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December 2025 25 Bridgestone E50 Extreme Nitromousse 5150/TUbliss Looking for a more elaborate gi package? Well, here's a re combo that we've run all season and has earned our respect tenfold. Back in May, we tested Bridgestone's E50 Extreme rear coupled with a Nitro- mousse 5150 kit on our KTM 150 XC-W. If you enjoy steep rocky climbs and bony, gnarly terrain, this is one impressive combo that deserves considera on. As for the E50 Extreme, it's Bridgestone's first-ever gummy knobby, currently available only in 140/80-18 sizing. The tread pa ern is unique, with short knob scoops somewhat resembling a sand re. Now, don't let the 140 size scare you away, as unlike most 140s with their ultra-wide footprint, the E50 Extreme is sized more closely to your average 110/100 rear. As for the Nitromousse 5150, it's an interes ng concept from our friends at Nuetech, and I'll do my best to explain the system. Like all Nitromousse products, the 5150 is a foam re insert that replac- es a conven onal inner tube. Where it differs from the mousses we're familiar with is that the 5150 is a "half mousse" with an inner diameter that's slightly concave. The 5150 is designed to work in conjunc on with Nuetech's TUbliss system. For those unfamiliar, the TUbliss is a small-diameter, high-pressure inner- tube that resembles a road bicycle tube. This small tube fits into a firm rubber outer jacket, so to speak. When installed and inflated to the recommended pressure of 120 psi, this inner bladder, along with a specially designed rim lock/valve stem, acts as a 360-degree rim lock, clamping the en re bead and side wall of the re to the rim, providing a full bead lock around the circumference of the rim. This combina on of the 5150 Nitromousse and TUbliss allows for running extremely low air pressure or none at all, if preferred. The chance of rim bangs is also significantly reduced as the inner bladder extends above the rim's diameter, locking the re bead firmly to the rim and effec vely using the re sidewall to absorb hits. Although the re moun ng process differs from a standard re/tube installa on, I found it painless and, honestly, a bit less effort than a regular mousse installa on, since it's a half mousse and doesn't need to be crammed into the re and rim. How does the Bridgestone Ba lecross E50 Ex- treme/5150 Nitromousse/TUbliss combo perform? Well, I'll tell you what: if you like riding rocks, the E50, with its broad footprint, coupled with the 5150, this combo finds trac on like nothing we've ever tested. A er playing with different pressure se ngs, I've elected to run zero pressure in the re and rely on the recommended 120 psi in the TUbliss bladder to keep the re bead locked to the rim. As for lon- gevity, yes, gummy's can be short lived, especially in the hands of those who love to twist it. In our case, installed on our KTM 150, we're more than happy with how it's holding up! As for the pricing of this package, the E50 Extreme typically costs under $150, the Nitromousse 5150 is priced at approximately $150, and the Nuetech TUb- liss system adds about another $100.00.