Nitro Mousse

Nitro Mouse Website

Nitro's wesbite has a ton of great information that I'm not going to duplicate.  I'll cover the highlights and my experiences using them, if you have any questions please let me know. 

Nitro Mousse are foam tubes that replace the inner tube in your tires.  These make your tires flat proof and as their saying goes "Peace out Flats".  I started using Nitro's back in 2021 when I decided to race the National Enduro Series for the year.  Many years ago I used Mousse inserts and they were stiff with a dead feeling and didn't last long, not to mention hard to install since we didn't have the tire changers we have today.  When I was going to switch back I choose the Nitro brand because the feeling they provided when I rode a couple buddies bikes and from the feedback on longevity. 

Nitro Mousse Options:

Nitro offers two options for their Mousse:  Platinum and Plushie.

The Platinum feels like 10-12 PSI and what I run on a regular basis.  The Platinum provides a tube like feel and at speed doesn't role on the rim like a softer mousse will.  The Platinum has worked great for me in all kinds of conditions from sand to rock and for the type of riding and racing I do which is mostly Enduro and Hare Scrambles with some GP type racing mixed in.  I tend to get a minimum of 60-70 hours on a set before they get to soft for my liking and sometimes start to not seat (see below about their gel and wedge to make them last even longer).

The plushie works well if you are going to be riding more technical terrain like hard enduro in the rocks and want the tire to grab the terrain more.  If I know I'm going to ride in an area like Marquette, MI with more rocks and technical terrain I'll run a plushie in the rear.  I still run a platinum in the front as I like stiffer feeling in the front then the plushie provides. 

One thing you'll want to do is use the Nitro Fitment Guide.  This will guide you on the correct Nitro to use for the tires you are running.  This way you'll get the proper feel and proper beading of the tire.  If you just guess you could get a Nitro that is too large for the tire causing a very stiff feeling and could be extremely hard to mount.  If you get one that's to small for the tire you'll get a soft feeling, it may not bead up properly, and may wear faster since it won't fit the tire properly. 

Nitro Cooling Gel:

This is a must use for longevity of a Nitro Mousse.  Typically the Mousse comes with one tube and that's all that's needed for install.  Best part is if you use the Nitro Gel you don't have to constantly relube the Mousse between tires.  I run them till it's time for a new tire then relube at that point.  One thing to make sure is to tape your rim wheel so you aren't loosing lube out the spoke holes.  If you are loosing lube you'll want to relube in-between tire changes. 

NOTE:  As Nitro's website states don't use a soap based lube on the Nitro's.  I know many people use Murphey's tire soap and I've used it if I was out of the Nitro lube.  However when I've used it I almost always have damage to the mouse, typically tears, from where it got hot.  The Murphey's is a soap based lube so as soon as it gets water on it the lube washes off.  If you have to use something like Murphey's I'd say after every ride you would need to service the mouse.

Nitro Wedge:

A cool option from Nitro Mousse if the Nitro Wedge.  If you want a stiffer feeling tire PSI wise you can add in the wedge and "tune" it a little.  What I really like about the wedge is it can add longevity to your mouse.  When the mousse starts to feel to soft or you notice the bead sliding off in an area on your rim you can cut the mousse and add the wedge in.  This makes the mousse "stiffer" again and extends the life of the existing mousse.  This is great for us weekend warriors in helping keep our costs down and for me I pretty much can get a full season of racing out of one set of Nitro's and a wedge or two. 

Mounting Nitros:

The biggest question I get is "how hard are they to mount".  On the Nitro website they have some videos that are helpful and there are a bunch of videos on YouTube that you can watch.  I say the biggest thing is having the right tire changer and the right tire irons.  I've been using the Moose Racing Mousse Tire Changer and the Moose Mighty Tire Irons.  After getting these items I prefer to mount mousse's over traditional tubes.  I can do them faster and don't have to worry about pinching the tube. 

Also a trick I learned from my hard enduro buddies is to put an old valve stem in, especially the rear.  Sometimes getting the bead to set is tricky and you can bounce the tire or put it on the bike and spin it.  But if you have valve stem you can put some air in to help set the bead.  I cut up some old tubes and then tighten the valve stem with a nut on both sides of the rim.  Note if you blow air in and the bead doesn't set or it slides back down on the rim you need to investigate to see if there are other issues.