[One Pivot]

I like trying new stuff, so I bought a quart of bontrager sealant with my XR3.

It setup easy and sealed quickly. No problems. Its got what looks like black pepper flakes (its probably rubber?) which appear like they'll do their job. I think the bottle said non latex, which hasnt been great for me so far.

I never hear anyone talk about bonty sealant. Does it have a bad record? I've used a lot of sealants and keep going back to orange seal, but I like the bonty sealant so far. The scorching summer is coming, so that's the real shake down, but so far so good.

As a side note, this 2.35 XR3 is a pretty damn mild tire. It rolls incredibly fast and has poor braking traction. This tire is what I expected the XR2 to be.

 

[ColinL]

First & foremost - I've never used the Bonty sealant. I like Orange Seal a lot. My last deviation away from it was Finish Line and that stuff was a huge disappointment so I haven't strayed recently.

About the XR3-
I assume you have the previous generation, not the new one, as it's currently only available in 27.5x2.8 and 29x2.4. This is the new: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...m-issue-tlr-mtb-tire/p/27917/?colorCode=black

I have ridden a 27.5x2.35 previous gen quite a lot and have a SE3 is on the rear of my bike now which is the same tread on a heavier, burlier carcass.

Tires are so subjective but I like the 'old' XR3 a lot on my Bronson v2 with a XR4 front. The XR3 is really fast, and the majority of my braking is up front. It hooks up acceptably for me, for slow techy descents. It's almost as fast as a Maxxis Ikon and it grips better in all aspects. It's terrible in the mud, but I very rarely encounter mud.

 

[Gman086]

I've been consulting with the manufacturer for several years now and they keep improving their formula. They let me test it and I've always had great success; beads seal very easily and their new tiny single use bottles squirt right thru the valve core and are a joy to work with. The initial sealant needed higher pressures (like road bike pressures) to seal quickly so they got mixed reviews by the mags but their new polymer works much better now for the lower mtb tire pressures similar to the natural latex sealants like Stans. The new version is blue in color so unless you have that it is not the latest/greatest. One big advantage over natural latex is that it takes a lot longer to dry out so it lasts much longer. Also the black flakes are not rubber, it is a proprietary fill that makes it one of the better sealants on the market. They've brought on another HUGE bike manufacturer as a customer so you can expect to see a lot more of this sealant in the future. I'm glad you like it!

Have FUN!

G MAN

 

[One Pivot]

I have a white bottle with white sealant that lists 26" and 29". Must be old stuff! It's still pretty good, it's too bad they shipped me old stock, this order was placed last month.

Colin, I do like the xr3 so far, it's just much more towards the xc end than I expected. Not disappointed, just surprised. I like a fast rear, so I'm sure it'll be great.

 

[crembz]

How did the sealant work out for you in the long term? Any experience with punctures, drying etc?

 

[Gman086]

The new blue version works fantastic - I literally have ZERO weeping which was an issue with the previous white version. Very happy here! Have not had any large punctures tho so can't comment yet on that aspect.

Have FUN!

G MAN

 

[crembz]

The new blue version works fantastic - I literally have ZERO weeping which was an issue with the previous white version. Very happy here! Have not had any large punctures tho so can't comment yet on that aspect.

Have FUN!

G MAN

You need to ride harder, wreck a tyre and report back on how well it seals :ciappa:

On a serious note, how's it going for longevity and what does the bottle of the new 'blue' version look like so we know what version we're getting at the lbs?

 

[Gman086]

You need to ride harder, wreck a tyre and report back on how well it seals :ciappa:

On a serious note, how's it going for longevity and what does the bottle of the new 'blue' version look like so we know what version we're getting at the lbs?

I can get an honest year out of it as our summers have not been that hot lately. If you have temps in the 90's or 100's then probably half that so longevity is good.

Pic of the new version attached. I love these single use squeeze bottles - just squeeze thru the presta valve with core removed and DONE; no more spilling when you're wrestling with the tire trying to mount! For quart bottles check the level indicator and make sure it's blue. Just found more pics on Trek's website: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...cessories/bontrager-tlr-tire-sealant/p/27290/
Product details:
Improved flat protection seals punctures faster
Increased air retention holds air longer with 3x less air loss than the original
Compatible with all TLR tires for use on road, gravel, and mountain bikes
Ammonia-free mixture won't corrode alloy rims or degrade tires
Effective in temperatures ranging from -5 to 120 degrees F (-21 to 49 degrees C)
Cool new blue color
Use with Bontrager TLR wheels, sealant, and rim strips for a complete tubeless system designed and tested to work together
Can be used in tubes to help seal punctures

So... their claim of 3x less air loss I CAN validate. I used to air up my tires every third ride and now like once a month I check and they're still close to full! VERY happy with the new sealant!

Have FUN!

