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Bontrager Connection

Average Rating 3.67/5
# of Reviews 18
MSRP $ 20.00
Weight
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Description:
  • The best of both worlds, aggressive knobs and a connected center tread
  • Great traction off road and a smooth, fast ride on road
  • 30 tpi casing





  • Submitted by turf a Weekend Warrior from Marietta, GA
    Date Reviewed: August 2, 2008
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $20.00
    Strengths:Fastest tire I have ridden that's still acceptable on easy trails
    Weaknesses:Not as good as a slick on the road and not suitable for anything other than beginner trails on a regular basis
    Bike Setup:First generation DBR setup as an errand bike
    Bottom Line:I had these on an old DBR with blown forks that I gave away years ago. The bike was recently given back to me and since I now have a couple of decent mountain bikes, I turned the dbr into an errand bike - a rear rack with bag, a big basket up front, rigid forks, platform pedals, a mirror, riser handlebars, etc - everything but a bell and I am thinking about getting one of those.

    I ride it around town but there are a few places to go off road including a park that has a pretty decent but short trail in it where I sometimes take one of the other two mountain bikes.

    I noticed an odd thing - this jalopy of a bike went much faster than either of the other two, flying down trails with little effort. It did not take me long to figure out it was the tires. True, I do have to get off and push it up a steep rocky rooty section for about 50 feet since the Connection just does not connect that well in difficult steep terrain and especially if it is the least bit damp, but more than makes up for it by going a couple mph faster on the rest of the trail.

    I would not use this tire on a trail with any but minimal technical sections, but this is an excellent tire for my purposes of having a tire that is good on the road and is at least much better than a road tire on the trail.

    The revelation of how much faster this type of tread was than the knobbies on my other bikes has led me to look into a close tread pattern for one my other bikes - well not this tire of course, but one like the Kenda small block. I am so impressed by how much faster I could go that I am willing to trade some loss of traction for greatly increased speed on the trail. Sounds like a dangerous combination but then I have not had any mtb injuries of note in over a year....
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by brian T a Cross Country Rider from Norwich,CT
    Date Reviewed: June 3, 2008
    Favorite Trail:Urban Assualt
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $20.00
    Purchased At:Rose City Cycle
    Strengths:Multi Use Tire,Great roll resitance.Great Price
    Weaknesses:Loose trails,or mud may cause some sliping
    Similar Products Used:Panaracers
    Bike Setup:Kona,XT,Race Face,Thomson,WTB,All Fox Susp.
    Bottom Line:I moved from the Trail to Urban assault due to High Gas Prices,They Work on both, Better on the road and Good on the Trail.$20 is a bargain!I would Buy these again.I ride aprox.5 Days a week.Great tire.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Parker Evans a Weekend Warrior from Hartford, CT, US
    Date Reviewed: April 17, 2008
    Favorite Trail:Penwood
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Strengths:They were free with the bike. They slide really easily, if that's what you're looking for. Alright on pavement.

    Also like someone above, I was surprised by their performance in mud, considering their performance in everything else.
    Weaknesses:cornering, leaves, anything wet, loose rocks (bigger than gravel), unsteady going downhill at speed, feels treacherous on uneven downhills.
    Similar Products Used:CST Caballero
    Bike Setup:Stock
    Bottom Line:Like a reviewer above, a fairly small thorn killed my Bontrangers. Which was alright by me.

    If they come on your bike? If you don't notice a performance problem or you're cheap (like I am), keep them until they blow. If you ride trails they will.

    If they don't? Don't bother.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by adrian valella a Weekend Warrior from miami, FL, USA
    Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007
    Favorite Trail:oleta
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $15.00
    Purchased At:coral way bike shop
    Strengths:great tire for the price,good on road and off,great grip on dirt
    Weaknesses:not so good in mud but better than i thought
    Bike Setup:rigid Fuji single-speed
    Bottom Line:cant ask for a better tire for the price
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Ryan Wiitala a Weekend Warrior from Morrisville
    Date Reviewed: August 11, 2006
    Favorite Trail:New Light in Raleigh NC
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Purchased At:Stock Tire
    Strengths:Good road tire and moderate performance on the easier trails.
    Weaknesses:NOT A GOOD TIRE FOR EXTREME TRAIL RIDING!!!

