Race wheelset is designed for years of off-road abuse; features cartridge sealed bearing hubset
Race rims are design specific and welded for superior strength – 28/28 hole design is engineered to provide enough stiffness for any size rider
Hubs are fully serviceable, cartridge bearing design; rear hub features Cro-moly steel rear axle and cassette rotor for extra durability; KB's HiLo ATB rear hub design ensures excellent spoke bracing angles for improved lateral wheel stiffness; front hub has oversize cartridge bearings and aluminum axle with adjustable pre-load
Bontrager Race Mtn Cro-moly skewers included
Disc brake rotor placed for international standard – no adaptors required when used with most braking systems
Submitted by
JungleJim
a Racer
from Gilbert, AZ USA Date Reviewed: May 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Hawes
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
durability
Weaknesses:
weight, weak axle shaft
Similar Products Used:
Mavic
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel EX8
Bottom Line:
I've ridden these wheels for over 5k miles on rocky AZ trails, racing one season as CAT3 and almost two seasons as CAT2 and they have finally gotten where they won't stay true. They are heavy but have held up good for what they were subjected to - I ride pretty hard and weigh about 190. I'm ready for something lighter at this point.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jrzypossum
a Weekend Warrior
from cherry hill,nj Date Reviewed: April 29, 2009
Favorite Trail:
gloucester county college
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
D&Q
Strengths:
They have not let me down.dependable(what you need in bike parts)
Weaknesses:
None at all
Bike Setup:
GF fat possum xt,shimano xt drivetrain,easton ea70 bars,hayes stroker carbon brakes,kenda nevegal 2.1 and other little things
Bottom Line:
People say how bad they are but they have been very reliable. They have stayed true from crashes and jumps. I would recomend these if you can find them cheap.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Needmore Cowbell
a Racer
from Rochester, MI, USA Date Reviewed: December 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Addison Oaks
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
LBS (Rochester Bike
Strengths:
Strong, no issues.
Weaknesses:
None found yet.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing special comes to mind.
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Supercaliber (wheels were stock on this purchase)
Bottom Line:
No problems in over 1000 miles on these wheels primarily riding single track, SE Michigan roots, and even the skills park on the jumps and teeters. I'm a 165# rider that did races and also some endurance races on these. No issues so far with hubs or rims that came stock with the bike. Never had to tighten a spoke yet (may be that LBS did a good intial job on setting up the bike), but sounds like I better take a look to make sure all is well. Right now debating on going from tubed to tubeless and researching the benefits.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eastexc
a Cross Country Rider
from Lindale, Texas, USA Date Reviewed: September 3, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Ouachita AR
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Very strong true spinning wheels. Strength to weight ratio unbeatable.
Weaknesses:
all Bontrager models seem to get heavier every year while the price rises
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race X Lite wheel, XTR, WTB Laser Disc Lite, and American Classic hubs matched to Stan's Olympic or ZTR rims
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Cake 3 with upgrades all over including XTR crankset, R7 fork, Avid BB7 Disc brakes, OS flat-bar etc.
Bottom Line:
I've read some of the other reviews on here for this wheelset and the reviewers seem too critical. This is not a top of the line race wheelset, so you can't expect perfection. I weigh 170 lbs, race XC and endurance, and my wheels could be considered "frequent flyers" while I only true my Bontragers once or twice a year! Race Disc wheels are really training wheels, not race day wheels. With that said, they are very strong and stay true inspite of harsh riding conditions. They should hold up to anything you can throw at them, but keep in mind they are cross country/all-mountain wheels... not downhill wheels! Some people are going to bend rims and break spokes no matter what kind of wheel or bike they ride, even if they keep their wheels on the ground. I know a world-class 7-time IronMan competitor who breaks a spoke almost every time he rides his XT-equipped Specialized. Skilled riders can jump stumps etc with a set of 1400-gram wheels and never harm the integrity of the wheel.
