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Bontrager XR3 2.4 way undersized and wobbly

1229 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by bayposter, Jan 3, 2022

ssjimbo

Discussion Starter · Jan 2, 2022

I mounted this tire on an I9 27 ID rim and it looked skinny. I took out the caliper and it measured 2.2 almost exactly. I've read that these can be a little undersized, but 0.2 is a huge difference. It is also really wobbly, as if the rim had was hugely out of true, but the rim is fine. I checked the bead seat and it looks uniform all the way around. I also pumped it up to 50 psi (the max) before letting out some air and got the pop of the bead seating all the way around the rim.

Are there quality control issues with these tires? People like them, but I bought a 2.4 tire to have some volume, and I'd be ok losing maybe 0.1, but this seems too much. At least I have 30 days to try them out, but I need to figure out the wobbly issue first.

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J.B. Weld

· #2 · Jan 2, 2022

50 psi is too much imo, also unnecessary. It's possible to damage the casing when inflating to that high of pressure.

Tires "grow" over the course of a few days so it's not uncommon for them to measure a little undersized when they're first mounted. Check the width again in a day or 2.

As for the wobble, assuming the bead seat is fine it's unusual. I install a lot of those tires and they are reliably straight. Bontrager has a no fault 30 day guarantee so you won't have a problem resolving the issue.

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Tinshield

· #3 · Jan 3, 2022

I’ve found them to be fine running tubeless at about 24psi or so. They’re an XC tire and roll fast.

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Riled

· #4 · Jan 3, 2022

It could be an issue with the tires. I had a couple of Maxxis tires that wobbled. I checked everything and figured out it was purely an issue with the tire (uneven sidewall?). It didn't seem to effect performance any, but was a little annoying.

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p1nhead

· #5 · Jan 3, 2022

I've had several 2.4 XR3s on my current bike, with 25mm and 30mm inner width rims. The tire certainly appears wider on the 30mm, but but not sure if it's actually wider, or just flatter on the wider rim and tricking my eye. Anyhow, I've had 4 different tires on the same bike due to either wearing out or getting cut on the trail beyond reasonable repair, and they've all been nice and straight once seated.

If your tire is seated well and wobbling, might be a defect.

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bayposter

· #6 · Jan 3, 2022

]It is also really wobbly, as if the rim had was hugely out of true, but the rim is fine. I checked the bead seat and it looks uniform all the way around.

It could be a defective tire, but before concluding that, I'd try applying warm, soapy water to the tire bead before seating it.

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