    Tread tears off with a little abusive riding but considering what the tire is made for I'm not surprised.
    Similar Products Used:NONE
    Bike Setup:Trek 4300
    Bottom Line:A good tire if you don't plan on riding any advanced trail systems or plan on a lot of road riding. Probably a good tire for most weekend warriors but I wouldn't recommend you like to really shred the rough stuff. I have had these on my bike for less than 1 month and already need to replace.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by keith a from quincy
    Date Reviewed: December 11, 2005
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $10.00
    Purchased At:Madison Davis
    Strengths:Low rolling restiance, decent trail tire on dirt, good road tire(not as good as slicks though), not to mention hold up long on the road
    Weaknesses:low traction in mud, snow, ice, wet rocks, and almost anything to do with water
    Similar Products Used:stock trek 6500 tires, too many others
    Bike Setup:these tires, trek 6500, avid BB5 discs, Speed Dial Ti levers, shimano M545 pedals, all else stock.
    Bottom Line:When I bought these tires, I knew I would be getting a trade-off of road and mtb tires, so I can't say it's bad that it didn't have good traction on wet stuff. These ride on the road really nice. I've got about 300 miles on them already with little sign of wear. But this tire if ride the road a lot and don't ride 60 miles down a muddy rocky mountain.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by John a Cross Country Rider from Madison, WI
    Date Reviewed: November 17, 2005
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $5.00
    Strengths:Excellent traction in loose terrain climbs, cheap, durable
    Weaknesses:For the price i paid, there is no weaknesses to complain about
    Similar Products Used:Alot of tires
    Bike Setup:My commuter, 1999 Giant EB Comp
    Bottom Line:This tire rocks. So cheap, yet good. This tire is rear tire on my commuter and it has way better traction then the tires on my Fuel 98, Bonty Super-X. I blasted these tires down stairs, drops from 2-3 feet to flat concrete. I've taken these out to pretty techincal trails and they have stood up. I can stand up and pedal in sketchy climbs and still have traction. What more can u ask for?
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Marc a Cross Country Rider from Toronto, Ontario Canada
    Date Reviewed: September 3, 2005
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Purchased At:Skiis and Bikes
    Strengths:Fat tire, good traction, decent speed
    Weaknesses:slow on pavement, hold sup guck and mud in muddy trails and loses traction
    Bike Setup:STock Trek 3700
    Bottom Line:If you want a decent, all round tire that will perform well in rain, snow, ice, and dry conditions, this is pretty good. It is weak on harder trails and mud will build up in the tires, causing you to lose a significant amount of traction. Bad in sand, but I have yet to find a tire that performs well in sand. Great for the begginer in mountainbiking
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Mike Gomez a Weekend Warrior from Norwalk,CA, USA
    Date Reviewed: August 22, 2005
    Favorite Trail:Unal Trail
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:great traction, not too heavy, inexpensive
    Weaknesses:none yet
    Bike Setup:trek 4300
    Bottom Line:Great tires for the price. They get the job done. Have had no problems with them. However, if average doesn't satisfy you and if you have the cash, you might want to spend more money on better tires. Otherwise, these tires are great
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by L.K. Simons a Weekend Warrior from Toronto, Canada
    Date Reviewed: August 18, 2005
    Favorite Trail:Gardner Beltway Ravine/Brickyard Trails
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $20.00
    Purchased At:Duke's Cycle, Toronto
    Strengths:Well, compared to the three year old balding Specialized Rockster tires which came on my Hardrock, in a word, everything. They grip pretty well in all but the loosest gravel trails.

    They're also quite inexpensive which is good for 34 year grad students without a lot of cash!
    Weaknesses:My specialized tires were bigger and fatter and looked a lot better on my bike. These look like little girl tires! But I'm quite effeminate and kinda ride my Hardrock like a girl so no worries.
    Similar Products Used:stock rockster's. I had no idea how bad they really were.
    Bike Setup:2002 Specialized Hardrock stock, except for some crappy cheap peddles the bike shop put on it after mine broke during the first week. This was my first foray into biking since a got my first car 16 years ago! Will upgrade to something better in a year or so. The sr suntour xcc ain't so plush, if you know what I mean.
    Bottom Line:
    The bottom line is that these tires are way better than my balding rocksters and that they make me feel girly when tearing down the Don Valley. My priority for a set of tires was to ensure that they had a really low rolling resistence, since most of my biking takes place on the hardtop of downtown toronto. They've accomplished this; it's a pretty quick tire with the added bonus of providing decent if not great trail traction.

    Seacrest out!