I'm surprised that anyone would have problems with this wheelset, as Bontragers are a favorite among lots of XC and Adventure racers. All in all Race Disc are a good deal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
B
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Date Reviewed: July 23, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Hardware seems okay
Weaknesses:
These came on Trek Fuel EX 8. Not sure who built the wheels, but heed the warnings about spoke tension. When I noticed some rear wheel wobble, I noticed very uneven spoke tension and low overall tension. Using a tension meter to first balance tension and then increase has straightened wheel and eliminated any problems.
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel EX8. I'm 6'3" 200 lbs.
Bottom Line:
I'd take these out for a couple of break-in rides and then have them adjusted (balance and increase spoke tension) or you may destroy the rim beyond repair because of the problems mentioned above..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jimbo
a Weekend Warrior
from Newcastle - Australia Date Reviewed: August 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
anything singletrack and down
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Roll well, choice between tubes and tubeless
Weaknesses:
Weak.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano wheelsets and specialized/mavic
Bike Setup:
trek fuel ex8
Bottom Line:
These wheels are weak. I weigh only 63 kg (140lb), and came off a smallish jump (landed both wheels) and the rear buckled and was stuffed. Also injured myself nastily in the fall. After 7 years of riding, its the first time I've ever killed a wheel - not good bontrager. Anyhow, thanx to the LBS who are making me a new mavic set. If ya getting this set with a bike, save up the extra cash and upgrade away from these. They're too soft and dangerous.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CTodd
a Racer
from Somerville, MA Date Reviewed: July 30, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Mount Snow
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
I wouldn't use "strength" to describe these wheels. They have stayed, for the most part, true despite my raceing (and crashing)
Weaknesses:
They are heavy. The bearings are complete crap. 3 months and they are grinding like mad. The freehub bearing is completely shot. The rims seesm to be ok, but I did get one flat from nothing once. I think the tubless tire separated. There are many factors to that, not sure its fair to count that. the worst part are the hubs. And the weight.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy these wheels. Maybe Bontrager's upper end wheels are ok, but these are terrible.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yukon
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, ME Date Reviewed: July 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Bradbury Mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
O.E.M.
Strengths:
Once properly tensioned they have remained true after 3 months of hard riding singletrack by my 210 lbs.
Weaknesses:
This factory wheelset arrived with very little spoke tension, which the LBS wrench did not adjust during assembly. Before riding be absolutely sure to put these rims on a truing stand and add tension. Had I not, these wheels were so loose that they surely would've taco'd on first big impact. A 28 spoke wheel needs adequate tension for strength, and to remain true. My guess is that so many shops neglect this, and then the unsuspecting rider heads out to go ride or huck their new bike and gets a big expensive, unpleasant, and unwarrantied surprise.
Similar Products Used:
Bullseye hubs/Sun rims, XT hubs/Mavic rims,
Bike Setup:
Fischer Sugar 293 with mods.
Bottom Line:
A wheelset even of the best parts is only as good as it's assembly. This factory wheelset was not handbuilt, and needs to be tensioned before riding. If not, it WILL fail. This is a production issue not being resolved by the assembling mechanic, and the product itself is taking the bad rap. It would appear that Bontrager has overlooked the quality control of it's Thaiwanese subcontractor, and not issued a service bulletin to its dealer network to correct. *Note a 29er wheel will not fit on a Park TS-2 without first removing the rubber. This is not an excuse, rather an explanation for why the LBS mechanic did not tension and true the wheels during assembly.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lee
a Cross Country Rider
from SF Bay Area, CA Date Reviewed: June 13, 2005
Favorite Trail:
anything but paved
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Came with the bike
Strengths:
strong, smooth, fast, stiff
Weaknesses:
a bit heavy
Similar Products Used:
Mavic/XT
Bike Setup:
01 Sugar 3+, with a lot of upgrades
Bottom Line:
This wheelset is solid. I have over 1000 hard miles on it an they are still good as new. Only did some truing. Rolls smooth and faaast! I'd say this is great for cross country riding. Most complains on previous reviews are probably OPERATOR ERROR. Any equipment must be used as per design in order to make it work right, just like using the right tool for the right application.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Racer
from South FL Date Reviewed: March 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
BicycleGeneration.com
Strengths:
Looks, Tubeless Compatibility, So cheap that you could practically buy a new wheelset every season.
