I got a severe pinch flat last week with several holes and I found out my spare inner tube was not compatible with my rims. Ugh.
Since my rear tire was quite worn, I decided to order two new tires. I was offered to add inserts, Vittoria Airliners. Now I am having second thoughts. Are they worth it?
I added them for piece of mind in case I get a flat while going around a corner. I had that happen a few years ago and went down hard. Hoping this will prevent it.
3 weeks ago…
No Airliners and I got screwed. Literally.
Easy install on 32c tires…
I’ve used 'em before – I didn’t think they were terribly difficult to install at first, but getting them out when changing tires was a true struggle (and I’ve changed hundreds of tires over a few years of working in bike shops). I wound up having to cut worn tires off of my rims to get the Airliners out.
Overall, I wasn’t sure if they were worth it. They definitely help keep the tire seated on the rim, but in the case of getting a puncture, it still basically felt like riding on a rim to me. They might help prevent damage to the rim, but I wasn’t 100% convinced. Others may have different experiences, though! I ultimately chose to stop using them because of how difficult it was to change tires once the Airliners were installed – and if you get a puncture that can’t be sealed up by sealant/plugs, then that means you’ll have to change the tire and deal with getting the Airliners out (my thumbs and forearms are burning just typing this, lol).
Vittoria sells special pliers to install them, which pointed to them being difficult to (un)install. Plus it added up to quite a bit. Instead of 85ish € for a pair of Corsas that were on sale, we were suddenly at 180 € if memory serves.
I’ve only needed the pliers to uninstall. Removing a tire is a pain, because of the insert.
Only tire I’ve ever battled was a Corsa N.EXT. And just 1 tire out of 6 N.EXT tires.
When I got “screwed” with an AirLiner about 2 or 3 years ago, it worked as advertised. No damage to rim and I rode home after the plugs were unable to seal all the holes.
The rim has a tiny mark I am no longer able to find. I was going over a really rough mix of cobbles, sand and stones. If I were smart, I would have turned around … instead, I am asking about Airliners 
Yeah, the pliers being sold separately turned me off of them as well. I’m not into parts requiring proprietary tools for installation/de-installation – especially for something that should be simple, like tires (IMO).
iirc I got a kit - pair of airliners, pliers (and the yolks for holding the tyre), and a pair of valves.
I’m yet to uninstall, but gives me confidence racing tubeless, and ride flat really means no spares for racing (my races generally x number of laps of 20-25km loops).
They’ll be going on the gravel bike as soon as I need a tyre change, and will have zero qualms about putting them any new road tubeless bike or wheelset. I was worried about getting stuck, but ultimately if something is too big to plug would a tube really work either? It’s probably event over anyway, and if it happens on “normal” spin I can limp home.