TeddyKGB

Hey guys. I recently bought a Trek 2.1 and have been riding around 3-4 times a week, 25 miles each ride. I absolutely love the bike but today the tires annoyed me a little bit. The tires I have on it are just the stock Bontrager Race Lite tires. Today, during my ride, I got 2 flats. I was a little irritated and now I'm in the market for new tires. Do the Bontrager Race Lite tires suck that bad? Would you recommend new tires? If so, which tires should I get? Thank you guys for all the help.

EDIT: I've heard good things about Vittoria Rubino Pros...any opinions?

operator

You can't equate getting 2 flats to a tire sucking. You'll get flats no matter what tires you choose. Some are more puncture resistant than others which may mean less flats. You'll want to tell us what you want in a tire, rolling resistance, puncture protection, lightness, price.

Can't have all of them.

TeddyKGB

Yeah man, sorry I didn't include that in the post. I'm not worried about lightness or rolling resistance as I just ride solo...no races or anything. I want something that isn't going to puncture and is pretty decent as far as the price is concerned.

I didn't really equate the two flats to the fact that I have Bontrager tires. The only reason I said it that way is because I have heard bad things about Bontrager Race Lites and figured I'd get rid of the problem now and just get some tires that will last for the long haul. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

megamo

I had the same tires on my Trek 2100. They lasted two years without any flats. You really could have flat from any tires if you are not careful enough or running over anything that cause you flat. I changed to Michelin pro2race tires and had two flats and side cuts one month after I bought them. I would keep Bontragers and try to avoid running over any broken glass or sharp objects.

operator

If you want something with real puncture resistance, something like the schwalbe marathon plus or armadillos.

Skewer

Like the Specialized Armadillos and Shwalbe Marathon Plus mentioned above, Continental Gatorskins are specifically designed to be flat resistant.

BengeBoy 

I have 2500 miles on my Bontrager Race Lites. No flats, lots of urban / bad pavement riding.

RubenX 

I have been riding a Trek with the Botrager tires as well. All the reviews mentioned lots of flats. Maybe I was lucky but I put 1,600 road miles + 300 trainer miles and never had a single flat. I replaced the rear tire but the front one is still the bontrager and is looking good so far.

Tapeworm21

Specialized S-Works Mondo. Best tire I've ever ridden on. They corner, they're light, and I got 1 flat in 2500 miles.... 2 different sets of them. Unfortunately, they wear out fairly quickly.

Mtbnomore

I'm a sucker for a Conti, but if you want low price, Serfas Secas aren't too bad either.

my58vw

I had no luck with the bontragers, but I am a heavy rider... the rear wore out real fast... I love my rubinos

beeballman

3500 miles only flated once and that was due picking up a piece of glass

Bearonabike

Maybe you should look into something like this:

https://www.spinskins.com/

CCFISH81

I had the race lite tires on some bonty wheels- I flatted all the time. At the LBS the race lite hard case went on sale... so I gave them a shot- They are pretty decent- rarely flats, decent feel, and I have a million miles on mine.

I've also tried, Michelin PR2's- Love em, but they flat easily under me. I then picked up some Kenda or some other Kevlar tires. Also, no flats, heavy as hell, but all around good tires.

Now I have some conti GP4000's. No flats yet, and they feel great- but they aren't super cheap at the LBS- try online.

phew... i have alot of tires...

rjh299

Done a few miles on my bontragers, no flats so far. Use armadillos on commuter, very good tyres if your worried about flats or on dodgy surfaces.
I've heard only good things about conti tyres aswell. Gators for punctures and GP4000S for a bit higher performance

TeddyKGB

Cool guys, thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to go to my LBS today and now I'll have some idea of what I'm looking for.

jaxgtr

I have a set of the 28's Hardcase models on my hybrid and have only had 1 flat in 2500 miles. They have been the one of the best set of tires I have ever ridden and probably have another 1500 miles on them. Since I had such good luck with them, I just put some of the 25's Harcase on my CAAD9. I suspect I will have some of the same results, but don't expect to ever be flat free. That would be like saying a ship can never be sunk.

waterrockets 

I had those same tires on the Madone I bought, and they absolutely sucked. They only had about 200 miles on them when I got them. I rode them for two weeks, got eight flats, and finally threw them in the trash.

Just so I'm not mincing words, Bontrager Race X Lite tires suck. I've never had a worse tire in 17 years.

/thread

Madridjoe

I actually like the Race X Lites, but find they cut pretty easy on the roads here in central FL. as far as flats are concerned I have had much better luck with Michelin Krylon carbons, but for me they are not nearly as quick.

ericgu

My madone came with race lites. I put about 1000 miles on them and then flatted 3 times in a week. Manufacturers generally economize on the tires that come with bikes.

I run rubino pros on my bike. The first set were wonderful - I put 3K on them without a flat.

I haven't had quite as much luck on the second set - I've flatted a few times in 2K - but generally they've been pretty good. You can put a tire like the armadillo on and not worry about flats, but they're really heavy and a significant pain to get onto some rims without pinching the tube. The rubinos have been a nice compromise, and you can put them on my wheels without tools.

If you do put on the rubinos (or any other folding tire), I suggest putting the tire on the wheel without a tube to help loosen it up, and after you put it on inflate it in stages and roll the tire away from the wheel on each side to get the bead where it's supposed to.

TeddyKGB

Yeah, I think I jumped to conclusions real quick w/ the fact that the Race Lites were horrible tires. It turns out the first flat was just from running over something, but the second flat was a pinch flat because I didn't put it on correctly. I just started riding so changing a tire was a new thing for me. I've gotten it down now to where I can change the tire in about 10 minutes. But, I think I might go for the Rubino Pros. I have heard good things about them, PBK has them for cheap, and they come in blue to match my bike . I looked at the Armadillos and the Gatorskins but I don't think I need something that tough...might as well avoid the weight if I don't really need it. Thanks again for your help guys.

richard_dupp

Conti 4000 GP's are my favorite. No flats 2k miles.

Skewer

I am surprised. I had a 2004 Trek that came with Bonty Race X Lite tires and I finally took the front Race X Lite tire off after a whopping 6,071 miles, one flat and still no threads showing through. But rear tire life was only average and well below my current, rear Conti 4000 tires. The Bonty Race X Lite tires are more flat resistant than the OP's Bonty Race Lite tires.