Bontrager R3 Tubeless Ready

Bontrager's R3 Tubeless Ready (TLR) tyres offer a very comfortable ride and good puncture resistance. They form part of the brand's tubeless system though they aren't system-specific – you can use other sealants and rim tape without any problem, or indeed bog standard butyl inner tubes, which extends the appeal.

Tyre sections have been getting wider in recent years, with 25mm increasingly the default. These are 26mm, which by my reckoning is the sort of rubber that can perform year round.

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The 120tpi casings and 110psi maximum pressures sound comparatively tame by contemporary standards (Bontrager's R4 320 is, as the name suggests, 320tpi, and many narrow section tyres have upper end pressures around the 125-145psi mark – some higher) but strike a good balance between spirited summer blasting and compliant, tarmac-hugging dependability during the darker months.

Regardless whether you're taking the tube or tubeless route, or standard or deep-section rims, there's a definite knack to persuading them aboard. The first 70 per cent lulls you into a false sense of security... and then I tried everything from my workshop tyre wand to four standard polyamide levers.

After several very loud agricultural outpourings and intensifying frustration, I consulted the Bontrager YouTube channel... Once you've got the 70 per cent home, hold it firmly and then, in minute sections, pluck the remainder home. Add 65-70psi, check everything's seated, and repeat. Huzzah!

The first 200 of 400 miles of testing I used latex tubes, alternating between 90 and 105psi. Formative impressions were of a quick and very compliant tyre, the sort that, despite weighing 320g apiece, are easily coaxed up to speed and glide along nicely. This compliance was really appreciated after 60-70 miles of fairly tough roads, littered with loose chippings at one extreme, others turning to treacle.

While riding, I was conscious of flints setting into the casings, and for testing purposes encouraged them to cultivate and embed over the course of several shorter blasts. Not so much as a nick in the casing, let alone a flat. Pushing to 30-35mph in torrential rain, they never missed a beat, even on 1-in-7 descents with hairpin bends for good measure.

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This performance came in handy through town, too, when flicking around the usual suspects – holes, errant pedestrians, opening car doors... Despite concerted efforts, riding through shards of glass and debris, there were a few superficial nicks but nothing deep enough to demand filling with superglue. The only flat I succumbed to was the result of a tear at the tube's valve – presenting the ideal opportunity to go tubeless. Core and tape in, system checked and (Stan's) sealant delivered... round two.

Experimenting with the pressures, starting with 110 and repeating the rides, I was impressed by the tyres' supple, compliant nature. Even compared with a latex tube, there was some discernible improvement in rolling resistance and refinement.

> Reasons to go tubeless…

One of the many virtues often touted by the tubeless faithful is the ability to run them at much lower pressures without worry of pinch flats, or that they might roll from the rim. Running them at 70, their baseline as marked on the side, was a bit on the low side for me personally; 95 seemed optimal, offering leach-like purchase in all contexts. Admittedly, some residual diesel encountered while tackling a roundabout left me a little shaken, but that greater contact certainly bodes well for crisp winter mornings, before the sun's had chance to burn through the icy film.

Calling their bluff, I've ridden through tacks and other sharps, and the sealant's done its thing handsomely.

Ultimately, I've been seriously impressed, and for those riders wanting to try tubeless and/or needing a four-seasons tyre for their trainer or best bike, the R3 seems an excellent option.

Verdict

Versatile and comfortable road tyres – and an excellent introduction to tubeless