Bontrager Tubeless Ready Tire User Manual

© Copyright Trek Bicycle Corporation 2004

All rights reserved

Part Number 253511

Important: About Tubeless Ready tires

Tire and rim compatibility

2

Before you start: Tubeless tips

Tubeless tires fit tightly and require unique mounting procedures

2-3

Pre-stretch the beads to make tire mounting easier

3

Use soapy water to mount tubeless tires

3

Be careful when using tire tools

3

Installation

Removing a Bontrager Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire

4

Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire with an inner tube

4

Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire without an inner tube

4-5

Troubleshooting

Causes of leaks

6

Checking for leaks

Fixing a puncture in a tubeless tire

8

The Bontrager Wheelset Owner’s Manual has additional

information about Bontrager Tubeless technology. This

manual and other useful information is available at http:

//www.bontrager.com, or at a Bontrager dealer.

The following chart shows which tires are compatible with

which rims, and any parts that are needed to make the tires

compatible with the rims.

Tubeless Ready tires do not hold air without either an inner

tube or liquid sealant inside the tire. To use a Tubeless Ready

tire in tubeless mode, follow these instructions to install

Bontrager Super Juice sealant. Super Juice is a long-lasting,

quick-acting, glycol-based sealant developed for this purpose.

Standard UST tubeless tires are designed to hold air with-

out sealant, but using Bontrager Super Juice sealant in these

tires will increase their puncture resistance and reduce their

tendency to leak air.

There are some variations in the way tubeless tires from each

Table 1- Tire and rim compatibility

Tubeless

Tubeless Ready

Standard

Standard 26” (ETRTO 599)

NO

with inner tube

NO

Tubeless Compatible

with inner tube

inner tube

to hold air. Air loss can cause loss of control resulting in

3

tire manufacturer  t, so some tires are more dif cult to mount

than others. Carefully follow the installation instructions, and

you should be able to easily mount any tubeless tire.

When mounting a tubeless tire, the tire must make an air-

tight seal against the inner surface of the rim to allow initial

in ation. When riding, the bead must  t the rim securely

when the tire is mounted in order retain air, especially at

low in ation pressures. Because of these requirements, a

tubeless tire  ts the rim more tightly and can be more dif-

 cult to mount than a conventional tire on a conventional

rim. It’s especially important to pay attention to the installa-

tion instructions for tubeless tires if you’ve already mastered

installing conventional tires; there are very important differ-

ences between the two.

The Kevlar bead of a new tubeless tire will stretch a sub-

stantial amount after it has been in ated initially. It’s best to

mount a new tubeless tire onto a standard rim before install-

ing it on a tubeless rim- any wheel will do. Use an inner tube,

in ate the tire to 60 psi (4 ATM) and leave it overnight. This

will make it much easier to mount onto your tubeless rim.

With a tubeless or Tubeless Ready tire, the tire beads have to

move along the surface of the rim and remain in contact with

it during the in ation process. Friction resists this motion

and causes problems. The source of the friction is between the

sticky rubber of the tire bead and the inner surface of the rim.

A  lm of soapy water reduces the friction, allows the tire to

more easily slide into place on the rim, and lets the tire seal

better. Use dishwashing liquid diluted with water (1 part soap

to 4 parts water). Brush, wipe or spray this solution onto both

the rim and tire surfaces before you mount a tire. If you have

to  x a  at on the trail, plain water also works.

It is often easier to mount a tight tire using tire tools, espe-

cially if it’s a new tire, so it’s a good idea to carry tire tools

with you in case you have to repair a  at on the trail. If you

choose to use tire tools, do not use excessive force on the tool.

If you have to use a lot of force, something is wrong; stop and

determine the cause of the problem. Incorrect use of tire tools

can damage the sealing surfaces of the rim strip or the tire

bead; this damage can cause air leaks.