Bontrager Automobile Parts Tubeless Ready Tire User Manual

Part Number 253511  
BONTRAGER TUBELESS READY TIRE  
OWNER'S MANUAL  
Table of contents  
Important: About Tubeless Ready tires  
Tire and rim compatibility  
1
2
Before you start: Tubeless tips  
Tubeless tires fit tightly and require unique mounting procedures  
Pre-stretch the beads to make tire mounting easier  
Use soapy water to mount tubeless tires  
Be careful when using tire tools  
2-3  
3
3
3
Installation  
Removing a Bontrager Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire  
Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire with an inner tube  
4
4
Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire without an inner tube 4-5  
Troubleshooting  
Causes of leaks  
Checking for leaks  
Fixing a puncture in a tubeless tire  
6
7
8
Important: About Tubeless Ready tires  
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.  
© Copyright Trek Bicycle Corporation 2004  
All rights reserved  
 
tire manufacturer fit, so some tires are more difficult 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  
inflation. When riding, the bead must fit the rim securely  
when the tire is mounted in order retain air, especially at  
low inflation pressures. Because of these requirements, a  
tubeless tire fits the rim more tightly and can be more dif-  
ficult 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.  
Pre-stretch the beads to make tire mounting easier  
The Kevlar bead of a new tubeless tire will stretch a sub-  
stantial amount after it has been inflated 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,  
inflate the tire to 60 psi (4 ATM) and leave it overnight. This  
will make it much easier to mount onto your tubeless rim.  
Use soapy water to mount tubeless tires  
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 inflation 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 film 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 fix a flat on the trail, plain water also works.  
Be careful when using tire tools  
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 flat 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.  
3
 
Installation  
Removing a Bontrager Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire  
If the tire has sealant installed, be careful not to spill it as  
you remove the tire. It is best to remove the old sealant and  
replace it. If you have to reuse the sealant, carefully pour the  
pool of fluid into a container. Scrape the sealant that remains  
on the casing into the container too. Rinse the rim and tire  
casing with water.  
1. Deflate the tire.  
2. Push the first bead into the center of the rim with your  
thumbs.  
Leave the other bead in place and push the entire first bead inward until it is free from  
the bead seat and a loose fit on the rim.  
3. Begin at the valve and pull the tire bead up and away from  
the rim with your fingers or a tire tool.  
4. Continue removing the entire first bead from the center of  
the rim.  
5. Repeat these steps with the second bead to remove the tire  
from the rim.  
Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire with an  
inner tube  
1. Inspect the rim strip.  
The plastic rim strip is not necessary for use with a tube; a high-quality fiber tape like  
Bontrager rim tape is best. Carefully push the tape down into the center channel of  
the rim so that the tire bead has enough room to fit all the way to the bottom of that  
channel.  
2. If you are switching the wheel from a tubeless to a conven-  
tional set up, remove the tubeless valve now.  
Keep the valve so you can change back to a tubeless set up.  
3. Install the tire and tube in the same way you would using a  
conventional tire and rim.  
If it is difficult to fully seat the tire on the rim, spray some bead lubricant (soapy water)  
into the gap between the tire and rim, even if the tire is already on the rim.  
Installing a Tubeless Ready or UST tubeless tire without an  
inner tube  
To use a Tubeless Ready tire in tubeless mode, sealant must  
be added to the tire (see Tire and rim compatibility, page 2).  
The sealant must be put into the tire before you inflate it.  
Use no less than 50 ml of sealant per tire. Additional sealant  
(up to 120 grams) can seal punctures so this is a good way to  
maximize puncture protection. There are indicators on the  
side of the Super Juice bottle so that you can easily control the  
amount of sealant you use.  
4
 
1. If you have been using a tube, install the tubeless valve.  
Use your fingers to tighten the valve nut. Donʼt use pliers- if you puncture on the trail,  
you will have to be able to remove the nut by hand.  
2. Lubricate the rim and tire beads with soapy water.  
3. Install the first tire bead onto the rim.  
Start 180 degrees away from the valve and position the bead into the center channel of  
the rim. Push the bead over the rim, working your way to the portion near the valve.  
4. Start the installation of the second bead.  
As in Step 3, start on the side opposite the valve. Position the second tire bead in the  
central channel of the rim and continue around the rim in both directions towards the  
valve area. When the bead becomes tight, complete the installation using one of the  
options below.  
Option 1 – Adding the sealant through the valve  
1. Finish installing the second tire bead. Make sure  
that the beads fit properly on either side of the  
valve before adding the sealant.  
2. Loosen the inner portion of the valve with pliers  
and remove the core (Figure 2).  
Core  
3. Trim the tip of the plastic sealant bottle to fit the  
outer diameter of the valve core, or use a piece  
of plastic tubing that is a tight fit on both the  
core and the tip of the bottle to transport the  
Figure 2- Tubeless valve  
stem with removable core  
sealant into the wheel.  
4. Carefully squeeze the proper amount of sealant  
into the wheel (Fig. 3).  
5. Use a tire pump and push air through the valve  
to clear sealant out of the threaded area.  
6. Replace the valve core and tighten it gently in  
place with pliers.  
Figure 3- Adding Super  
Juice to the tire  
5
 
