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Submitted by
jitenshakun
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Ridley's Cycle | | Strengths: | They match the colour of the bike and don't weigh that much. This makes for good acceleration. The wheels have stayed true and although I weigh 200lbs the rims have stayed in 1 piece. | | Weaknesses: | The spokes bow out under my weight and the back wheel sounds like popcorn when I ride. One of the rims did have a bonus spoke nipple from the factory which was a pain to get out.
| | Similar Products Used: | n/a this is my first light weight wheelset | | Bike Setup: | Madone 5.2 | | Bottom Line: | I wouldn't buy these aftermarket and if you're over 180lbs (I'm 200lbs) I'd swap them out if they come with your bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
2713dak
a Racer
from Marquette, Mi
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | south trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Wheels have been strong for me although I"m a light rider, 140 lbs.
Have not had any spoke issues. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Trek TopFuel 98, stock set up. | | Bottom Line: | I have had no issues with these wheels after many rides and over 15 races. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cliff
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Single Track | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Internet | | Strengths: | This review is for the Bonti RaceLite Tubeless. They're: Light, spin up quick and easy, roll forever, braking surfaces hold up good, stay true for intermediate level XC riding. | | Weaknesses: | Front hub flange cracked and broke | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR, DT Swiss, LX, etc. | | Bike Setup: | Dakar XC pro, front end is SID XC with XTR rim brakes, Cane Creek S6, XTR shift brake pods. I've always run these rims with tubes rather than going with the tubless. Tires have been the larger Mutanoraptors and Fire XC Pros. | | Bottom Line: | Great wheels until the front hub decided to self destruct. Scarey - Last time I rode this bike, I cranked along a fairly smooth, straight desert trail in the speed gears (11/44)thinking the weak link was the rider and if I crashed, the disaster would be my fault. Rode the bike home and parked it.
Yesterday, a week later, I rolled this bike out for a ride and the front wheel was hanging up. The front hub flange on one side had cracked and a section broken loose. Really weird failure - heating and cooling in the garage (115 degrees during the day in there)- I guess (?) finished cracking a failed area on the flange. Three spokes were "out". No reason that I can think of other than radial lacing, low spoke count, and the metal becoming brittle/fatiguing over the years on a lightweight hub. I weigh 170 lbs and don't do drops or hucks. Haven't felt the SID bottoming out. Haven't ridden Fantasy Island (some sections are rough) in the last 6 months. This front wheel has always been straight and had good spoke tension. A few years ago, it hammered through rough Blue Diamond trails quite a few times. BTW I'm a "senior" rider and split my riding between 3 or 4 bikes. Close inspection doesn't show any suspicious little dings or dents where it might have taken some kind of hit. The 3 spokes in the broken section look good. Also, although others, probably stronger riders than I am, have had trouble with the rear hubs/hoops, mine have been good using tubes other than the expected grooving from the cassette. I've never had any problems with hubs over many years and XC miles but have always used 3 cross lacing with XT/XTR level hubs and hand built by a good shop.
BE CAREFUL WITH THESE OLDER FRONT HUBS!!! I'm quiting lightweight, low count, hubs with radial lacing for intermediate level XC. Maybe worth it for the performance if racing or riding at the next level. I'm taking a spare (new) front RaceLite off the wall and down to the bikeshop to see if they recommend lacing it 2 or 3 cross with some Wheelsmith db spokes for better durability. I've never had any luck trying to get any info out of Bontrager themselves including emailing them.
Two chilis for Overall Rating because the back wheel has held up. One chili for value because I'll never ride fast on these wheels again since I don't trust them. They're going on the old, venerable hardtail and the XTR/Mavics are going on the Dakar. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from New York
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Very Light, Surprisingly Strong. | | Weaknesses: | No fancy stickers that come off. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimanoo XT WH-M765, a few others. | | Bike Setup: | Trek Carbon Fuel 100, full XTR, with superlight Maxis 310 tires. | | Bottom Line: | This is a review of the Bontrager Race X lite wheelset that came stock on my fully XTR equipped top of the line Trek Fuel 100.
I'm a big guy, weigh close to 270lbs, and was very weary of riding these light weight wheels, let alone a very light bike with my heavy six foot frame.
These wheels and the bike have held up for years, never needing to be trued (much to my surprise), and roll as smoothly as the first day I got em, to this day.
I ride mostly street, but on the few occasions that I went off-road, even with my skinny MTB Maxxis 310 tires, these wheels have held up to some serious rock pounding and jumps.
The front wheel is radialy laced, and I was sure I would taco is my first ride. NOPE!
The rear is radial laced none-drive side, and an "offset" cross 2 pattern on the drive side.
This wheelset is for rim brakes, but now I'm looking to get a similar disc wheelset from Bontrager for my All-Mountain bike.
Cheaper and made in the US, unlike some of the competition from foo-foo France, and cheap Asia.
5 Stars !!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry Leslie
a Weekend Warrior
from South Africa
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Road | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Ries Cycles | | Weaknesses: | Rim cracked with no after sales service | | Similar Products Used: | Rolf Vector great | | Bottom Line: | Inferior Bontrager Products
I bought a Trek Madone in Oct 2006 (a birthday present from me to me) prior to this I rode a Giant Cadex with Campag Veloce for 100 000 km then I bought a Trek 5200 OCLV with Ultegra and Rolf Vector wheels and road this for about 60 000 km then, I thought I would “upgrade” to a Trek Madone with Dura Ace and Bontrager RaceXLite (like in the Tour de France) well what rubbish the Bontager is, at 11 months (5000 km) the titanium seat rail broke, it was replaced 2.5 months later by The Just Fun Group after a battle. Then I noticed cracks on my back rim, I contacted the South African agents again only to find out that there is a 12 month warranty and they need proof of purchase, well I cant find my proof of purchase and it is over 12 months and will cost me about R1000 for the rim and rebuild. It seems as if these components are only made to last the 4000 km for the Tour de France.
I then went on to the Road Bike Review.Com Web site only to find out that the Bontrager rims cracking is a common problem (over 30 letters to the fact) well this just confirms Bontragers “Quality”. I feel that Bontrager should recall all these rims before they seriously injure or kill someone. I notice that one cannot contact Bontrager direct and have to work via the local agents, I feel Bontrager use these agents as a buffer to take the heat for their inferior products!!!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Campos
a Racer
from Grandville Michigan
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Grand Teton Natl Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | new on EBAY | | Strengths: | I have both lites and xlites. I absolutely love my xlites. Fast, dependable and smooth and have stayed true over a combined 5,000 miles on both xlite and lites. Great warranty support from Bontrager! | | Weaknesses: | None. My xlites are flangeless though there is a flange on the drive side on the rear. My original rear xlite flange broke though they were not wrecked, but must have had a weakness when manufactured. Thanks to George at Breakaway Bikes in Rockford MI and to Bontrager, it was replaced with a newer wheel altogether, no hastle. | | Similar Products Used: | Older stock on older treks | | Bike Setup: | 5200 Trek, 2200 Trek, Mongoose Mountain bike, Trek fuel ex 7 and tons more | | Bottom Line: | I would recomend bontrager xlites for anyone wanting a fast race rim with a great manufacturer who stands behind thier product. Lots of trouble free miles | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rene Hoepelman
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Beach
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Hugi hubs are quiet. 1430grams total with skewers. Weight weenies dream. Strong. Rims are not blingy no glow in the dark reflective tape on the spoke or rims. no yellow hubs with cheap stickers that peel off. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager asam with xtr hubs, High end Mavics | | Bike Setup: | xcountry | | Bottom Line: | This is by far my favorite wheelset. Hard to beleive they come on a factory bike. I have the race X lites. The "X" lites are the higher end counterpart to the race lites without the x. The difference is the race X lites are made with treks zr9000 aluminum which is lighter and according to trek/bontrager stronger.
The spokes are offset on the rear rim to the left side to counter balance the right side cassette and derallieur. Typical bontrager design. Which works great.
I dont believe there is a lighter wheelset out there. If there is, it cant be much more then a few grams lighter. I am 185lbs and these hold up for me just fine. I dont see any flexing on cornering. Even on tight downhill swicthbacks. I have not had them too long but so far no problem with keeping them trued.
