29er Tyres Rave

[celeste boy]

Bike = 6 months old, Trek Rig (SS)
Bontrager tyres.
I've had 3 flats on the front tyre and after today's flat I thoroughly inspected the tyre for nails etc but found a sharp bit of the rim where there was a join. Sanded off the sharp bit and hopefully no flats from that little nasty.

I have this bottle of Stan's No Tubes, so before putting the tyre back on i coated the inside of the tyre with this stuff. To my surprise when i pumped up the tyre and was working the tyre onto the rim, the Stans No Tubes was leaking through the tyre on the tread (top bit) in about 5 places. The tyre effectively has about 5 cuts or holes in it. Is this normal? I'm not exactly a super MTB rider and the bike gets only light use. Are these tyres so soft that they get cut up easily?

I can already guess that someone is going to recommend their favourite tyre. But these Bontragers can't be that bad? They are on all the new Trek bikes.

Graham

[Mugglechops]

Are they the 29-1 EXP?

Mine on my new Trek just won't bead properly. I have tried everything and they still have the same lump in them on both tyres.

In 25 years of changing mtb tyres I have never had tyres this bad.

[silentbutdeadly]

Not all Bontrager tyres are that bad. You've just got some that were made for a factory fit rather than aftermarket so they are made for a different pricepoint. The Maxxis Crossmarks that were fitted to many Giants in the last couple of years are the same - different quality to those in the aftermarket. I scored a pair of the OEM Crossmarks on the cheap from the LBS and found them to be thin and wobbly compared to an aftermarket Crossmark. One of the OEMs also had a massive carcass repair in it...still works fine though.

As for the punctures....that's no surprise. Happens regardless of tyre in my experience. These days it's either tubeless or tubes filled with a 70:30 mix of Stans/Slime Tyre...either way punctures are generally banished

[celeste boy]

Thanks for the info. LBS said these tyres are meant to be porous. Guess that explains the Stans leaking out. I notice they are wearing quickly so the answer will be to upgrade the tyre.

Graham