Why I Use It

I won't say I'm a tire buff, but I have proof that shows how one tire holds up.

My favorite tire is the Vvredstein Fortezza Tri-Comp. They're the best I have in terms of agility and speed, and their puncture resistance isn't too bad. But if I really don't want to have a flat, there is only one tire I count on; my Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase.

I purchased them back when I built the Motobecane. That was three years and hundreds of miles ago. Since then, they've been on every bike in the fleet (except the Coast King), and I've only had one flat in those three years. After all the broken glass, nails, a that beer bottle that exploded when I hit it head on, what finally brought them down?

One day while I had the bike on the stand for routine maintenance, I was surprised by the sight of a nail sticking out of the tire. I just got home and hadn't noticed anything wrong. I checked the pressure; still holding up at 120psi. The tire slowly gave up after I pulled the nail out.

I've tried installing Kevlar strips inside my other tires, and my luck hasn't been as good. I don't know what kind of shield the folks at Bontrager use, I just know it works. There are other brands of tires that claim to be bomb proof, but I haven't tried them, and I don't intend to. The Bontragers have proven themselves, I'm sticking with them.

So here is the one nail that got through.


Below, one of the many battle scars. I have a hole like that in one of my race tires. That tire is done for good. Meanwhile, the Bontragers keep on rolling.



Tags: Bontrager, Bontrager Race Lite