Weaknesses:
Hubs are complete garbage, rims aren't too strong, tensioned very poorly, hard to find parts for.
Don't expect to do hard riding or these wheels to last more then a season. I never ride my mountainbike except to race, so they've only ever had maybe 200 miles on them.
The first issue was shotty bearings, which leads to a grindy feel and caused play in the rear hub. I replaced the bearings with aviation grade (since I couldn't find Bonti replacements), and it worked, momentarily atleast. The rear would keep comming loose, and the hub is such a pain to adjust.
The second issue was the freehub. Mine toasted out after only 2-3 months, and there was servere play in it. The chain wouldn't shift properly and would wear at a much faster rate because of the play. Although it has yet to gain more 'play,' it is still a huge problem that you not only hear on every pedal stroke, but feel!
The last problem was the tension was just garbage. My rear wheel was making creaking from the spokes/nipples from day one, although it only needed a light true job in the middle of the season. The front wheel was the biggest problem. All I remember was returning from a ride, and looking and my front tire, it was a nearly taco'd front wheel. I have no idea how it happened, although I suspect it was from a big "gulp" that I always take. The front can no longer be true'd back up.
---------------------------
Don't get your hopes up, even though these are Hugi/Swiss made hubs, DT Swiss Spokes/nipples, and a quality Aluminum Bontrager OSB rim, none of them work good together.
---------------------------
Bontrager, shape up!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle Wa USA Date Reviewed: December 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Always had great luck with bonty welded rims
Weaknesses:
2002 had crappy bearings, cones, nice axles, bad freehubs that take an unusually extra large allen to remove, way cheeper then anything I'd expect Keith to allow his name on... 2003's no weakness yet...so far
Similar Products Used:
wide variety..
Bike Setup:
Liquid 20...not much fancy stuff yet, pssss Psylo XC's SUCK!! rest of bike is awesome.
Bottom Line:
The quality of these wheels, completely depends on the model year you got. bottom line: 2002 yr suck ass, 2003 yr are awesome! Still rather trust a tubed wheel, but that's just me. Happy trails, and keep the rubber side down! Ride on!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ken
a Weekend Warrior
from Kent, WA Date Reviewed: August 29, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Noble Knob/Palisades
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Durable, ability to go tubeless or not
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Mavic, Araya
Bike Setup:
Klein Palomino Race/Disc
Bottom Line:
These have been the most durable wheels that I have had. I'm 195 lbs and do not baby my bikes. Over 800 miles of NW roots, rocks, mud, etc. on them and no issues.
These are as true as they were when I first purchased my bike. I have never had any issues with the hubs. If there were any issues with the hubs riding in our conditions here would have exposed them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Racer
from Southern Oregon, USA Date Reviewed: June 29, 2003
BONTRAGER REAR HUBS ARE AS USEFUL AS A SCREEN DOOR ON A SUBMARINE...I have managaged to completely fry 3 freehub bodies within 8 months and had it today, got me a shimano wheel...
Similar Products Used:
Sun CR17 rims/formula hubs (CRAPPOLA), deore hubs/rhyno lite rims (sweet) deore hubs/ Mavic 223 disc (sweet)
Bike Setup:
fisher sugar 3+ disc, fire XC pro, chris kin headset, thomson stem, bontrager saddle(only decent bontrager product as far as I am concerned) shimano/mavic rear wheel
Bottom Line:
CRAPPOLLA, probably got stuck with yours on ur bike, replace them asap if you do any type of riding period, I stand 5'11 and 155 pounds and i've broken 3 of em...lets see a big guy who has a lot more power in his legs use these for ANY period of time. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BONTRAGER!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ken
a Cross Country Rider
from Chandler, AZ Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
Look nice, easily convert to tubeless with Stans Notubes. Have stayed true for a year. My first real bike so they put up with a lot of crashing! Easy to maintain.
