Tannus Tubeless Armour 2023
Reviews / Tyres
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At a glance
Tannus Tubeless Armour is a multi cell foam tire insert that has a unique wrap around design offering protection against impacts and an improved ride feel when cornering. Price: 54,95 Euro
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The product
After reviewing their Armour Inserts for tires with innertubes in IMB (https://www.imbikemag.com/reviews/tyres/tannus-armour-2019/) it was about time that we put their tubeless version to the test. In the same funky red look, the inserts are available for 27.5” 29” and 700C Gravel tires. A set costs just about 110 Euros which is on par with other insert manufacturers.
In terms of design, they use their patented Aither multi-cell foam to provide protection. What sets these apart from other designs, is their shape that closely follows the contours of the tire. On the sidewalls, the insert is slightly thinner, while in the middle of the tire it is at its thickest providing puncture protection.
The system weighs in at 150g for the 27.5, 160g for the 29, and 70g for the 700C Gravel inserts which is fairly lightweight compared to the Cush Core for example, and on par with the Rimpacts we reviewed earlier this year.
Out on the trail
Mounting them is as straightforward as it gets with a tire insert. A bit of preparation, controlled violence and a dash of willpower and the tires pop onto the rim. Inflate to your favourite pressure and off you go.
In terms of damping, you can easily run your tires with about 5-10 PSI less pressure than without, giving you a great range to work with and a ton of grip. When you start pushing the envelope on hard pack corners, they provide a good amount of support and I never managed to burp the tire.
Impact protection is good as with multiple bottom outs in the rock gardens, I never managed to flat or even damage my rims. After multiple months in the wheels (WTB wheelset with Maxxis DHF tires) they came out slightly battered but still in great and usable shape.
As they weigh quite a bit less then some other tire inserts, it was easy to accelerate out of corners and at speed it didn’t make your ride feel ultra sluggish either. A true plus point, especially at this price point.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a lightweight and easy(ish) to install tire insert, the Tannus might be your guy. They offer good protection and grip, the only way to improve in our eyes would be to be able to choose between a lighter and more heavy duty version. That way you can tailor it to your riding style, rider weight or mix them up in the front and rear wheel.
This review was in Issue 75 of IMB.
For more information visit TannusRelated
By Jarno Hoogland
Jarno's life has revolved around two wheels ever since he swung a leg over his first BMX at age 4. After a BMX and DH racing career, he moved on to work for bike shops, distributors and brands before ending up in the editors seat at IMB. Based in the ultimate testing ground in the Swiss mountains, he runs his guiding operation and makes sure every IMB issue is filled with top notch content.