These can be used with tubes or tubless. I dont care for tubless setups so I use tubes. I have the non ceramic version (less headaches)which shaves off a few more grams.
I never heard of Hugi DT Swiss hubs before researching these rims but the hubs work great and they are very quiet.
I like the black rims/spoke with red and white lettering nice touch without over doing it. You'll have the lightest wheelset on the trails and no one will even notice. These rims will probably be passed up by most. They are certainly worth a look into if your shopping around specially the weight weenies.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Atascadero
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$430.00 | | Purchased At: | velosports | | Strengths: | light, durable, beautiful chris king rear hub whine | | Weaknesses: | front is a little flexy in sharp turns | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager maverick | | Bike Setup: | 98 klien pulse comp | | Bottom Line: | ive had these for 5 years now and i just put the first ding in them this month.i only weigh 155 but until i pinch flatted dinged the rim i had never even had to true them, and i crash alot. chrish king hubs alone are woth more than i paid for the whole wheelset. i need a new rim now, but luckily i know someone that works at a bike shop so i can get the rim easily, cause otherwise they are not easy to get a hold of.
UBER | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Petr
a Racer
from DC Area
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | local trails in DC | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Came stock on Fuel 98 | | Strengths: | light, quick on sprints | | Weaknesses: | to have them perfectly true, you would have to do the job occasionaly. I did not do that, and they stayed reasonably true. The weight on Bontrager's WEB site is not correct. They all weigh more. I have couple of them. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic X517/ XT and XTR hubs | | Bike Setup: | Modified fuel 98 with Fox, XTR, XT componets. | | Bottom Line: | They are heavier thank bontrager states on their WEB (these are the race lights). EVen the Bontrager RAce X-lites are much heavier than bontrager states. I guess they weigh them without the plastic tubeless strip...but even that would not make the weigh difference. So if you go for gramms beware...
Otherwise I am very happy with them. Did 1.5 years of rough riding and some racing on these. Do not true them, only occasionally to avoid rubbing the brake pads and they hold well. I feel they are light and with the combination of Fuel 98 carbon frame make nice quick, very responsive setup. They are reasonably durable. Now I have noticed I have couple small dings on the rim and on of the rims started leaking.
Price it good.
So unless you have much more money to spend on very light wheels and durable (Mavics) this is very good choice- Around $300 for new set of light, solid wheels. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area CA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Sea Otter Classic @ Fort Ord | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Used | | Strengths: | Light weight, Chris King hubs, ceramic rim coating, good looks | | Weaknesses: | Low spoke count makes for a slight flex in front wheel | | Similar Products Used: | Chris King Disco tech | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bottom Line: | I recall lusting after these wheels as they hung behind the counter of my LBS in 1998. The $700 dollar price tag prevented me from purchasing that day.
Two years ago I stumbled across a pair in the MTBR classifed ads and now I have a them.
They are very light. The Chris King hubs alone are worth what I paid for the wheelset. These are my first ceramic rims and they are everything I expected them to be. Out here in California, I don't understand why I see all the disc brakes. For XC riding, a properly adjusted high end V-brake will stop an average size rider very quickly and with little effort.
In the time I've had the wheels I have made some modifications. In 2002 I had new hoops put on. I had the rear laced 3 cross with DT revolution spokes and the front laced 2 cross with the same spokes. With this set up the weight gain is minimal and the wheels are much stiffer.
The original front radial laced wheel was surprisingly durable if not a bit flexy. I believe radial lacing anywhere on a rear wheel is just silly.
If you keep in mind that these wheels are for XC racing, I think they are fantastic. Additionaly anything with Chris King etched on it will probably provide good service for years after anything from France or Japan. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Riemersma
a Racer
from Sheboygan, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | seattle trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike 'n Ski | | Strengths: | good for racing, ive raced them in pro 1/2 races they hold up good.. decent sprinting power, fairly stiff | | Weaknesses: | bit heavy, could look cooler, hubs are questionable | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Race X lite | | Bike Setup: | lemond steel, ultegra componets | | Bottom Line: | nice wheels | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jennifer Ryman
a Cross Country Rider
from New York, NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | included with bike | | Strengths: | light but so am I (125 lbs.). | | Weaknesses: | Rim cracked around spoke nipples in several places. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic - never had any troubles. | | Bike Setup: | GT Titanium frame with xtr setup | | Bottom Line: | Do not purchase ANY products from Bontrager. They do not stand behind their products. My rear 9 speed Bontrager Racelite rim has cracked in about 10 places around the spoke nipples. It is set up with a Chris King hub and a 1.7 Richie Z-max cross country tire. This wheel has not been abused. I rarely mountain bike and have only done some light touring with it (seat post panniers only weighed 20 lbs). I'm 125 lbs. It is obviously a design/material defect that Bontrager doesn't want to hear about because it is out of warranty. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kevin
a Racer
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | stock on bike | | Strengths: | Very light, great rolling Hugi Hubs then can be built with new rims in the future, ceramic breaking surface has been durable and matched with Avids stops on a dime. Hold up well with low pressure. | | Weaknesses: | They have to be trued every so often but not by a huge amount. I thought Bontrager could have chosen thicker spoke gauge and brass nipples for strentgh without a huge weight penalty-then they wouldn't have to be trued so often. Mounting UST tires-I prefer Stan's anyway. | | Similar Products Used: | Have used various LBS built wheels throught the years-typical set is usually a Mavic 517 rim mounted to King or XTR hubs. | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 100 full xtr and these wheels. | | Bottom Line: | I was dissapointed with the reviews here wondering if mine would self destruct, well not yet. Weekends of epic riding through tree roots, rocks, fast switchback descents trips out west to Moab and Colorado with these wheels and all I have had to do was true them every so often. I can run 30psi and not dent the rims. These are race wheels and I have used them for everything. I do not notice the flex, tacoing, ceramic flaking mentioned here. They mount and work well with Stan's system. My only critisism is the thin ass spokes used could have been substituted with Sapim Xrays or a heavier gauge wheelsmith for a wheelset in this price range. They maybe why some people notice flex. This would add minimal weight and increase strength significantly. I'm no lightweight either at 175lbs. The only reason I will part with these will be to go with dics-until then I can't complain. I've never owned anything but LBS built wheels but these have been good so far. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Morgan
a Cross Country Rider
from yokosuka naval base Japan
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Tennan Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Uno Bikes | | Strengths: | Lightweight/Chris King Hubs Nuf said | | Weaknesses: | Bend a rim, and try and get a freakin replacement | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crossmax | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Joshua F-1 w/x-fly 100 and all XT/XTR components | | Bottom Line: | never again, cost me 200 bucks to fix it here in Japan, and took 4 months to get the parts. it came stock on the bike I loved the hubs but hate the hoops sold them as quick as I could don't get them unless Bontrager is sponsoring you casue the repair/replacement costs are insane | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Orem, UT
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | amasa back, moab | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS in SLC | | Strengths: | Light weight, super fast enagagement in the Chris King rear hub, never out of true. Nice looking. | | Weaknesses: | some flexiness,the ceramic coating flaked off in two very small spots on my first pair but was replaced for free. I have had my second pair for two years and there has been no flaking | | Similar Products Used: | Just the low end stuff that has come on the bikes I bought. | | Bike Setup: | K2 5500 carbon frame with Noleen coil shock with remote nitrogen charged resevoir, XT everything with V brakes, SID XC, Monkey lite riser bar, Thomson stem and post, frog pedals, Specialized s works enduro tire | | Bottom Line: | I was surprised to find out what a difference it made in pedaling ease to have light weight wheels and tires. I weigh 165 lbs and I can go fast but I try to ride smooth to protect my poor old back. No big drops for sure. And I love these wheels. I was a bit worried taking them to Moab but I've been there several times and these wheels seem very tough.They have never been out of true. Never. I did break a spoke once(skinny little butted spokes) and the rebuild by my LBS in Orem was super expensive. I'm glad I got them but if these ever blow up I think I might consider doing the higher-spoke-count mavic 517 with ceramic coating and Chris King hubs and double butted spokes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mac
a Racer
from Southern Ill
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Strengths: | Light weight | | Weaknesses: | Everything else. I have been using Mavic wheels for a number of years but decided to try something else. What a mistake. After a month of light use the ceramic coating is coming off the sides, everytime I ride them I have to true them. They were out of round and the dish was off 3/8" right out of the box. Totally unacceptable. These are aweful wheels. For what they cost I would expect a lot more. | | Similar Products Used: | Crossmax, Crossland, CrossRoc | | Bottom Line: | Dont buy, dont even consider. I give them 1 chili because I have too. Look elsewhere. I know I will. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Racer
from Williamsburg, VA
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Weight, which leads to faster, easier acceleration. | | Weaknesses: | Strength, but remember these were never meant for freeriding | | Similar Products Used: | Other Bontrager wheels and many buddies on many rims. | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 100 - Stock | | Bottom Line: | Great , lightweight rimset except I knocked the rear wheel out of true after a couple of weeks. I am 165 lbs, ride hard and like to catch air whenever I can; hence the bent rim on one of my less graceful landings - oops. The wheels are about as strong as I expected them to be when you consider they are XC racing wheels. Once I figure out what they can and can't take life will be golden. The tubeless tires are great if the track warrants lowering the pressure down for some extra traction, but you are "The Man" if you can change one of these things in the middle of a race. I'd recommend them to anyone serious about racing. 4 flames for value since they are about more than I can afford without winning the lottery or having a sponsor and 5 for overall because these things spin up faster than my wife when she found out what they cost if I had to replace one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Ahkares
a Racer
from Hoffman Estates, Il
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Kettle Morraine | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Local shop | | Strengths: | Stays true even after heavy abuse. Good braking surface. | | Weaknesses: | Laterally flexy. May be to flexy for heavier riders(I weigh 140 lbs). | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 100 | | Bottom Line: | I was nervous about pushing these wheels at first because of their low weight. Then I hit a tree at high speed. I toasted the bushings in my fork but barely knocked the wheel out of true. I thought these would be race only wheels but they held up pretty well so far.