Weaknesses:
have to rebuild the front hub about once a month, Freewheel slack a little too much for my preference
I have had to rebuild the front hub every couple months or so. I'm pretty good at it now, got it down to two squares of paper towels! They use funny size cone wrenches (17mm). I had the rear hub rebuilt once. I do a good amount of riding and rebuilding hubs is a part of normal maintinance, so this is really a weakness. But I wanted to mention it since I have to rebuild the front more often than the rear. The hub makes a squeak on each rotation when its time for some grease. Overall a really tough set of wheels. I will probably buy Chris King next time though
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Walking for now
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa, FL Date Reviewed: June 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with Sugar 2+
Strengths:
Looks, weight.
Weaknesses:
Weak rims.
Similar Products Used:
mavic
Bike Setup:
Full Suspension xcountry setup.
Bottom Line:
Front wheel tacoed on me on the third ride. No jumps, no curbs, and no logs. Just a washed out rut and the dam thing folds and sends me flying. This is mountain biking not figure ice skating. Stay away from this wheel.
BTW I am 165 pounds; so is not like I am a lard ass.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Cotati, CA, USA Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$179.00
Purchased At:
Cambira Bicycle Emporium
Strengths:
Looks are great but what the hell does that even matter, it not the apperance, it the performance. Rims are sturdy and stay ture.
Weaknesses:
Well dont even got me started with the hubs, they suck. I haven't had any problems with the front but the rear is destroyed forcing me to get a whole new rear wheel. The seals are crap leaving everything in my freehub body destroyed. Not good stuff when your in a race, thats when it bunked out on me, but ended up in second to what the hell.
Bottom Line:
I got these wheels for cheep and they lasted me about a year so i cant complain too much. The rims are fine, but the hubs that come with this wheelset aren't any good. I would only recommend this wheelset if your gonna ride in dry conditions. If you end up getting these wheels I wouldn't ride them in wet muddy conditions too often.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from North Richland Hills, Tx. Date Reviewed: March 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Urban Assaults
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Grapevine Bike Center
Strengths:
Light, Very Strong, Look great
Weaknesses:
All the people that don't know what they're tlaking about
First off. The hubs on these wheels are bad ass, one of the reviewers says Bontrager does not know how to make hubs... your right.. he might not, these are made by Dt Swiss, their the Dt Swiss Hugi ONYX Disc Hubs. And as far as adjusting the hub, as some reviewers have said. You can't adjust a sealed bearing hub. The '01 Race disc wheels were sealed mech. Now.. for the review. I'm a Freeridin' Urban Assaultin' Adrenaline Junkie. These wheels are exceptionally strong. The hubs have been abused multiple times from 7-8 foot jumps and drops, and have never had a bad turn or any play. The rear rim is out of whack, but that wasn't from jumping at all, it was from riding up stairs at full speed with my tires inadequately inflated. I'm going to lace these wheels with the '03 Race Disc Tubeless rims when I get the chance. For being so light, these wheels are amazing. For someone who is a Cross Country guru, or a Free rider of the not totally insane description *I'm crazy.... not stupid* these wheels are a great upgrade for any bike. Keith Bontrager hats off to you, I'll buy ya a 6 pack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Racer
from Medford, Oregon, USA Date Reviewed: November 19, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Cat Walk
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came on fuel 90 disc, and sugar 3+ disc
Strengths:
primo cool looks, not too heavy, strong hubs(2003), tubeless compatability(2003)
Weaknesses:
managed to somehow break my rear freehub in about 2 weeks, so when I went to take off, the wheel would make sounds like my derailleur was off until a good tooth caught in the hub(2002)
Similar Products Used:
no disc wheels other than these
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
have used both2002 standard wheelset, and 2003 tubeless wheelset, and prefer the 2003 model b/c I haven't broken the freehub in those like i did in last year's model.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Oregon Date Reviewed: September 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Anything with dirt
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Stock on Klein Attitude
Strengths:
Not too heavy at all. Disc-specific rims, cartridge bearings and Swiss-made Onyx hubs (basically, with a Bontrager label stamped on) for only about $380 retail. 28 14/15 spokes keep weight in check and OSB rims give incredible strength.
