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Bontrager tires...and flats

Old 06-16-05, 07:26 PM
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Bontrager tires...and flats

Anybody out there riding on Bontrager(hope I spelled it right) tires and experiencing quite a few flats? My LBS is a Trek dealer, and I understand that Trek bought out Bontrager. Wondering about the quality of the tire...or is it just me.
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Old 06-16-05, 07:56 PM
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Some of the tire models have puncture protection and some don't. Check the tire model you have against the specs on their web site.

For riding around town I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Expensive but I've not had a flat for over 8,000km of use.
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Old 06-16-05, 08:23 PM
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I had some Bontrager Race Lites that developed small cracks pretty early in the game. I rode them for about 1500 miles or so without a flat, but those cracks gave me the heebie jeebies. I sometimes would imagine the possibility of a puncture while screaming down a hill, so I switched them for some Vittoria Rubino Pro Techs. We'll see how those work.
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Old 06-16-05, 08:36 PM
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My '03 Trek 520 came with Kevlar-belted Bontrager tires. I had a couple flats within 2-300 miles, and the sidewalls seemed very flimsy. I dumped them in favor of Continental Top Touring tires, and now use Vittoria Randonneur tires.

I have some low-end Bontrager 700x25c tires on my Trek 1200 road bike, but I use a Mr Tuffy liner on those.
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Old 06-16-05, 09:24 PM
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The 700X38 Bontragers that came on my Trek 7200 were probably the best tires I ever had. Long wearing and no flats.

The 700X25 Bontrager Race Lites that came on my Trek 2200 were the absolute worst tires I've ever had and I replaced both within a week due to flats on both tires and a sidewall puncture on the rear.

For the 7200 I've decided to go with some cheapies since most of my riding on that bike is done on dirt and gravel roads that tear up tires regardless of what they cost. When I recently took the 7200 on tour I replaced the rear with a Continental Top Touring. On the 2200 I use a Continental Ultra Gatorskin on the back and a Specialized Armadillo on the front (though when it fails it will be replaced with some variety of Conti).
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Old 06-17-05, 06:47 AM
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After several years I finally wore the tread off of the original tires on my Trek.
Replace them two years ago with Bontrager 700X38 Kevelar belted. Great tires. Good gripping on the roads, even wet road. A little less grip on gravel and dirt, but nothing that has caused me trouble. Handles all the junk on the road sides, even broken glass that I didn't have time to avoid. And NO FLATS since I got them.
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Old 06-17-05, 09:36 AM
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flats can be extremely frustrating - so you may want to figure out the cause. flats on the inside (rimside) of the tube can be attributed to rim, liner, or under pressure issues. flats on the outside of the tube(tireside) can be attributed to road hazard.
once you determine this by locating the hole in the tube (assuming there is a pattern ie:the holes are in the same places) then you can resolve this problem with much greater confidence.
good luck
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Old 06-17-05, 02:48 PM
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Had stock Bontragers on my Trek 1000c last year when I left for Europe.
One flat 45 minutes into my first ride in Paris. Biggest nail I ever saw, def not the fault of the tire
3500KMs later back in Paris to leave for Miami had not a single flat. Maybe luck
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Old 06-17-05, 04:22 PM
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Ditto on the cheap narrow tires, shreaded sidewall on the rear (after a 40 mph downhill), the front is still fine.
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Old 06-23-05, 04:08 PM
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I've never had a problem with the Bontrager tires on my Trek 4200. I'm not sure how many miles I've put on them (around 1.5k maybe), but I've abused them, taken them over some drop offs, bigs rocks etc without an issue.
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Old 06-16-06, 07:36 AM
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Was searching for another thread, but came upon this one and felt it best to respond.

FWIW, we've put over 30 pairs of the Race Lite Hard Cases on bikes that have come through our shop and have never (NEVER) had someone report a flat or dissatisfaction with 'em.
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Old 06-16-06, 05:07 PM
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Still using me Bontrager Select K's 35s that came on my 520. They work pretty well. They look like they'll taker a few more 1000 miles..
Honestly I prefer them to my 32c Top Tourings. Nice large air volume. Conti doesn't make a 35c and the 37 won't clear my fenders.
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Old 06-16-06, 07:47 PM
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My 03 Trek 520 came with the Bontrager Select Ks also. They were absolute puncture magnets, until one of them blew out a sidewall at about 500 miles. Replaced them both with Panaracer T-serv Messenger 35s and haven't had a single flat in about 3,000 miles. Those wheels and tires are now on my Cross-Check.
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Old 06-16-06, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Tug
Anybody out there riding on Bontrager(hope I spelled it right) tires and experiencing quite a few flats? My LBS is a Trek dealer, and I understand that Trek bought out Bontrager. Wondering about the quality of the tire...or is it just me.
I have a Trek Hybrid 7700 with 700 x 38 Bontrager tires. I cannot remember any problems with these tires in over 5 years of heavy use on bumpy Lime Stone Rail to Trails. I also use these same tires on a CycleOps FL2 trainer, 6 hours/week.
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Old 06-16-06, 10:36 PM
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My pal rode across Canada on Kevlar belted Bontragers last year and didn't get a flat they were super slick. I was never able to identify the model he used from the web, and I have stuck with Schwalbe. I shreded a marathon slick, but most people don't have trouble with them. Probably every tire has a few bad experiences attached to it.
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Old 06-16-06, 11:46 PM
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My bike came with Bontrager Comfort tires and I have about 100 miles of mainly road/gravel riding and have had no problems, they ride very smooth and are quiet.
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Old 06-17-06, 03:45 AM
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Check the tube size is correct. I saw a tube the other day that had the right size stamped on it, but when compared to the original tube was a different size. Typical in Oz.

Next time you have the tyre off, get a small ball of cotton wool and run it around inside the tyre. It might snag something that you can't see. With a texta or pen put a mark on the tyre and align it with the valve whenever you put it on. This will help to locate if the punctures are appearing in the same place if it's the tyre.

As a last resort, check the rim for cracks. This is sometimes the cause of a lot of unexplained punctures.
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Old 06-17-06, 08:53 AM
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No problem with the tires. It is the tubes that trouble me, failiing at trhe valve stem faster then any other brand. Unfortunately my lbs only carries that brand in the size I need for my 700x38 tires.
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