest days? See the races with the most climbing and most climbing per mile.

More Gear up guides

The Gravel Stash isn't affiliated with any race or tire brand listed here.