Weaknesses:
Paint chips around rim flange when changing tire with plastic tire levers. Maybe I just got a set with a bad paint job or something.
Similar Products Used:
Race-modified disc, various Bontrager and Mavic Shimano-hubbed wheelsets.
Bike Setup:
Klein Attitude Comp Disc, Psylo Race, and now Race Modified Disc Wheels going on it.
Bottom Line:
What the heck is everybody talking about? These hubs are fine! I have bashed the crap outta these wheels and they have only required a single touch-up true. No hub play, noise or failure to speak of so far. The hubs are so incredibly simple, its hard to see how they could fail. Hmmm, user error maybe? If the hubs have a lot side-to-side play, that is the axle moving in relation to the bearings, not the bearings moving themselves! That means the axle needs to be tightened, any mechanically inclined individual with half a brain can figure that out. C'mon, their cartridge bearings! It's not rocket science here! I've made sure they were properly adjusted out of the box (which they already were) and haven't had any problems. These wheels are also a great value and offer great weight, performance and technology for the money. Would definitely recommend them as an upgrade or part of a complete bike. Only downside is the paint issue, but I think it's just an isolated occurence that I had the misfortune of receiving.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from ontario,Canada Date Reviewed: June 6, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
looks
Weaknesses:
weak hubs,customer service
Similar Products Used:
gt hubs,lx hubs, xt hubs
Bike Setup:
fisher sugar 2+ with discs
Bottom Line:
you can't get by on looks alone.The wheelset have weak hubs, my rear hub is making strange sounds like metal grinding ,bought a xt cassette to go on it but cassette has play on free hub body, tried cassette on a shimano free hub and it fits like a dream.I paid alot of money for my bike and I thought these would be a good wheelset now I am going to have to replace them ,one option would be to replace the hub but try and find a 28 spoke hub also the area rep dosn't feel there is any problem with the wheels and the play with the cassette shouldn't get any worse I feel this attitude is totally unacceptable and will never buy anything from the "trek" family if I could rate this any lower I would also would strongly recomend not buy a bike with bontrager components.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JOHN
a Cross Country Rider
from towson MD Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anything in the woods
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
fisher pro deal (Mt Tam disc)
Strengths:
good skewers and the rims dont flat much at low air presure thats about it....
Weaknesses:
week rims THE WORST HUBS I HAVE EVER OWNED. after adjusting them and riding for an hour the while either wont move of will have up to a half inch of play. warrenty?? what warenty. ok i can understand about the rims but i mean the hubs fell apart after just a few months.
Similar Products Used:
spingergy xclone disc XT hub/ sun rims
Bike Setup:
fisher mt tam, XT-XTR, race face next LP cranks, thudbuster seat post, easton carbon bars, XT hydrolic disc brakes
Bottom Line:
spend a few extra bucks now and get somethign better it will be worth it in the long run
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian S
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, Ma Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Too many.
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Unfortuately TRM Cycle
Strengths:
Rims are very strong. Aesthitics.
Weaknesses:
Hubs!