I have not put tubeless tires on them yet, so I don't know how they will hold air.
I would recommend these wheels to anyone weighing under 160 lbs looking for a light weight wheelset for xc riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joe
a Racer
from dallas
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Light, fast | | Weaknesses: | I wish they used king hubs | | Similar Products Used: | various | | Bike Setup: | 2000 supercalibur (stock) | | Bottom Line: | I have had this wheelset for over two years and they have worked perfectly for me. I am 185 lbs and I have never had a problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rooster
a Racer
from boulder, co
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | not telling | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | come stock on gary fisher | | Strengths: | front wheel still good. chris king hubs | | Weaknesses: | rear wheel now cracked, never stayed true | | Similar Products Used: | mavic, cheaper stuff | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher supercaliber, stock except for rockshox xc shock, xt splined cranks | | Bottom Line: | Expensive, bontrager doesn't return e-mails, perpetuating typical bike industry crap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grant Landsbach
a Racer
from Golden, CO
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Earth Travese in Oregon | | Strengths: | Super Light
Decent hubs
Stong
Convertable tube/tubeless
Best wheel on the market for weight without compromising strength. | | Weaknesses: | Tires very hard to get on and seated properly without the use of high air pressure. I guess it's a true racing wheel. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic's. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Litespeed Tanasi XTR etc. | | Bottom Line: | Okay, when I first got these they came tubeless and worked fine. I decided to swap over to tubes. This is when I realized how tight tires are on these things. Even when I got them on, I couldn't get them to seat at all. They wobbled all over the place. I tried different tires, same deal. Took them to my bike shop and they were a little confused. Finally, e-mailed Bontrager and their customer support was great. They told me to tell the shop to air them up to max or over to get them to seat, and they gave me a few more tips. They were willing to warranty them if that didn't work. We did it although it was a little tense since they would litterally pop into place. Now, since the tires a little more broken in they aren't as difficult to get on and off but I will say that if I get a flat on the trail, I'm probably riding home with a wobbly unseated tire since I can't duplicate that much pressue on the trail. Anyway, they're a racing wheel. I'd still reccommend them to anyone for racing. For rec, go with a King or whatever. And honestly, the hugi hubs are pretty good but I admit I wish I would have bought 2000's and got the Kings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerry
a Racer
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light & pretty | | Weaknesses: | Skewers suck | | Similar Products Used: | mavic, ritchie, 517, 217 | | Bottom Line: | Forget being able to get tires off and on in a race, broke several sets of levers. Won't buy them again without an improvement. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a Racer
from Rapid City, SD
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | bonecollector | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$590.00 | | Purchased At: | ACME Bicycles | | Strengths: | Super light weight strong as an ox and smooth | | Weaknesses: | Absolutey none | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 221 | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain frame with race face cranks carbon bar and XTR/LX componets | | Bottom Line: | Forget how much they cost they are worth their weight in gold. I destroyed my other wheel set to the point where they were unrideable in under 6 months. I have been riding the Race Lites now for 6 months and I haven't needed to have them trued yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony P
a Cross Country Rider
from Sparta, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Allamuchy | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Like the ceramic rims | | Weaknesses: | Tubeless tires didn't hold air. Bike shop where I bought them tried to fix them and only the front tire ended up holding air.I have ridden them for a full year with tubes. Rear hub inoperable after about 4 months. Sent wheel back to the manufacturer and they sent me a new one ASAP. Only problem is that the rear wheel makes a loud creaking noise anytime you pedal hard, especially going up hill. | | Similar Products Used: | Just purchased MAVIC 517s with ceramic rims and XTR hubs | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Gary Fisher Sugar 1. Stock. Have upgraded a few components over the year. | | Bottom Line: | Wouldn't recommend these tires to anyone. For the money paid their should be no problems with them, especially over such a short period of time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian "He-Man" Buell
a Racer
from Keller, Tx.
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$375.00 | | Purchased At: | Grapevine Bike Center | | Strengths: | Extremely Fast, SOO very light, look cool with spinning graphics while passing slower wheel setted competitors, super strong... Finally had to REALLY true it, not just a 1/4 turn a spoke after about a year | | Weaknesses: | none.. except don't try to jump on top of the top flight of 6 stairs... at low pressure you'll pinch flat and... oops put a big dip in your rim hehe | | Similar Products Used: | basinc sets, Mavic rims- 222, 517, and whatever else.. Mavic-blew apart the 222 on a sandy turn and ripped off 7 inches of the braking surface fromt he tire exploding from losing the clinch on the rim. | | Bike Setup: | Cutsom Fisher Sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | Alright.. until about... 3 weeks ago these wheels.. ROCKED.. And they still do.. I like to do a bit of "free riding" no not Northshore stuff, but playin' around hoppin' up jumping down stairs, bleachers, whatever. but until 3 weeks ago I barely touched my rim for truing needs. soo super strong and super light, but when you try to jump up on teh 6th flight of stair fromt he bottom... make sure you can do it before going about 20 mph at low pressure and hit your wheel on the edge of the stair hehe.. that caused me to walk the 1/2 mile home from teh local park and I got about a 1/4" or less of a dip in teh rim, backed off all spokes and tightened them.. no workie SO! I ordered new rims front and rear.. the old front rim is still awesome, no probs.. but now I'm running a 2002 Race Lite Tubeless equivalent set witht eh new tubeless rim.. I built them up so hopefully my build will be as strong as Bontragers. So far nothin' bad and about the tubeless.. haven't tried it yet need tires first, but will inform you when i do. Bottom Line___ these wheels ROCK!!!!! Oh.. and don't try to find these wheels at my price-$375.. i work at a shop and get them at costand then some | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Johannessen
a Racer
from Norway
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Raske sykler | | Strengths: | Light, fairly stiff | | Weaknesses: | Hugi rear hub | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager mustang rims with hugi disc hub. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | Great wheelset, the ceramic rims are holdig up, and the wheels are still true.
BUT as many other has mentioned here there is a catch.... My Hugi rear hub broke after only 4 months. They suck !!
On my previous bike the hugi disc hub had the same problem
(they lasted 8 months though).
During winter when temperatures are freezing, the hub also
tends to "disengage" and I've been walking back home more than once.
The hugi hubs are a really sad affair. Why did Bontrager stop using King hubs? Was it Trek that came up with this brilliant idea ?
