Why We Like The Air-Liner Road Tire Insert
Flats are no fun, period. Vittoria has a solution with the Air-Liner Road Tire Insert. This reusable insert enhances the performance of tubeless road tires by locking the bead of the tire to the rim, reducing the likelihood of burping at the bead— all the while cushioning from impacts.
Details
- A light and durable insert for preventing flats
- Sits against the bead to prevent burping your tire
- Provides cushion to prevent pinches from impacts
- Hexagonal shape helps keep the insert locked in place
- Item #VITC03V
- Material
- foam polymer
- Includes
- tubeless valve
- Activity
- mountain biking
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 1 year
Reviews
Q&A
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Overall Rating
2.5 based on 4 ratings
Review Summary
Fits True To Size
Screen reader users: the following list provides a visual scale to illustrate the product fit. Please refer to the heading above for the fit type in text.View
Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageJune 20, 2023
Excellent (with the right tools)
- Familiarity:
- I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
Liners improve tubeless tire safety, performance and comfort. They're worth the money and the additional trouble, and they are NOT that hard to install IF you have the right tools. You absolutely have to have the Vittoria Air-Liner Tool, https://www.competitivecyclist.com/vittoria-air-liner-tool. This tool is also essential for removing the tires, and it's fantastically useful for working on any sort of tubeless setup, even without liners. Hands down best bike tire tool ever invented. You also have to have some very soapy water and some patience. Do not even try to use plastic tire levers; they'll break; and do not use steel core levers; they'll scratch your rims. Only use the double levers at the end of the Vittoria tool handle. The included instructions are poorly translated from Italian. Here's what you need to know. Install the included multi-port valve stems. Regular valves will not work. Install one bead of the tire into the well of the rim. Lube the entire inside of the tire, the rim bed and the liner with soapy water. (I use a small sponge.) Insert the liner into the tire like a tube, starting opposite the valve and pressing it in with your thumbs. Now begin installing the other bead. It will go like any other tire installation until about 12 inches of bead is left. That's where this is different because there's much more tension on the bead than with a regular installation. Use the pliers of the Vittoria tool to grasp both sides off the tire and pull them into the middle of the rim bed, starting opposite the valve and alternating left and right toward the valve. This step is important because it creates maximum slack in the beads. You're moving them into the center of the rim bed and toward the valve. Use the pliers to pinch the beads together at the last point where both beads are in the rim bed and slide and jam one of the plastic clips between the tire and rim, perpendicular to the rim. The clip will keep the tire from coming off the rim as you increase tension on the bead. Place another clip on the other side of the unmounted section of the bead. Now close the pliers and use both levers on the handle at the same time to carefully leverage one end of the bead onto the rim. The pliers are much longer than a regular tire lever and provide much more leverage. Since they are connected at the hinge, they work in unison. Due to their shape and material, they will not damage your rim or cut your rim tape. Now move the plastic clip to the new point where the bead goes into the rim bed to hold it in place and repeat the leveraging step on the other end of the bead, followed by moving the clip on that side. Keep working both ends of the bead like this until you pop the last section of bead into the rim bed. The whole process should only take 15-20 minutes per wheel. Once the tire is mounted, follow normal procedure - remove valve core, inflate tire with a compressor until the beads fully seat and pop, deflate, inject Vittoria sealant or any other ammonia-free sealant through the valve stem, replace core, inflate, shake, spin and ride the wheels.
January 22, 2022
Can't install, needs special valve
- Familiarity:
- I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
The other reviews are spot on& nearly impossible to install with the airliner in place. I say nearly, because with great determination and after breaking a tire mounting tool, I finally got the tire on the rim with this thing in place. That's when I discovered the reason they supply a (special) replacement stem, since the air liner will block the air inlet on a normal tubeless stem. Air can get in, but good luck injecting your sealant. That's when I then discovered that i could not DISMOUNT my tire, as I couldn't get the tire tool under the bead. Well that sucks. Interesting concept, got it for the safety aspect, but the execution is unacceptable.
November 21, 2021
Great concept but impossible to use
- Familiarity:
- I returned this product before using it
Planned to change from tubes to tubeless. Having never used tubeless i wanted a backup system for a catastrophic failure. This seemed like a great idea. Spent nearly 2 hours with a friend trying to mount my tire with the air liner. It is absolutely impossible to get the tire over the rim with the air liner installed. The vittoria video instructions make it look so easy. Dont be fooled it is impossible. Its like trying to install a tire with a fully inflated tube. Good luck with that. Will call tomorrow to return it and the vittoria tool that is made for this. That too doesn't work. If you're going tubeless stay away from this. Great idea if one can actually get it installed. I could not.
October 28, 2021
good idea with the correct valve stem.
- Familiarity:
- I returned this product before using it
Purchased the road liner and was excited to use on my 62mm front wheel. Unfortunately, the special valve stems supplied (side port opening to let sealant enter tire around the liner) don't have enough thread length to put on a threaded valve extender & the stem nut. Vittoria shows longer stems on their U.S. website but are not available to order. A deeper rim should allow a valve extender to be used without the threading issue.
Originally reviewed on Backcountry.com
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