Similar Products Used:
a rim and a branch off a maple tree 3 inches in diameter
Bike Setup:
Sugar 3: thomson, easton, chris king, full xt
Bottom Line:
I am 200 lbs and i ride pretty hard offroad. Also i do some freeridin. The rims are stong but the hubs are crap. From the first week i've had this wheelset the hubs have needed adjustment after every ride. Usually i could feel the hubs worsen throughout a ride. It is a lot of trouble to disassemble the wheel just for the rim but that looks what i am goin to do. Bontrager components are a waste of money and time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
seosamh nash
a Cross Country Rider
from switzerland Date Reviewed: February 6, 2002
Favorite Trail:
uetliberg Zurich
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Middleton Cycles
Strengths:
hold their factory true for a good while. Hubs look big and bad, which suggests longevity and durability
Weaknesses:
front wheel seems to strain under disc braking forces pushing the axle out of alignment with the drop outs. I rectified this by changing the QR, as the bontrager notching was too shallow. Rear hub is knackered, cones are pitted. Rear hub always gave trouble due to pure manufacturing tolerences.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic on LX that lasted 4 times longer
Bike Setup:
X Caliber, XTR and RaceFace replacing the weaker OEM parts.
Bottom Line:
Wheels are a pain in the ass. A failed cone requires a new hub, which requires a new wheel rebuild, so easier a new wheel?, sure why not a set? (the other is the same crap anyhow), and while were at it go for something of better quality to warrant the investment. Before you know it, a new set of descent wheels has cost nearly half the price of the bike in the first place. Go for a custom build from the outset, or pay in time and dollars replacing weak parts.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Dayton, Ohio Date Reviewed: November 17, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Stayed true for a couple seasons.
Weaknesses:
Play in rear hub would not stay out. Rotor mounting surface runout. Rotor screws would not stay tight (finally with loctite. Freehub failure - non standard Taiwanese (Formula). Torqued freehub threads out of rear hub. Try to find a new 28 hole disc hub. Of course why would you want to save these wheels given all the other problems with them.
Similar Products Used:
new King/Mavics on the way!
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher X-Caliber 2000
Bottom Line:
The 2000's are a cheap design and are of poor quality to boot. When you have rear hub trouble (you will) you're stuck with a 28 hole yellow rim. There are better choices out there for the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
john doe
a Weekend Warrior
from canada Date Reviewed: September 12, 2001
Favorite Trail:
A-Line
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
-Strong -Light -EZ to true -Cheap ($100 for the front wheelset)
Weaknesses:
-28 hole -Presta
Similar Products Used:
Rhyno LIte XL, Mavic 321 Disc
Bike Setup:
My friends Stock gary Fisher Xcaliber
Bottom Line:
I dont know why eveyrone is complainig about these kinda rims, these have been taken to the shore, landed hard, gone off 6ft drops etc, these are bombproof for a XC rim. The reason why you are busting all you rims is cuz you dont know how ot land, you will bend any rim if you land bad or in an awkward position. Its all posers who are landing hard and breaking em, any rim you are gonna have are gonna break
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from Lethbridge, Canada Date Reviewed: September 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Ascent
Strengths:
takes the hits, looks killer, very light weight
Weaknesses:
none
Bike Setup:
fisher x-caliber
Bottom Line:
What the f*ck are you guys talking about? This is a totally bullet proof wheel set. I've launched five foot hucks (would like to do more but...NEWS FLASH!!--its a hard tail; ie. not made for huckin), and there's nary a wobble from the hub. I have a friend who had some 517s and he f*cked them both...and he DOESN'T do drops. It was just from hard riding. He just tacoed his new Sun DH Rhynolite while we were on a lift run, and mine is still tight as a drum. Bottom line: if you use this wheel set for its intended purpose-cross country races, etc. YOU CANNOT DESTROY IT. I give it 5 flamin moes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MadMex
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Ana, CA Date Reviewed: August 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Downieville Downhill
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Haven't snapped in 2?
Weaknesses:
The whole damn thing.