I guess I'll have to buy a King rear hub. They are really expensive, and I would like to send the bill to DTSWISS/HUGI.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Pasadena
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Sam Merrill | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$599.00 | | Purchased At: | Pasadena Cyclery | | Strengths: | Very fast rolling, immediate engagement, great for technical climbs, light and strong | | Weaknesses: | ceramic chipped off back rim | | Similar Products Used: | XTR with the Valiant non-ceramic rims | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8900,Sid SL, Sram 9.0, XTR V's, RaceFace Cranks, BB, Headset, carbon handlebars, Thompson seatpost | | Bottom Line: | They are the fastest and lightest wheelset made. I will send my rear wheel back to see what they do about the ceramic chipping off. I will replace the rim if needed, maybe with the Mavic ceramics. I can really feel the difference in speed when switching my wheelsets from my XTR's. These wheels work great on a hardtail that likes to climb and do technical singletrack. I have Bont.AC tires on now and they work well together.The owner of my LBS has the same wheelset and he has never changed. I would buy them again if they have improved the ceramic coating, otherwise I would build a set using the King hubs and Mavic rims | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sug
a Racer
from Gary Fischer, WI
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | This wheelset came stock on my 2001 Sugar 1. Light, Stiff & HAVE STAYED TRUE(can't say I've ever been able to say that about a wheelset that I've ridden before, could e the Sugars sweet suspension though) | | Weaknesses: | Tubeless? Yes. Do they hold air? NO. DT Swiss Hugi rear hub, good for maybe 1000 miles. After that just get good at track standing because you won't be pedalin any where. The freehub stops engaging. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Sugar 1, without the Michelin Tubeless tires. | | Bottom Line: | I like the way they ride. But if your tires are always flat and the hub won't engage when the pedals are turning, it's hard to appreciate how they feel when your riding, cause you won't be. Enough said! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob Hewitt
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | centinnial | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$565.00 | | Purchased At: | local store | | Strengths: | stiff and light beyond belief. no flex in aggressive turns and spot on tracking in all situations. The most accurate wheel I have been including the Crossmax tubeless | | Weaknesses: | they are expensive
must pump them up if you don't ride but once a week | | Similar Products Used: | crossmax tubeless,
crosslink | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher sugar 1 stock | | Bottom Line: | if you can afford them, buy them, you will be faster than your friends or your competitors with less energy in single track riding. corner brilliantly and stiff for accurate turns and great hook up on rooty climbs. very stable going downhill despite the light weight!!!! tubeless wheels are here to stay!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tomas van der Logt
a Cross Country Rider
from Ede, gelderland, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Prattenburg | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$469.00 | | Purchased At: | A wholesaler | | Strengths: | Ceramic, Stiff, Light, Tubless, non tubeless, DT hubs, Cool looking, Nicely made, I love the noise and I love how it looks when you have only a few spokes in your wheel. | | Weaknesses: | I had a few problems with the sealing of the air valve for tubeless initially. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crassmaxx Tubless, Spengle MTB 3 Pro, Specialized S-Works, Mavic Crossride, Mavic Crossroc, Bontrager Corvair, Bontrager Maverick, Rohloff with Mavic X517, Mavic X517 with LX, adn lots of others. | | Bike Setup: | Sram 9.0SL, Sid Sl 2001, Specialized, Raceface everything (even saddle), Hutchinson Python UST and Mugura HS33 | | Bottom Line: | Great wheelset. Dont even try to find it at the price I have it for. I have jumped allot of times from 1-2 yards high and it is still not out of true. Only buy this wheelset if you want exceptionally good stuff. i knoew of some problems that existed in the older Bontrager hubs but they have all been resolved because these are actually (currently)made by DT Huigi. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erik
a Racer
from Fort Atkinson, WI
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Trek Bicycle Store | | Strengths: | Look really cool, ceramic braking surface, very light, and pretty stiff | | Weaknesses: | Well, they aren't a good value @ $700+ | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Comp wheelset, XTR 3x old Matrix Swami rims | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Sugar 2, Specialized M2 Pro | | Bottom Line: | These really are a very nice wheelset. Price aside for the moment, these will be very hard to beat. They aren't flexy, I haven't had to true them much at all, braking is quite nice (as long as XT brakes aren't used), and I have had no problems with the hubs.
All that said, I don't think they are a good value, and wouldn't reccomend them at full price. Instead you could get XTR hubs, Valiant Cer rims, rev spokes (radial, 3x whatever) and it would be cheaper, and just a little bit heavier.
I personally really like them, and think they are very nice wheels. just not 300 some dollars better than an XTR centered wheelset. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Mountain View
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light. | | Weaknesses: | Price. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Mustangs w/ XT, Bontrager BCX 1 and 2 w/ DX / XTR | | Bike Setup: | Yeti ARC, Judy Race, XTR/XT mix | | Bottom Line: | These wheels seem fine, but I'm not sure they're worth the price. Comparing them to a set of Bontrager Mustangs with XT hubs that I came stock on another bike, I'd say there is not a lot of difference. The Race Lites are lighter but they seem to ride about the same; I couldn't tell a difference (although both sets are nice wheels).
I don't like the way the rear hub engages efter coasting down hills. There's a noticable lag from the begining of the pedal stroke until the rear hub begins to turn the wheel. This is most noticable after long fast downhills. I've not experienced this with the XT rear hub.
I like these wheels, but my next set will be cheaper since I'm not sure spending twice as much gets you any more than a few saved grams. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Somxay
a Racer
from Phily, PA
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light, looks great, exellent acelleration. | | Weaknesses: | none at all, love those loud King hubs | | Similar Products Used: | Crossmax cannot even compare | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche, full XTR, Racelight/King wheelset | | Bottom Line: | I love these wheelset. I have the Racelites with the original Chris King hubs. No other wheelset can compare to these. I love the sound of the loud hubs, "watch out I am coming". These wheels are the lightest mtb wheelset ever built. They don't sell the Racelites with the King hubs anymore, but if you find one. Buy it, it's worth ever penny | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patrick Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandy, utah
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | dog lake | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | EP | | Strengths: | light wieght and silent hub. super quick engaging hub system for quick bursts of speed/power. tubeless works awsome. ride qualitites improved greatly | | Weaknesses: | thin gauge spokes makes you weary to push them really hard. | | Similar Products Used: | mavic crossmax tubeless, rolf propell tubeless | | Bike Setup: | old s-works superlight race edition frame (2.78 lbs.) with full xtr and a mars CL monkey light bar and time pedals | | Bottom Line: | i like these wheels a lot, they are over a pound lighter than my previous wheelset which were pretty light. the tubeless system works well, my only complaint is the pressure loss problem common to all tubeless setups. the ride quality you get is worth the inconvinience however. with a lose of 35% of rotaional inertia and an increase in the tourque use to acceleration coefficent of 33% its not hard to justify getting ride of your tubes. the wheels themself are amazing. light wieght with good vibration dampening and a solid build. they win over the mavics and the rolfs anyday. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmond, Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Paha Sapa (Black Hills of SD) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Budget Bicycles...OKC | | Strengths: | tube or tubeless compatible...low tubeless pressures greatly
improve handling...light...ceramic rim surface provides great braking...so far very durable | | Weaknesses: | stock tubeless tires hard to get on and off | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | stock 2001 GF Sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | The wheels came from the manf. with tubes installed and
Michelin Wildgripper tubeless tires. Getting these tires
off and back on with tubes was very difficult...I actually
resorted to using a little soap for lubrication. Upon
converting to tubeless they seemed to go on and off a little
easier. I am looking forward to July when Continental should
have the Twister and Explorer Pro available in tubeless...
hopefully they won't be as difficult to mount. I picked up
some Hutchison Python's but haven't tried them yet.
Trailside inflation when running tubeless is not something
I would want to mess with. I carry a tube and conventional
repairs. I am able to inflate the tubeless tires with a
floor pump but using a compressor is a lot easier. I bought
one of those small air tanks you fill up with a compressor
and keep it in my vehicle...works great. I have not had the
air loss problems that Rob H. has had. Running tubeless I
lose about 3-4 lb/24 hrs just as the manf. states.
I haven't punctured yet running tubeless but they say you
can patch small holes...wouldn't mess with it on the trail though.
