Fuel EXe Tires hard to mount to Bontrager wheels

[DBSwiss]

I have a Fuel EXE 9.8 and it came with nice Carbon Bontrager rims. to get new tires on, especially with an Enduro or DH casing was always incredibly difficult. One tire I purchased (a Conti Krptotal R, 29x2.4) I tried for 90’ but never got it on despite trying all the tricks and had to return it. Now I figured out what the problem was and it may help you if you have Bontrager rims as well.
Trek uses a very thick plastic rim tape. It’s probably 2-3mm thick. That tape prevents the tire wall to move down into the center channel of the rim to get the other side of the tire on. Once I changed the rim tape to regular tape, I put a new Kryptotal on in a couple minutes.

 

[Stihldog]

Yeah, I had a similar issue. I had to remove the plastic rim thingy and used proper rim tape instead. Also, the plastic rim thingy developed a small slice which was almost impossible to find. I remove them as I find them.

 

[DBSwiss]

Yeah, I had a similar issue. I had to remove the plastic rim thingy and used proper rim tape instead. Also, the plastic rim thingy developed a small slice which was almost impossible to find. I remove them as I find them.

Yes, it’s a paradox. The thick rim tape is supposed to better protect the rim but because it makes it so hard to get tires on, one has to use a lot of force with tire levers which actually damages the tape more. Mine also had cuts which made it leak and caused me to replace it. Regular tape seems like a much better overall solution.

 

[Nerds On Dirt MTB]

Had this issue with some WTB tires, near impossible to get them on lol

 

[Stihldog]

I eventually switched to the Cushcore tire levers. The other ones either broke, cut the rim tape, damaged the rim, or slipped causing more beauty marks on my knuckles.


Chasing the bead around, while installing a cushcore, was a little easier.

 

[Stihldog]

It’s that slow air leak thru the rim drain hole that drives me crazy. Hard to detect sometimes but a small slice in the rim tape or plastic rim insert is usually the problem.
Tire sealant doesn’t always seal that little sliced flap…it’s a pain.

 

[bikeguy11]

I have a Fuel EXE 9.8 and it came with nice Carbon Bontrager rims. to get new tires on, especially with an Enduro or DH casing was always incredibly difficult. One tire I purchased (a Conti Krptotal R, 29x2.4) I tried for 90’ but never got it on despite trying all the tricks and had to return it. Now I figured out what the problem was and it may help you if you have Bontrager rims as well.
Trek uses a very thick plastic rim tape. It’s probably 2-3mm thick. That tape prevents the tire wall to move down into the center channel of the rim to get the other side of the tire on. Once I changed the rim tape to regular tape, I put a new Kryptotal on in a couple minutes.

Had the same issues as you DB and once I removed the liner and used rim tape, problem solved. Holds air just fine.

 

[Stihldog]

Had the same issues as you DB and once I removed the liner and used rim tape, problem solved. Holds air just fine.

A local bike mechanic showed me a technique to apply rim tape …that was helpful.

Initial start after cleaning with isopropyl, tension, alignment, air valve over lap, correct rim width, setting in the rim valley, creating an air valve hole, …who knew???

 

[Yobbo]

I am the most recent victim of this with my new Fuel+. I am an experienced fitter of tyres and have probably changed five hundred tyres in my life for all kinds of vehicle. My new Bontrager Line Carbon wheels took a very frustrating 90 minutes each to get its new Schwalbe tyres on. I had to revert to very carefully using a couple of 18 inch steel car tyre levers and G cramps to pinch the tyre together into the stupidly shallow rim trough in order to prise the tyre onto the rim, something that I have never had to do on a bicycle before. I am going to remove the thick rim tape as there is not a hope of me being able to get the tyre back on to the rim if I ever have to fit a tube out on the trail. Strangely though, getting the bead to break and levering the previous tyre off of the rim was not that difficult.

 

[Weeksy]

Just remove the strip and use standard tape, things fit so so so much better.

 

[DBSwiss]

I am the most recent victim of this with my new Fuel+. I am an experienced fitter of tyres and have probably changed five hundred tyres in my life for all kinds of vehicle. My new Bontrager Line Carbon wheels took a very frustrating 90 minutes each to get its new Schwalbe tyres on. I had to revert to very carefully using a couple of 18 inch steel car tyre levers and G cramps to pinch the tyre together into the stupidly shallow rim trough in order to prise the tyre onto the rim, something that I have never had to do on a bicycle before. I am going to remove the thick rim tape as there is not a hope of me being able to get the tyre back on to the rim if I ever have to fit a tube out on the trail. Strangely though, getting the bead to break and levering the previous tyre off of the rim was not that difficult.

I think that is a good decision. I have been running regular tape now for a while without any issues and it’s so much easier to change tires. Initially when I replaced the tape and mounted the new Kryptotal tires, I had a slow leak but the tires were not seated correctly. Got the sidewalls back off the rim, wetted them a bit and voila, tight seal.

 

[irie]

I smear a line of tubeless sealant onto the inside and out walls of the tyres and onto the inside and outside walls of the rims. Tyres go straight on. Not pretty but zapping with a garden hose to get sealant off is job done - use Mucoff sealant which cleans off dead easy.

 

[steve_sordy]

It works for you @irie, but why is it better than soapy liquid?
id you pick up that the problem was the very thick rim tape used by Bontrager?

 

[irie]

It works for you @irie, but why is it better than soapy liquid?
id you pick up that the problem was the very thick rim tape used by Bontrager?

Use it because it's there and helps to seal when inflating.

 

[Yobbo]

An update on this. I did remove the standard Bontrager hard plastic engineered rim tape from the carbon wheels that came with my Fuel+ and replaced it with conventional tubeless rim tape. It completely fixed the tyre fitting problem. With the new tape I fitted a tyre in two minutes using only one small tyre lever rather than 90 minutes of blood, sweat and cussing with the original Bontrager rim tape. Three weeks on, they are still holding air fine.

A peculiarity I found when I removed the engineered tape from my rims, was that one of my wheels was built October 2025, but on the other one, the label said that it was built in July 2022 !!

 

[Stihldog]

I didn’t realize that the plastic rim seal came with the Bontrager carbon wheels.
Regardless, I threw mine in the garbage. That plastic seal doesn’t allow the tire bead to slip into the rim valley. Pita.

And then if one of the rim holes creates a small “flap” hole, that’s almost impossible to find or detect.

Rim tape was the answer.