Bottom Line:
I am the friend in the review below and he is right. These rims just suck. My rear hub has so much play in it now that when I hit my brakes, it feels like my bike is going to fall apart. You figure Bontrager would have made these "disc" hubs strong enough for disc brakes. I give this hub one more month before it starts spinning in both directions. Bottom line, buy something else.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
EZ rider
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa, CA Date Reviewed: June 12, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Weaknesses:
Pretty much everything
Bottom Line:
I too have a same problem with the rotor alignment with the rear wheel. I had to use the shims to compensate for the misalignment, and doing so stripped the threads of the hub. I had to find some longer bolts than the ones supplied by Shimano. Bearing system is terrible for wheelset of this price. My friend bought the same wheels, and now he's faced with defective freehub. I can't wait until I get rid of these wheels. I don't even have any heart to give these away.... in the trash they will go.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MonkeyMan
a Cross Country Rider
from So Cal Date Reviewed: January 4, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Strawberry Peak
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
SuperGo
Strengths:
Lite and don't go out of true
Weaknesses:
crappy hubs, hard to replace rims.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 317 Disc with Hugi Hub, Hayes Hub and Mavic 317
Bike Setup:
X-caliber, Z-1 Drop Off ect...
Bottom Line:
If you xc race with discs these are a pretty good bet for the $. If you ride epics or do any real downhilling this things are gonna get destroyed. I taco'd the front in about a month (my fault), and when I asked about getting a rim to replace it several suppliers couldn't help me out. The rear hub just gave out after about a year of pretty serious use, which isn't bad but my Hugi is still bomber. If you want a good rims for cheaper get XT hub/317 rim or XT hub/rhino lite rim.
All in all there not worth the dough, hench 2 chili's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Arild Skogmo
a Cross Country Rider
from Oslo,Norway Date Reviewed: December 18, 2000
The wheelset is no more than average in my opinion. The rear hub is weak! (mine broke after 1 month. A friend of mine also broke his... Bontrager really messed something up here..) -the yellow finish looked stupid on my bike, but that is of course a question of taste. You can buy better wheels for the same money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tor Dahle
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: December 13, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Pauly creek,Second divide
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Rims, weight
Weaknesses:
None so far ( I don't work on bikes and the guy who works on my bike did not complain about them )
Bike Setup:
Giant XTC DS1, Z1-X fly, Shimano etc.
Bottom Line:
For me they have worked well. They have been worked hard at times and still works great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Powell
a Cross Country Rider
from Oceanside, Ca Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Daley Ranch
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Nice rim design, very strong for 28 spoke rims.
Weaknesses:
Hubs!
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Maveric w/ Bontrager Hubs that came on my '99 Level Betty
Bike Setup:
Hayes hydraulic disc front and rear, shimano lx/xt, Bontrager Race disc wheelset.
Bottom Line:
The rear hub broke right where the cassette threads on to it. This also happened with the original wheel set from Bontrager. Their rims hold up nice, but thier hubs are CRAP! Hubs usually last about 6 months. I heard this one break as I was pedaling up a steep incline (pushing real hard on the drive train).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nicholas
a Cross Country Rider
from Mission Viejo, CA USA Date Reviewed: November 5, 2000
Favorite Trail:
like em all -
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Werks - Mission Viejo
Strengths:
they're round and rotor adapters are a great idea
Weaknesses:
improper tensioning of the spokes at the factory, poor quality control - rotor side of both front and rear hubs were not faced off 90 degrees causing rotor wobble between the caliper pads, poor customer service, had to regrease the rear hub before starting as it was grinding a bit.
Similar Products Used:
Quite a few -
Bike Setup:
K2 4500 Carbon with Carbon swingarm, full XT including new Shimano XT Hydraulic brakes, WTB BB and Head set, K2 Pro Carbon S Crosslink fork with Disc Adapter
Bottom Line:
Bottom line? - Don't buy these wheels/hubs:
1. when contacting Bontrager direct, no one could help me and whenever i got put thru to the techs, in particular someone named Chris, i had to leave a voice mail message and no one ever returned my calls. I even spoke to Jeff Grothjahn, the manager there at Bontrager (920) 478 4670 and he would not help, just wanted to hand me off to someone else.