I am very pleased with the ride I get with these wheels while tubeless. I've been running between 35 and 40 lbs
in them and the handling is incredable. When tubed I run
close to 50 lbs for fear of pinch flats. Traction on loose
climbs is greatly improved and you can really stick the corners. The ceramic surfaces provide superior braking. I've
raced them over some pretty tough terrain and so far these wheels are holding up nicely...haven't had to true them yet.
Bottom line: Need some more time on them before I'll give
them the top rating but so far they are great. Things I'll
report on down the road are long term durability and hassle
factor when I do get a punture. I was going to reserve these
wheels for racing only but so far I don't want to take them off my Sugar! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Hofmann
a Racer
from Milwaukee, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Update to my last review below on the Race Lite Tubeless compatible wheelsystem. Gary Fischer support department, these guy's provided me with fast quality feedback on this problem. Another BIG PLUS is that the wheelsystem can be run with standard tires and tubes (see below). | | Weaknesses: | Came with Michelin tubeless tires on the Sugar 1's I bought. These tires are not all manufactured within a specific size tolerance and caused most if not all the problems that I mentioned below, plus some. | | Bike Setup: | Sugar 1's, soon to be without the Michelin tubeless tires. | | Bottom Line: | I will not be running these wheels with tubeless tires due to the problems stated in my first review. Have the LBS exchange the Michelin tubeless tires for a standard tire set before you take it home. Preferably have the factory install them so the bike shop doesn't have to deal with difficulty of removing those Michelin tires from these wheels. I may consider trying the Bontrager Tubeless Super X's when they become available if they are not as heavy as the rest of the tubeless tires I've checked. As far as the Race Lite Tubeless compatible wheelsystem goes you don't have to run a tubeless tire, this is a BIG PLUS for this system. I'll up the rating to a 3 until I've ridden these some and the support guys follow through with their promises. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Hofmann
a Racer
from Milwaukee,WI, Milwaukee
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | This is a review for the Bontrager Tubeless Race Lite wheelset that comes on the 2001 Sugar 1. So far I've found no strengths to mention for this wheelset!!! | | Weaknesses: | 1) Tires don't hold air, I have 2 sets of these wheels that came on my wife & my Sugar 1's. Now I can count on 4 almost flat to completely flat tires everyday. And yes these wheelsets came with the new sealing strips already installed that Bontrager says will eliminate this problem.
2) Tires to are too difficult to remove from wheel. If you get a flat from a puncture while racing forget it.
3) No weight savings as the tubeless tire by itself weighs more than a regular tire & tube. | | Similar Products Used: | Would not try another tubeless system as there is no real value in them. | | Bike Setup: | Sugar 1's, there still completely stock. Haven't been able to ride because the tires are always flat. | | Bottom Line: | Avoid these, try and get your LBS to replace the tubeless with a standard Race lite wheelset. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | SuperGo San Diego | | Strengths: | Very Light and can take lots of abuse | | Weaknesses: | Difficult to maintain if you don't read the manual | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | These wheels can with the Gary Fisher SuperCalibre that I purcghhased in April 2000 | | Bottom Line: | Mass of confucion about these hubs. The front is fine. The rear is fine if you maintain properly. The rear is very simple to maintain and just pulls apart. There are two version of this hub. Version 1 is the one that causes the problems but it can be upgarded by adding a second spring to the free wheel mechanism. Normally it has just one on the hub side. To upgrade get a second spring and remove the spacer from the cassette side and replace with spring. Make sure to you pull the free wheel mech apart on a regular basis. Clean it and then repack with grease but not too much (they seize up if you put too much in) and ideally use Hugi grease. Version 2 (which has two springs) should not cause any problems but again worth maintaining on a regular basis. This job take about 5 minutes.
To get a manual got to http://www.dtswiss.com/. Look for the Hugi240 second and get the manual.
If you can't maintain this hub you shouldn't be riding decent Mountain Bikes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
peter
a Cross Country Rider
from marietta, georgia
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | bear creek | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | shop | | Strengths: | super light, king (as opposed to hugi) hubs-which can be serviced easily w/allen wrenches, | | Weaknesses: | ceramic flakes off the rear rim for some reason, front is fine, my bike shop seems to have a hard time getting repl spokes for them, 28-24 drilling limits you as to what repl parts you can buy for these wheels, i've noticed tiny cracks in the dr-side nipple holes of the rear rim which i'm sure i'll make worse when the weather gets warmer | | Similar Products Used: | several specialized wheelsets-all of which were sub-par | | Bike Setup: | xtr r-r,r-face cr,bb,hs,and h-bars,thomson s-post, hutchinson python lites, xt fr der and shifters, avid mag v brakes,specialized st-ju pro | | Bottom Line: | 1st thing i've bought that has made such an improvement in the way my bike rides, need truing which is no surprise since i'm 195 lbs., hubs are the best part, i have had excellent support from c-king w/maint advice and i would recommend anyonesave up a little more and go w/these | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Moorhouse
a Racer
from Orlando Florida
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | 1996 Olympic Mtn Bike Course at Conyers Georgia (24hrs solo) | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Paid dealer cost directly from Trek | | Strengths: | -about the LIGHTEST whels money can buy
-reasonably stiff
-excellent performance
-good aesthetics
-extremely tough ceramic brake surface | | Weaknesses: | -rear ASYM rims have limited lifespan | | Similar Products Used: | -Mavic Crossmax
-other Hi-end wheels that I have built myself | | Bike Setup: | Green 2001 Ellsworth Truth ICT with the lightest/most durable stuff out there. | | Bottom Line: | I have run these wheels now for over 2 years. This is what they have been through during that time: 5 24hour solo races, 5 12 hour solo races, about 8 NORBA XC races, and all the ususal training miles and riding that would go along withall this competiiton. Needless to say, i have put these wheels through the ringer. Here is what i have found:
First of all, I have an original set that came equippe with Chris King hubs---> lightest and MOST reliable hubs on the planet. The new Race Lite wheels come with hubs made by DT Hugi. DO NOT BUY THESE (unless you like stuff that fails during the middle of a ride) I built a wheel years ago with a Hugi hub that I paid good money for...it was supposed to "be the best" hub out there. Well it was a peice of junk back then, and (as you can see by some of the other posts on here), IT STILL IS NOW. But if you have the King-equipped models, then you got yourself a good set of wheels.
I have observed that the rear ASYM rim on these wheels has a lifespan limited to 5-6 months. Granted--I do ride more than most people, but it would be nice if the rim lasted longer than that. I am on my 4th rear rim now in a little over 2 years. Trek has replaced the rim under warranty no questions asked each time, but this kinda is a hassle to keep replacing. The problem is that the rim develops cracks around the eylets one the DRIVE SIDE (where the spokes go in). I even replaced it with a Bontrager mustang ASYM once (thinking it was a little more durable), but it did the same thing. And to prove that this isn't a figment of my imagination, I have had to warranty 2 other wheels for the same problem for customers at the shop where i work. The front wheel has been absolutely FLAWLESS.
Would I buy these wheels again....YES I would....but ONLY the ones with the King hubs. It's a lot easier (and cheaper for the consumer) to replace the rim if its damaged than the hub. Plus you can always put on a different type/brand of rim if you choose to do so.
Value/Overall rating??? Hmmmmmmmm..........that's a TOUGH one!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Racer
from Harrison, Ark. USA
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$360.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeWorld | | Strengths: | Very rigid, accelerates like a banchi, light and the looks are very cool. Could not find a posting for the 00' valiants so i had to post them here. | | Weaknesses: | Ceramic coating sucks! Bontrager customer service is the pits, as well as BikeWorld.