    Simon.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Jeff Fleischmann a Weekend Warrior from Nor-Cal
    Date Reviewed: March 3, 2005
    Favorite Trail:The one with dirt on it.
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $12.00
    Purchased At:The Bike Peddler
    Strengths:Great road ride, rolls fast. Good ride off road, for a tire with such small knobs.
    Weaknesses:Not a good choice for really loose or muddy trails.
    Similar Products Used:N/A
    Bike Setup:'85 Ritchey singlespeed
    Bottom Line:I bought these tires for my newly converted singlespeed Ritchey in a 1.6 width. I thought it would make a great road tire for the beer runs and light trail riding with my kids. I've hit some muddy trails with them and find the traction better then I expected for such a skinny, small knobbed tire. I would use these if you only plan to run light, dry, smooth trails.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Nigel Redding a Cross Country Rider from Ottawa, Ontario, canada
    Date Reviewed: November 27, 2004
    Favorite Trail:biopace {15}
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Purchased At:came on bike
    Strengths:not bad grip on surfaces
    Weaknesses:not great on muddy surfaces and wet hills
    Similar Products Used:bontrager revolt
    Bike Setup:trek 4300 with mx comps
    Bottom Line:its not bad but i look for somthing better
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Dan Caruso a Weekend Warrior from Reno, NV
    Date Reviewed: January 13, 2004
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Purchased At:OEM
    Strengths:good on pavement at high pressure, decent on hardpack (lower the pressure for the dirt, then reinflate for the long pavement ride home).
    Weaknesses:gets loose in loose stuff and steeper inclines.
    Bike Setup:Trek 4300
    Bottom Line:Good all-around tire. I've since put on some serious dig-in tires but I keep these for the family rides through the neighborhood and fire roads. If I ever wear these out I'd buy another set for easy ridin', but I don't wanna easy ride.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Jason a Cross Country Rider from Kansas
    Date Reviewed: October 25, 2003
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:Great for X-Country. Nice on pavement. Cool looking sidewalls.
    Weaknesses:None really for what I do. I just ride gravel trails and a little pavement.
    Bike Setup:2004 Trek 4300
    Bottom Line:The thing i like about this tire is that it takes to gravel as well as it takes to pavement. I probably will upgrade to something else (based on what i have read only) when the time comes but their is nothing wrong with this tire if you want a good XC tire.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Rick Onanian a Cross Country Rider from East Greenwich, RI, USA
    Date Reviewed: August 7, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Big River Management Area, West Greenwich, RI
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Purchased At:Came with 1997 GT Outpost
    Strengths:Long life. Good ride on dirt and pavement. 40-65psi reccommended pressure is good range.
    Weaknesses:Not a hardcore muddy hill climber.
    Similar Products Used:Trek Big Kahuna (gets up any hill, wears out quick), Continental Traction (okay tire), Bontrager Invert 2 (Great road tire)
    Bike Setup:1997 GT Outpost, 7000 series alum frame, Weinman 519 rims
    Bottom Line:These tires are possibly the best knobbies you'll ever ride on pavement (though you should use slicks or inverts).

    These tires are very good cross-country tires, except when you need to get up a steep, loose or muddy hill. Then, you'll want something ballsier on the rear. I always ran them at 65psi, so with less pressure, they might get up the hill better.

    Nothing flatted through them, no wear was visible after maybe 500 miles on them.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by SOG Recondo a from Michigan
    Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:Good grip on many different surfaces.
    Cheap price.
    Weaknesses:A teeny tiny thorn pierced an underside area
    between the knobs letting out all tire pressure
    in a matter of seconds (from 50 psi).
    Similar Products Used:None.
    Bike Setup:Stock tire on Trek 4300.
    Bottom Line:The rubber pierced by the thorn was less
    than 1/16th inch. It was still stuck in the
    tire and I pulled it out and broke it easily
    between my thumb and index finger. I'm
    surprised sharp gravel didn't pop this tire
    sooner.

    The tires are entry level. Don't leave ever
    leave a well-manicured grandma trail!

    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Mike Buddha a Cross Country Rider from New York City
    Date Reviewed: August 9, 2002
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Purchased At:Verrazano Bike Shop
    Strengths:Inexpensive
    Weaknesses:Weak side walls gave in on first long ride 60 miles after only 400 miles of overall use mostly on bike paths and New York City streets.
    Similar Products Used:Bontrager Jones AC
    Bike Setup:Trek 4300, Nothing Stock
    Bottom Line:Ok if you just want to ride around the Block a few times or if you are as light as a rail, but if you are substantial and plan to tear up the trails upgrade to the JONES AC
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by T. Hendrick a Cross Country Rider from Toronto
    Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002
    Favorite Trail:dirt, off road
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:Great allround tire, if you plan on doing a mix of raod and offroad these tires are for you.
    Weaknesses:Lose traction off road easily, kind of narrow.
    Bike Setup:gary fisher, lx, hayes disc
    Bottom Line:Great all round tire, not great for lots of off road. If you have just started off road biking but still doing a fare bit of road i recomend these tires for you, great value and great stock tire.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3






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