Photos and Words by Wyatt Peterson

Can you keep a secret? He was riding Tannus before we even asked.

Back in 2001, a young, rambunctious 14 year old named Kyle Strait (soon to be known as "The Horseless Cowboy"), found himself waking up one morning to these massive red cliffs in the middle of the Utah desert. His pa had driven him all night to the site, giving Kyle a chance to compete in the first ever RedBull Rampage event. He had no clue what awaited him out there…

He entered anyway.

He's entered almost every single one since, no other rider on earth can say that! And in 2004, at just 17 years old, he won the whole dang thing. Crowned the youngest Rampage winner in history!

Well, ride on to 2013, and Kyle wins it again, you know, just to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke.

Kyle And Tannus

At some point you stop calling Kyle Strait a "freeride legend" because the word legend kind of undersells it. I mean, the man has been a constant in the freeride world for over 25 years, a world that has chewed through generations of riders like a longhorn through a fence.

Word has it round these parts that at some point over the last couple decades, he was introduced to Tannus Armour. Be it a fellow rider, a trail buddy, or just plain ol' fate. Regardless of how it happened though, Kyle started running it in his tires, and well, he loved it.

Late last year, Kyle called us up with an offer. We said, "We'll have our people contact your people." After a few handshakes, some wheeling and dealing, and some intern hollering "bob's your uncle," the deal was done.

His Setup for 2026

Kyle runs a lot of bikes, he also runs two different Tannus products depending on which bike he's saddled up on.

E-Bike: Tannus Armour

The e-bike gets Tannus Armour inserts. Armour is built for tubed setups for total puncture protection, zero pinch flats, a smoother ride, and giving you the kind of confidence that lets you stop second-guessing the terrain and just ride it.

When your bike weighs that much and you're sending it that hard, you want your tires backed by something real.

[SHOP TANNUS ARMOUR]

Enduro Bike: Tannus Tubeless Pro

The enduro rig runs Tannus Tubeless Pro tire inserts. Known for ultimate rim protection, puncture resistance, and no weird dead feeling through the tire. Built for the terrain Kyle rides: the stuff with hidden rocks, blind landings, and consequences.

His words on trusting the equipment beneath him? We could paraphrase them, but really, the riding speaks for itself.

[SHOP TANNUS TUBELESS]

Welcome to the Team, Kyle.

We're a flat prevention company, we know that. Kyle Strait is a man who has thrown his bike off cliffs in front of thousands of people for 25 years straight and somehow keeps showing up to do it again.

The fact that he picked Tannus on his own, before any of this existed on paper, is the kind of endorsement we're not gonna dress up in fancy language.

Kyle rides Tannus because Kyle trusts Tannus.

Everything else is just paperwork.

Follow Kyle's 2026 season @kylestrait. Follow us @tannusamerica.

 

 

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