(Bontrager Valiants Ceramic) | | Similar Products Used: | Mavics | | Bike Setup: | Trek Pro 9.9 full XTR | | Bottom Line: | I could find a listing for the new 00' Valiants so i posted them here. I really like these hoops for their rigidness and acceleration. I can tell a huge difference on rocky climbs and sprints. I only have 10hrs on them and already the ceramic is starting to chip. I would'nt complain but a friend of mine has a set of Rolf Propels, he has raced them on the same terrain as I and his literaly, does not have one single chip anywhere on his ceramic coating! Plenty of dings and cuts below the coating, but none on the coating itself! Amazing. I just could'nt afford the Rolfs. If your trails have no rocks on them you'll do fine. One chilli for product quality and customer service, and 4 chillis for performance, averages down to two. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stealthrider
a Cross Country Rider
from New York
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Really light, excellent ceramic coating, smooth, tough for ultra lightweight wheels, reliable, looks | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Corvairs, Dave's Speed Dream Wheels | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed Tanasi with all XTR | | Bottom Line: | I have the Race Lites with the Hugi 240 hubs (under the Bontrager name) and have to say that I've been totally satisfied with them. The wheels rotate really smoothly and quietly; they seem to turn for a long time if you spin them. They are incredibly light, but are really durable, surviving repeated impacts with logs, rocks, curbs, etc. The ceramic coating has really held up well -- no chips after six months -- and have to say that they really help with the braking in wet or muddy conditions. However, to avoid squealing, try to have a reverse toe in for the pads.
As for the Hugi hubs, while there may have been problems earlier, I think alot of the problems must have been fixed. I've had no problems with my rear hub and I recently spoke with Dave Thomas (wheelbuilder extraordinaire -- see reviews for Dave's Speed Dream Wheels) and asked him about the Hugi 240's which he uses for a lot of his custom built wheelsets. Dave said he really hasn't had a real problem with them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd Eber
a Cross Country Rider
from Mishawaka,IN
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Dr. T.K. Lawless,Vandalia Michgan | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Pro Form,South Bend IN | | Strengths: | Sooooo Smooth and fast, has proven to be durable.Good looking,too! Love those King hubs! | | Weaknesses: | I want another set! | | Similar Products Used: | xt/220 , King/517, generic stock crap | | Bike Setup: | Fisher aluminum hardtail,sub 21 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | This is an update to a review 6 months ago.I am still so happy with these wheels I have to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming! I have a year of good riding on them and they are still straight and true. I have done a number of races and jumped some logs and stuff going down hills and they hold up well. I have the ones with the King hubs;I feel really sorry for all you people that got stuck with the Hugi hubs that are breaking constantly.You don't know what you are missing! The ceramic coating is holding up well also,good braking surface. These wheels are THE BEST THING I EVER BOUGHT!!!! (No kidding!) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Uncle Mulga
a Cross Country Rider
from South Australia
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Rear Hugi hub is rubbish | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crosslink | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail, SID, full XTR | | Bottom Line: | As an update to my earlier review, I finally received my warrantied rear wheel with new hub yesterday (I waited 8 weeks for it). Started riding home from the shop, did 7 kilometres and the freewheel died yet again. These hubs have a serious problem that Trek are unable to fix. Don't buy them, maybe they'll get the message. There are plenty of other manufacturers out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JM
a Cross Country Rider
from Wayland, MA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Vietnam, Callahan | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Wheels are light | | Weaknesses: | Hugi Hubs -- when spec'd with the King hubs, this is a great wheelset. These Hugi's now spec'd take this from a great wheelset to a lousy one. It will ruin Bontrager's reputation if they don't address it quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano hubs w/Sun Sub IV and Mavic rims | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Sugar 1 (they come stock on this bike) | | Bottom Line: | Bontrager spec'd King hubs on these wheels but then a purchasing manager at Trek decided that all Trek-built wheels (Bontrager, Rolf, etc.) should all have the same hubs -- Hugi won out. Hugi rear hubs stink. Mine failed after two months of riding (when your freewheel fails, you're walking and in my case I was walking miles) and then failed again within 24-hours of being serviced. Warranty took care of it, but Hugi hubs turned this from a great wheelset to a lousy one--bring back the Kings! The shops I took them to for service (three shops) said 25-30% of the Bontrager and Rolf wheelsets were failing -- that's an incredibly high rate. Trek instructs the shops to grease and loctite the bearings, but that fix doesn't work (lasted 24-hours on my set). Since hubs aren't Shimano, parts are harder to come by and must be ordered. Now have the King hubs and couldn't rate them more highly. But, burned by the lack of service from Trek/Bontrager (don't believe their promise to get back to you on 48 hours on the website). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian "He-Man" Buell
a Racer
from North Richland Hills, Tx.
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | North Shore- Grapevine Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$370.00 | | Purchased At: | Grapevine Bike Center | | Strengths: | Hella Light. Lightest Servicable Wheels on teh Market right now. VERY VERY Fast. Ceramic COating stops on a dime | | Weaknesses: | brakes Squeel a bit.. but don't have Ceramic pads yet. no big deal. | | Similar Products Used: | Ringle, 217,221,517.....Mavic... sorry to say.. SUX! I blew out the 221 on a slow sandy turn.. ripped off 7 inches of the Braking surface literally from a tire blowing out. the 217.. Blew at the seam... and the 517.. Sh*t man... another pathetic blowout and anther ripped apart rim. | | Bike Setup: | '98 Trek 8900 SL, '99 Sid XC Long Travel, XTR Rear Der. XTR Cass. XT Front Der. Race Face Turbine Cranks, Ritchey Pedals. Race Lite wheels... 23 lbs even. | | Bottom Line: | These Wheels ROCK!! the lightest servicable wheels on teh market.. NO Problems so far. SLight Tru once. VERY VERY Fast WHeels.. BIIG upgrade from my last wheel set.. RIngle hubs and 517,221,217 rims.. dropped 2 1/2 pounds from wheels alone HELL YEAH! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
shawn
a Racer
from anderson sc
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light weight, bulletproof hubs | | Weaknesses: | ceramic coating isn't very durable | | Similar Products Used: | king/517, crossland, crossmax, | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Truth SE, full xtr, arch supremes. | | Bottom Line: | Keep in mind that Bontrager originally used King hubs and now uses Hugi. I have the Kings and these wheels are incredible. Never need to be trued, very stiff and fast acceleration. I had a problem with the ceramic coating coming off and Trek sent me TWO new rims. Anyone who says Trek customer service sucks needs to make sure it's not their LBS. King hubs are awesome. When I build a bike, the hardest part is deciding what color hubs and headset to order from Chris King. If the noise bothers you, you're not pedaling enough. I don't know about the Hugi's but the King equipped wheels are great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Racer
from Quebec City
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Unreliable | | Similar Products Used: | XTR with Mavic 517 | | Bike Setup: | Sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | These wheels, Hugi Hub, came with the bike. The rear hub freewheel failed after 3 weeks, was fixed, and failed again 1 week later.
The Canadian distributor OGC, (Excellent Service by the way)fixed it by changing out the hub to a Crossmax hub. That should take care of it...
I give them 2 chilis since the front wheel is fine...
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Uncle Mulga
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, South Australia
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light weight, ceramic braking surface | | Weaknesses: | Rear hub never worked from day 1 | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crosslink | | Bike Setup: | Steel hardtail, SID's, full XTR | | Bottom Line: | I foolishly thought these wheels would be a good upgrade from the Crosslinks, but the rear Hugi hub has never worked since new. I was back at the dealer after the first (on road) ride!!!!! The dealer tried their best, but with no support from the local Trek rep, they got nowhere. First, the freewheel had major problems, then the bearings developed heaps of play (non-adjustable). Finally, after months of stuffing around,Trek are going to replace the hub. Switching from King to Hugi has obviously ruined an excellent product, one supposes to cut costs. This explains the huge rating difference between the King hub sets and the Hugi hub sets. I should also point out I am a very light-duty rider, and I only used the wheels once off-road!!!!!! I am now using a Bontrager Maverick with a STX-RC hub, at least it works. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SAM
a Racer
from CA
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | NISENE, SANTA CRUZ | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | BUTTER SMMOTH | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | ALL! KING-SHIM-RINGLE-X MAX-ETC | | Bike Setup: | VOODOO-OUTLAND-CAAD4-ETC... | | Bottom Line: | READ THIS....
1ST OF ALL- IF U WEIGH 200LBS, DO NOT BUY LITEWEIGHT WHEESETS! DUHHH ! LOGIC!