2. the facing on both the front and rear hubs are not at 90 degrees to the hub. at first i thought it was the new Shimano rotors but quickly eliminated that option by rotating them 90 then 180 degrees - then i thought maybe it was the rotor spacers but eliminated that by the same process. when mounting the new rotors directly on the base of the hub, one side was definitely lower than the other. this causes the rotor to bang on one brake pad at one part of the wheel cycle then then brush up against the other on the other half the the cycle. putting the wheel/hub on a setup in the shop, we used a indicator for our milling equipment to confirm the hub problem. the only way i could find to cure this was to either shim the inside of the rotor with foil at 3-4 of the mount holes with varying thickness up to 10 thousanths to get the rotors fairly straight between the caliper pads or reface the hub myself, i opted for the shimming process - what a nightmare.
3. after mounting the front rotor and setting the spacing and having caliper clearance from the spokes of +/- 4 millimeters, one of the set of spokes kept clipping the back the rotor while all of the other spokes had more than adequate clearance. i had to use the Hayes Rear rotor spacer in the front to move the rotor "way far" away from the spokes. this left me in a dilema as i needed the rear spacer for the rear rotor of my bike so i had to set in some extra spacers in the rear to compensate.
Again, after spending a small fortune of my own money for some new wheels that had apparently been taken off a Fisher bike (and i can see why), and after many, many hours of trying to figure out why the the rotors were wobbly, and after a small fortune calling Bontrager on my own nickle - - - please learn from my hard knocks, BUY SOMETHING ELSE! they look pretty, but so do dumb blonds -
Nicholas Old Proflexer K2bikes.com Tech Forum
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rami neugeborn
a Racer
from haifa, israel Date Reviewed: March 28, 2000
Favorite Trail:
carmel mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
well known manufacturer
Weaknesses:
product strength whitout any benefit for the cusomer, heavy, lowest levelof bearings available.
Similar Products Used:
mavic cross max
Bike Setup:
intense tracer with all top class components
Bottom Line:
got the bike with the bontrager race disk as the cross max disc adaptores were not available. i was advised that they will come with criss k or huggies hubs and finaly they arrived with regular bontrager hubs. simple angular bearings!!!! the rear axle arrived dented, therfore the wheel was unballanced (fore and back motion) when i contacted bontrager by e-mail ive got no reply!!!!!!! finaly i have changed back to well known cross max and this is the end of the painfull bontrager wheels story.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ACE ********
a Downhiller
from FARMINGVILLE, N.Y. USA Date Reviewed: March 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
ANY TRAIL
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
GOOD QUALITY RIM
Weaknesses:
NOT THAT STRONG
Similar Products Used:
SPINS
Bike Setup:
FISHER,FULLY XTR,RACEFACE,DISC BRAKES
Bottom Line:
BENT THE BACK RIM REALLY REALLY BAD. NO EFFECT AT FIRST, (EXCEPT WHEN YOU FEEL THE DENT WHILE RIDING)BUT AFTER A WEEK, HALF THE SPOKES WERE LOOSE AND HAD TO GET A NEW RIM BECUSE THE DENT TURNED INTO A CRACK.NOT IDEAL FOR HARDCORE RIDERS!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JoeBob
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: November 21, 1999
Favorite Trail:
B*tches Brew
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Light (compared to other wheels I'd be using), strong.
Weaknesses:
Not many... Umm, low availability of burly 28spoke rims.
Similar Products Used:
LX/517, XT/Mammoth, LX/238
Bike Setup:
Norco VPS-2
Bottom Line:
They're great. 6months on the North Shore, and 4 weeks downhilling at whistler and I have yet to break out the spoke wrench. What more can you ask?
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Tye
a Racer
from Rochester Hills MI Date Reviewed: September 22, 1999
Favorite Trail:
VASA single track
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
VERY VERY strong rims. They have not bent yet and i have not had to true them yet.
Weaknesses:
Heavy, but what do you expect with disc brakes
Similar Products Used:
Spin's Mavic Crossmax
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher X-caliber with Manitou X-vert E fork and Hayes Hydrolic Disc brakes, FULL XTR
Bottom Line:
Very strong wheelset, they are very heavy though. I still give them 5 chillies.
Overall Rating:
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