G MAN

 

[Lone Rager]

... I love these single use squeeze bottles -...

Yeah. I rinse out and save the 2 oz bottles, fill them from large bottles, and use them to squirt sealant in through the valve stem.

 

[crembz]

Yeah. I rinse out and save the 2 oz bottles, fill them from large bottles, and use them to squirt sealant in through the valve stem.

Sounds like I need to go try some. Sounds exactly like what I'm chasing

 

[zstover]

Old thread, reviving. My new slash came set up tubeless with this stuff. Works fine. Didn't have enough orange seal on hand at the time when I installed cushcores to change out to orange so I just dumped back in the bontrager TLR stuff I salvaged. I'm probably running a bit low, so I just went ahead and ordered the quart.

Orange seal is awesome and I've used it in the other bike with no issues. I like that the bontrager has a lot of suspended solids and it seems like it will work fine. I've got a few long rides / funduro races coming up, so I'm just gonna dump in more of the bontrager stuff and go from there. When these tires are shot, then I'll probably go orange again or whatever performs best during my next puncture.

 

[bitflogger]

Yeah. I rinse out and save the 2 oz bottles, fill them from large bottles, and use them to squirt sealant in through the valve stem.

I re-use those bottles and get the large/bulk bottle.

No complaints with the blue stuff here. Their instructions call for less fluid than other brands. It's been fine with different brand tires. No sealant in a few tried has ever been good for tears or larger punctures as most advertise but this Bontrager stuff is find for most punctures.

FWIW, my home/closest trail system has a spot that was an old farmer's dump. It produces bits of glass and metal all the time so I get a lot of testing the stuff. With riding so popular it supports this as good sealant, and why friends should only let friends buy the SE Bontrager tires.

 

[zstover]

I re-use those bottles and get the large/bulk bottle.

No complaints with the blue stuff here. Their instructions call for less fluid than other brands. It's been fine with different brand tires. No sealant in a few tried has ever been good for tears or larger punctures as most advertise but this Bontrager stuff is find for most punctures.

FWIW, my home/closest trail system has a spot that was an old farmer's dump. It produces bits of glass and metal all the time so I get a lot of testing the stuff. With riding so popular it supports this as good sealant, and why friends should only let friends buy the SE Bontrager tires.

My bike is XR4/5, I wish it was SE, but they grip, they don't roll over too much, I just need to not rub the side walls all over EVERYTHING.. Next tires are honestly probably going to be michelin wild enduros based on cost, grip, and longevity. I don't really want to play the game with maxxis where maybe they sweat sealant, maybe they dont.

 

[almazing]

The old white stuff was basically Stan's. Which means it dried within a month. The new stuff is practically a mix of Stan's and Orange, but blue. Not as thick as Orange but has particles in it, but also not as thin as Stan's.

They're good stuff, but I use Muc-Off Sealant now. They don't dry out and they seal well. I've had some in tires for 6 months and it never dried. It did get thick as the water evaporated, but never got bone dry.

 

[ceugene]

The old white stuff was basically Stan's. Which means it dried within a month. The new stuff is practically a mix of Stan's and Orange, but blue. Not as thick as Orange but has particles in it, but also not as thin as Stan's.

They're good stuff, but I use Muc-Off Sealant now. They don't dry out and they seal well. I've had some in tires for 6 months and it never dried. It did get thick as the water evaporated, but never got bone dry.

I've done long-term testing on a lot of sealants, including the current blue Bontrager TLR sealant and Orange Seal. They are not very similar.

Smell: Bontrager TLR has a sharp, pungent odor thanks to its carrier fluid. Orange Seal smells mostly like latex.
Consistency: Bontrager is thinner, Orange Seal is milky. When shaken, Orange Seal stays very frothy.
Solids: Bontrager has a large ratio of fine solids. They aren't black, but brown like fine sand. Orange Seal has tiny silvery flakes.
Behavior: I left 50mL of both in Dixie cups until they dried out. Orange Seal dried out much more quickly, leaving a thick rubbery film on the sides of the cup. Orange Seal did not dissolve the wax layer on the inside of the cup and did not seep through the paper layer as a result. Bontrager TLR stayed liquid twice as long and soaked through the wax/paper of the cup. It desposited filtered sealant around the base of the cup. On the inside of the cup, the sealant dried mostly into a single lump at the bottom of the cup rather than leaving a thick membrane on the sides like Orange Seal did.
Remnants: The dried Bontrager TLR sealant did not have much cohesion...When rolled between my fingers, the latex would break apart. Orange Seal dries into very stretchy sheets of latex. When rolled around in my fingertips, it would just roll into one big ball and not break apart.

Orange Seal is still the gold standard. Bontrager is good in a pinch... it's one of the better sealants that isn't Orange Seal. It is more likely to weep through "porous" tires.