2ND- I SEE A LOT OF .............BOYZ ...... WHO COMPLAIN...BUT...THESE ARE THE EASIEST HUBS TO OVERHAUL ON PLANET. GRAB THE CASS. AND PULL- DUHHH...COMES THE BODY OFF TO EXPOSE THE GEARS! LUBE THEM OFTEN AND IT OUTPERFORMS ANY HUB- ANY EVEN KING WHICH I ALSO OWN AND IS STCKY AS HELL(FRRRIC-TION). IF EURO RACERS USE THESE HUGI'S IT'S GOT TO BE GOOD. AND IS LIGHTEST TOO! I'VE BEEN USING HUGI FOR YEARS NOW! NEVER FAILED! I LIKE KING'S EXTRA FINE RATCHETING GEARS THOUGH. BUT THESE-HUGI'S ARE SO DAMN SMOOTH, AS BUTTER THAT NOTHING COMPARES. WHEN U GET THEM PUT SOME ENGLUND HONEY GREASE IN THE HUB AND WALLAH...RIDE ON. AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY QUITE, YEAH NO ANNOYING WHINE LIKE KING. MY NEIGHBOR DOG HATES THE NOISE AND CHASES ME ALL THE TIME WHEN I RIDE THE KING HUBS! BUT LETS FACE IT, KING ARE NICER LOOKING SPECIALLY ON A DATE IF THAT IS WHY U RIDE! THAT'S WHY I KEPT THEM- HEHEHEHE :)
ALSO...IF U WEIGH 190LB + ...AND RACE, THEN JUST GET A FREAKINN SHIMANO W/ 36 HOLES RIM, NOT LITE WEIGHT HUBS/WHEELS W/ 28 SPOKES. THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR U, SO DONT! SORRY !!! AND LAST, NO U CAN'T PUT AN LX CASSETTE ON THESE OR ANY ALLOY HUB, IT'LL CHEW IT UP- COMMON SENSE!
THANX FOR READING:) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bob
a Cross Country Rider
from boulder.co
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | none | | Weaknesses: | they break | | Similar Products Used: | specialized | | Bike Setup: | sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | rear hub broke after 100 miles!!/horrible customer service! i have to wait 2 weeks for parts,so they can break again!? i have no faith in these wheels. ill buy the specialized,a little heavier,but i know they wont fail me! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Morgan Hill,CA
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Rear hub failed. No product support | | Similar Products Used: | Custom Wheels, Chris King Hubs | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow-up from previous review. All the new Race lites have Hugi 240 hubs with "Bontrager" stamped on them.
The freewheel mechanism failed on my rear hub. Bontraeger would not service these even though they were only a few months old, presumably because I did not buy them at a dealer. The Bontrager E-mail help line says they will respond in 48 hours, but they just stopped responding to my request for help. Great going guys!!! When your Hugi hub fails you can see the Hugi site "DTSWISS.COM" to see how to disassemble it. Good luck. The worst part of this experience is that Bontraeger does not support their product. They must know they have a problem. My recommendation - contact Dave Thomas Wheels and get some really light wheels made up with Chris King hubs. He knows what he is doing and supports his products. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Henning Hansen
a Weekend Warrior
from OSLO, NORWAY
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | lack of weight,Chris King hubs,stiffness,tracking | | Weaknesses: | price, to wide for my SX-Carbon fork, had to relace the front wheel to make the wheel spin. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crossmax | | Bike Setup: | 1997 Yeti F.R.O. ChroMo (last Yeti steel frame)Manitou Sx-Carbon,King headset,Arch Supremes,Ringlé stem/seatpost, XTR-drivetrain with Sachs D.I.R.T. Plasma rear derailleur, Gore cables | | Bottom Line: | WOW - now this is how my bike handles!! I've been using Crossmax for the past three years, and i guess my bike has been wandering all over the singletracks - always flexing.
Been lusting for these wheels for about a year, but were disapointed to hear that the King hubs had been replaced with Hügi-until i found a leftover set from last year WITH CHRIS KING HUB - boy, was i happy!!
There are a few products that somehow sets a standard - which all other comparable products are judged against, like King headsets, Avid Arch Supreme brakes - and now for my part THE ORIGINAL BONTRAGER RACE LITE.
In addition to a great set of wheels i'm getting the whee-sound from the rear-hub as a bonus!!!
Point an shoot, and the Racelites will take me there!!!!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben Doon
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | trail to the buffet line | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | weak-a** rear hub-friggin hugi | | Similar Products Used: | xtr/517s | | Bike Setup: | ellsworth truth - blah blah blah | | Bottom Line: | 5th Ride and the rear goes CLANK! Yeah, so im 200 lbs but for $600+, you shouldnt have to deal with a rear hub going in the crapper on you after 5 rides. Im thinkin maybe a little butter spread on this thing will help b/c im probably going to have to eat it. suck! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from MOrgan Hill,CA
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very light and responsive | | Weaknesses: | Unreliable | | Similar Products Used: | Costom wheels with Chris King hubs | | Bike Setup: | Moots YBB, Specialized ground control | | Bottom Line: | These are the newest wheels with the new lightweight Hugi
hubs. The pawl mechanism failed after a few months of moderate use. That is to say it "freewheels" in both directions as in "no forward motion". I weigh 165. Bottom line - complete failure.
Looks like the new Hugi hubs have to be disassembled on a press, unlike King's which now seem far superior.
I E-mailed Bontrager and so far they are not helpful because I did not buy these at a dealer, they say take it to the dealer, but the dealers says talk to Bontrager. Understandable on the dealers behalf because I didn't buy it there. I am stuck with what may be an unrepairable wheel. Bontrager should take some interest in the complete failure of a new product. I should think I would be very interested and want to investigate if I were selling this item, but looks like Bontrager doesn't want to be bothered. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jopo
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light as air. Strong, stiff, and they want to roll forever. Following my freinds, I just coast while they still have to pedal. | | Weaknesses: | Price. These ain't cheap. The Chris King hub's noise might bother you also. You get used to it, but people know you're coming, that's for sure. If you like stealth, don't get 'em | | Similar Products Used: | Bont. Maverics, Mavic 217. | | Bike Setup: | Airborne L-Strike, XT/XTR mix, SID, Racelites | | Bottom Line: | These wheels are awesome. I ride pretty hard and don't necessarily bunny hop all the rocks, logs, drop-offs, etc. The wheels have taken some abuse. They needed a slight re-truing after say 500 miles, but still ride fine. Watch for brake wear though, I went through a set of pads quick.
Acceleration, climbing, and coasting all are improved over others. I'm running these with IRC Mythos, which also have done me right.
I'd give this two fives, but the price kills the value area some. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Central Florida
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Weight, strength, ease of service, king hubs | | Weaknesses: | price | | Similar Products Used: | specialized, 517's
| | Bike Setup: | FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | I have been extremely satisfied with this wheelset. They are light, accelerate well, and are surprisingly strong (I weigh 180) though the rear feels a little flexy under hard loads. I did need them retensioned when I first received them, however they have not needed truing since. The King hubs have also been adjusted, as expected, and perform flawlessly. I have had a couple of spokes pop in the rear wheel when climbing short, steep hills, but this has not been a recurring problem. The king rear hub sounds great. I was worried the noise would bother me, but it doesn't; you don't even notice it after a while.
Overall, a great wheelset for those looking to save weight, but I would not recommend them for heavy riders (>190)or those who ride heavy.
