How Does it Work?
We designed Rim Saver to take the edge off of sharp impacts that lead to rim cracks, dings, and pinch flats. It spreads out and absorbs impact energy to protect your wheels and tires. Our design decisions are guided by computer simulations, test lab data, and extensive real-world ride testing to ensure it keeps you riding.
Distributing Energy
The rocks that crack or ding your rim are often sharp-edged and strike abruptly, blowing through your tire’s travel. These sharper impacts overwhelm your tire because they concentrate force on a small surface area, which modern rims struggle to handle. The result is high stress and potential damage.
Using the principle of stress = F/A, Rim Saver spreads the impact force over a larger area of the rim, significantly reducing stress. By increasing the area where the impact is distributed, it helps prevent cracks, dings, and other damage. Think of Rim Saver as a phone case for your rim—just as a phone case disperses energy to protect your phone from cracking during a fall, Rim Saver does the same for your rim against sharp impacts.
Absorbing Energy
After distributing the impact, Rim Saver’s engineered polymer absorbs a portion of the energy, acting like a stiff spring. Unlike foam inserts, which can compress, degrade, and lose effectiveness over time, Rim Saver remains durable and only deforms when an impact is large enough to seriously threaten your rim. This means it lasts longer than foam inserts and is always ready for the critical hits that matter most.
The difference lies in the material’s stiffness. A stiff spring absorbs sharp, sudden impacts more effectively than a soft foam, which may be sliced through under the same conditions. The performance of Rim Saver aligns with the spring rate equation F = kx, where k represents the stiffness of the material and x is the deformation under force. Rim Saver’s high k-value allows it to absorb large forces with minimal deformation, ensuring consistent protection during sharp impacts.
Both of these help protect your rim and your tire. Just as Rim Saver takes on sharp impacts for your rim, it also cushions your tire’s sidewall, making it highly effective at preventing pinch flats.
Tested
We combine real-world ride testing with lab testing data to ensure our product performs as we want it. We utilize computer simulations, including Finite Element Analysis (FEA), to analyze and optimize designs before physical testing.
To take it a step further, we built an in-house impact testing machine to rigorously evaluate Rim Saver’s strength and performance. This machine allows us to simulate and replicate real-world impacts while correlating design changes to actual performance. By combining cutting-edge simulations, controlled lab tests, and extensive field testing, we ensure every Rim Saver is ready to protect your rims where it matters most.
Improvement in Rim Impact Strength
Lightweight
Thanks to our innovative tensioning device, Rim Saver stays securely in place around your rim without needing to fill half the tire's volume with material just to stay put. This means the protective material is only where it’s needed, allowing us to use less material while still providing excellent protection.
Fast Ride Feel
Rim Saver doesn’t warp or deform as your tire flexes during riding. This means no energy is wasted compressing on every tire rotation like a bulky foam insert. Instead, all your pedal power goes into moving you forward, not deforming your tire insert. It feels like there’s no insert at all—and that’s a win.
No Sealant Absorbtion
While you can compare the dry weights of tire inserts, foam inserts often absorb tire sealant over time, making them heavier and requiring you to add more sealant to keep your tires inflated. Rim Saver doesn’t absorb sealant, so it stays the same weight from day one.
Easy to Install & Live With
Rim Saver is easy to install, remove, and helps extend the life of your wheels and tires, reducing the work needed to maintain your bike. Unlike common foam inserts, Rim Saver doesn’t pack out or change feel over time, so you don’t have to adjust your riding style as the insert breaks in or wears out.