5. Continue mounting the tire- check the  
location and orientation of the tire  
Tire beads  
beads in the rim (Figure 4).  
The beads must fit uniformly into the central channel of  
the rim without twisting. The beads must straddle the valve  
where it projects through the rim strip, and make good  
contact with the rim strip surface in order to seal in that  
area. It is common to have to adjust the beads in the area  
around the valve before inflating the tire.  
6. Start rapidly inflating the tire using a  
floor pump or compressed air source.  
If you are using a floor pump, it is usually necessary to  
initially inflate the tire with the fastest pumping motion  
possible. Once the tire starts to seal and hold air you can  
slow down. If the tire doesnʼt begin to seal after attempting  
to inflate it, stop and reposition the bead of the tire with  
your hands. Small changes in the position of the tire can  
make a big difference.  
Figure 4- Beads straddling  
the valve stem  
Tire beads  
7. Inflate the tire until the tire beads seat  
onto the rim (Figure 5).  
The beads often make an audible popping sound as they  
snap into place. Use no more than 60PSI (4 ATM) to seat  
the beads.  
If the beads donʼt seat properly, deflate the tire and relubri-  
cate the bead and rim surfaces by squirting the lubricant  
through the gap between the tire and rim, and reinflate the  
tire.  
Make sure the beads are seated correctly in their locked  
position before you use the wheel.  
Figure 5- Beads seated  
onto rim  
8. Thoroughly distribute the sealant  
around the inner surface of the tire  
(Figure 6).  
Hold the axle tips in each hand and spin the wheel. Orient  
the spinning wheel into a variety of positions (angles) so  
that the sealant can reach the entire inner surface of the tire.  
Some leaks in the casing can take time to seal, especially if  
they are located near the bead area.  
9. Adjust the tire pressure to the desired  
value and install the wheel.  
10. Verify that the casing has been  
completely sealed  
Ride the bike for a short time, and then check the tire  
pressure. If the tire pressure drops too quickly, remove the  
wheel and follow the Step #8 above to distribute the sealant  
Figure 6- On an angle,  
rotate the wheel to distrib-  
ute the selant  
over the leak.  
6
 
Troubleshooting  
Check the tire pressure on your bike before every ride; all tires  
lose air pressure due to air leaking through the inner tube  
or tire casing sidewall. Follow these troubleshooting steps in  
order to minimize the time it takes to repair a leaking tire.  
Causes of leaks  
If the rate at which air leaks from a tubeless tire is excessive,  
it can be reduced by repairing the source of the leak.  
Use Bontrager Super Juice tire sealant in any UST tubeless  
tire to reduce the rate of air loss and add puncture protection.  
• If the tire has been ridden, check for punctures.  
A small piece of glass or a thorn can embed in the tread and cause a slow leak.  
• Make sure the valve nut is tight.  
Air can leak around the seal in the valve stem if it is loose or misaligned. If it is  
misaligned, loosen the valve nut and gently shift the valve slightly to seat it properly.  
Then tighten the nut. However, do not over-tighten it; if you puncture on the trail, you  
will have to remove it by hand.  
• Check for excessive wear of the tire casing.  
This is a problem that is unique to lightweight tubeless tires. The inner liner ply (the  
butyl rubber sealing ply on the inner surface of a UST tubeless tire) is as thin as  
possible to save weight and it will break down from hard use. The material will form  
gaps and these will allow air to escape at increasing rates through the casing. Adding  
Bontrager Super Juice sealant will stop this type of leak.  
• Make sure all of the critical sealing surfaces are clean and  
undamaged.  
These include all of the contact surfaces between the tire, rim strip, and valve. Gaps in  
the seals due to damage or dirt trapped on any of these surfaces can cause leaks. Clean  
or replace any damaged parts.  
Checking for leaks  
First, visually inspect all of the components for damage or evi-  
dence of leaks, and simply listen for the sound of escaping air.  
If that doesn’t work, cover all of the areas that might be  
leaking with a solution of soap and water, and watch for bub-  
bles. With this method, you can also find some leaks through  
the tire or between the tire and rim strip near the brake wall.  
Use the same soap and water solution that you use to mount  
the tires. It’s best to spray the solution on with a household  
spray bottle so that it is distributed evenly on the tire surface.  
It’s normal to see some bubbles forming through the sidewall  
of the tire (a surprising amount!), but a significant leak will  
cause a very large amount of foam to form quickly.  
Sometimes air leaks into the interior cavities of the rim, and  
these can be hard to find. Sources of these leaks include the  
7
 
area around the valve seal or between the tire bead and rim  
strip. The leaking air can be detected at the spoke holes, but  
the location of the actual leak will not necessarily be close to  
the leaking spoke hole. There are two ways to find and elimi-  
nate leaks like these:  
Partially immerse the wheel into a tub of water. Leave it in  
the tub long enough for the portion of the rim that is under-  
water to fill with water. Then, with your ear close to surface of  
the water listen for the sound of bubbles forming as you rotate  
the wheel slowly in the water. When a leak is at the water  
surface it will cause a bubbling noise and this will allow you to  
detect the location of the leak as accurately as possible.  
Eliminate the possibility of all other possible leaks. If you  
have eliminated all visible sources, replace the rim strip or  
valve stem.  
Fixing a puncture in a tubeless tire  
Using Super Juice sealant in any tubeless tire is a huge advan-  
tage; Super Juice will seal small punctures and prevent air  
loss.  
A puncture can be patched if it is not too severe, but first,  
the tire must be cleaned. The inside surface of a tire has  
release agents on it left over from the manufacturing process.  
Remove the release agents with an abrasive or tire buffer  
before installing the patch.  
A large hole or fracture in the casing will weaken the tire.  
You should replace a severely damaged tire immediately, or as  
soon as possible. In an emergency a large patch, called a boot,  
can be made up of a fibrous material to cover the hole. The  
boot should overlap the hole by at least an inch in all direc-  
tions and be bonded firmly to the casing. A tire repaired in  
this way should only be ridden slowly and used only as long as  
it takes to get back from the ride.  
You should not try to patch a tubeless tire that is punctured  
on the trail. It’s best to install a tube. Remove the tire and  
tubeless inflation valve. Find the cause of the puncture and  
remove any sharp objects in the tire so they will not puncture  
the tube. Install the tube and reinstall the tire.  
8
 

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