Five steamers for performance; four for value due to the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | sugarbottom and train trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | This wheelset combines, in my opinion some of the best components that you can get for building wheels:dt,king,valiant, which makes one of the lightest wheelsets out there. This wheelset stands above all the other wheelsets because it is easily repairable with common parts. Compared to other more flashy wheelsets like cane creeks, you don't have to send the wheel back to the company just to fix a broken spoke like my friend does. They are what prebuilt wheels should be instead of heavy sets that just look cool. Compared to other wheelsets I have used they accelerate very fast and you really can notice a difference when climbing. I have only had to adjust each of the hubs twice since new, and nevermind the hub noise its just one more of the many perks of these wheels. | | Weaknesses: | The first couple weeks of riding there was alot of brake squeal because of the ceramic rim surface needed to break in and in the first month I went through three sets of pads front and rear but this is normal for break in. I did have to relace my front wheel because my manitou carbon fork didn't clear the spokes because of their outside lacing but this isn't the wheels fault but the forks, this was fixed on the '00 mars forks. As with other people, my freehub has started to become sticky. I haven't had the chance to tear it apart yet but they have seen lots of rain, snow, and mud over the last year or so of riding them at least four to five times per week so that doesn't seem to out of line to me. I did notice that they are a little flexy and had some side to side wheel slop when I had them on my full suspention bike because I was abusing them more than I usually do when they are on my hardtail. This works both ways because with them being a little flexy they absorb some of the trail shock which helps on a hardtail. In the last month or so I have noticed some ceramic coating starting to flake or chip off on my rear wheel so we'll see what happens. | | Similar Products Used: | mavic 217, bontrager mustang, specialized,and araya rims,xtr and xt hubs, wheelsmith spokes. | | Bike Setup: | Independant Fabrications deluxe with 9.0sl, race face, xtr, and manitou sx carbon | | Bottom Line: | Magazine people and other hardcore riders might put down prebuilt wheels because you don't have to pick and choose exactly what you want for wheels which makes it look like you know what you are doing or something, but to me this is one of the most durable and lightest combinations going. And like bontrager says: "light, durable, cheap, pick two.", and with these wheels this is very true. They are light and have been reasonably durable but they are not cheap so you can't have everything, but for other comparable wheelsets like the glitzy looking crossmaxes and spox they are priced accordingly and are more user friendly as far as trueing and servicability and all that good stuff. I would reccemend these to any cross country rider and especially racer because you will notice a real world difference in riding these out on the trail. As long as you pay attention to any of the normal things you would do with any wheel, like spoke tension, hub adjustments, and trueness, these wheels will hold up for most riders. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cory
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | City Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light, Fast, and the cool sound of a King hub | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Bont. Corvair | | Bike Setup: | 99 Fisher Hookoo | | Bottom Line: | I did my first ride today with this wheelset and am I impressed. I really noticed a difference from my old Corvair wheels. Right now I'm using a Bont. Jones wire bead rear tire and a Velociraptor wire bead front, I plan on putting Panaracer Fire XC 1.8's on in the next few weeks. The weight difference with the Race Lites is really noticeable, the front wheel of the Race Lite with the wire bead Velociraptor on it feels lighter than the bare Corvair front wheel. I was able to do more of the step ups on the trail this afternoon because the front end of the bike was lighter. My favorite part of this wheelset is the sound of the King hub, what a great sound. It also felt like the bike accelerated faster with these wheels. Anyway this is just my first impression of the Race Lites, I'll write up another review after having them for a while. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
All Ya'lls hero! baker
a Racer
from blacksburg va,
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Potts Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | I weigh 195lbs(real man) and I totally bring major drama to these wheels. I ride very technical rock gardens and catch alot of air. The "racelites" have come away from every hammerfest straight and true. Hell man! The "Chris King Zing" is worth the $800.00 to me! The local shop(East Coasters) felt a little uneasy selling them to me because I break every thing. I have truly been a good test for these wheels. I have the phat "rare gold" color also. BUY EM!!!!! | | Weaknesses: | Your kidding right?? | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing even close to similar!!! | | Bike Setup: | Klein F/S (XL) | | Bottom Line: | They are strong.They are really lite.They look cool.They make the most awesome sound(screw the people who complain to you about the noise,they are just envious dude)If nothing else, the hubs will last forever. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dusty
a Cross Country Rider
from Iowa City
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | SugarBottom | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | These things are light, and it really shows in acceleration, and braking. This is my first pair of ceramic wheels and they are great so far. These wheels not only perfrom, but they look really cool too. | | Weaknesses: | The front wheel is really loud when I have to romp on the brakes, but it is gets better. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Corvairs, and Spin | | Bike Setup: | Stock Fisher Supercaliber | | Bottom Line: | These wheels are really great so far, but the durability hasn't been proven yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike T
a Cross Country Rider
from Onekama, MI
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | North Country | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Strong
Light
Great breaking | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Machine Tech hubs, Tie spokes, Mavic 217's
Spinergy
| | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Coronus, white bros sc70, ect | | Bottom Line: | This is the best set of rims I've ever owned or used. I've had true them twice during the first two weeks of use but that is normal as the nipples seat themself into the rim. The king hubs are the best. NO STICTION AT ALL. A lot of people complain about the noise but once on the trail you hardly notice it. In the shop they are loud, but in the real world there not. No matter what kind of x-country rider you are these babies will make you faster. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd Eber
a Cross Country Rider
from Mishawaka,in,USA
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | T.K. Lawless in Vandalia,MI | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Super fast and light. Seems very durable. Good braking surface.The bomb. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive. You can build up a king/517 rim for about 100-150 dollars less but won't be QUITE as light. | | Similar Products Used: | XT/Mavic 220 rims, King/ Mavic517 rims | | Bike Setup: | Aluminum hardtail, lightweight parts setup | | Bottom Line: | These wheels show an immediate difference in acceleration and braking. When I first put them on, it seemed like a whole new bike. It seemes like you can push a gear higher than normal rims. Awesome! Ridden them recreationally and raced them once. I also ran them down concrete steps a number of times and they held up very well,although I weigh less than 150 lbs. Front got bent a touch during break-in but re-trued them myself and everythings ok now. If you can afford these they're the best and fastest wheels I've ever had the chance to ride. If you like to jump or are heavy I'd think twice about buying them. They just look like they would bend just riding around on the road, but ive given them a good beating and they have held up so far!I also love the buzzing sound the rear hub makes, although most people hate it. My wife has a King/517 wheelset on her bike
and when we ride together it sounds like the killer bees are
after us! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harris
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Avalon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Lots o' Hub troubles(rear)
Flexy(lateraly)
No product support from Trek
Freakin expensive
| | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Cross-Link | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, 98 Sid, blah, blah, blah. | | Bottom Line: | This wheelset should be the ultimate in pre-built wheelsets.
It is not-at least not for me. The rear freehub has had major stiction since I purchased it. I have rebuilt it three times with different lubrication each time. I sent it back to king who rebuilt it to no avail, and then fed me some crap about break in periods. It has been about nine months and the thing still sticks like fruit-roll-ups to the roof of your mouth. I'd much rather just break it than let it "break in". Trek gave me so much hassle about it, I simply gave up on them.
If you do buy this wheelset, have it retentioned by someone who's not being paid comission by Trek to build as many of them as possible. Mine was complete crap from the factory.
If you want good wheels, buy a custom set from Dave Thomas.
Call him at 800-275-5031. He is one of the coolest guys I have ever had the pleasure of talking to. He can build em lighter, stronger, and stiffer than the RLs, using varying spoke widths and patterns. Dave builds wheels. That is all he does. He knows what he is doing.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from Toronto, Ontario
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Lightweight, strong, and easy to service. They are expensive, but considering what you get, its not a bad value. | | Weaknesses: | Always loud, sometimes annoying, rear hub. | | Similar Products Used: | Various wheelsets with Shimano hubs and Mavic or Sun Rims. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Altitude with Superfly fork, Bontrager Super X tires. | | Bottom Line: | I reviewed this product previously but I have since ridden this wheelset for an entire 7 month racing season (minus 6 weeks for a broken clavicle). I am completely satisfied with this wheelset.
Initially, I was concerned about the availability of spare parts (particularly the 24 hole front rim) but the wheels are tremendously durable. There is one slightly bent spoke in the front wheel, but the tension is still good. The rims are still perfectly true and the ceramic braking surface has yet to show any signs of wear. The rims work great with Shimano XTR ceramic rim brake pads.
The King hubs are great - adjusting preload is easy and only has to be done once. I have not had to service them in any way, however, I do not use this wheelset in very muddy conditions.
The performance of this wheelset is incredible and I recommend it for any cross-country racer with deep pockets. The lighter weight is definitely noticeable and I should be able to continue using this wheelset for many more years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sam
a Cross Country Rider
from illinois
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | windridge farm in GA | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | super light
strong | | Weaknesses: | price | | Similar Products Used: | lx/mavic
xt/mavic | | Bike Setup: | Gary fisher SuperCaliber stock with king headset | | Bottom Line: | i have yet to have any trouble with these wheels, alway true, and ride great. I'm going to hate to stop using them when i switch to disc's. i weigh 190 and usually will tear up a free hub on the shimano hubs in about 4 or five months, but these have been flawless, plus with a king hubset you really can't go wrong. The ceramic rims work well too, but you'll wear right through the first set of pads, then they will last forever. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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