bontrager wheels

I've pretty much decided that the new bike is either going to be a Trek 5500 or 5900. I have one (maybe a few more!) question;

The 5900 i am looking at has bontrager wheels on it - they have Black anodized rims although they appear much like the mavic Ksyrium SSC SL - i.e. they have a flat section cut out between the spoke on the inner of the rim.

I can't seem to find these wheels on the bontrager web site. Anyone know anything (good or bad) about them? I kind of recall reading about them 6 months back.

cheers,
Tom

I would stay away from the RaceXLites, (Race day wheel only) that I believe come on the 5900. I put on about 2,500 miles on the Race Lites this summer and never had to trued them once. (I weigh 175 lbs).

__________________
"The only thing in this world that gives orders, is balls"
~ Ski-U-Ma! ~
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Forgot this link to Bontrager wheels giving specs.

http://www.bontrager.com/roadwheels/

__________________
"The only thing in this world that gives orders, is balls"
~ Ski-U-Ma! ~
"Know your limits... Then FK'N Crush'em!!!"

The Race X-lites are lighter than Race Lites mostly because of the butted spokes, hub axles, and skewers. I wouldn't say to stay away from them based on durability but they're a lot more expensive and you might want to spend that money on something else. You pay about $900 more for the 5900 vs the 5500 and both have Dura Ace so you should be comparing the 5500 plus $900 worth of accessories (like 5 jerseys, new shoes, pedals, a HAC4, a new roof rack, extra tires, and a year's supply of Cytomax)

vs. the 5900 with no pedals and no toys.

The Race X Lite wheels you are looking at are an early 03 model. The milled out sections got Bontrager in trouble with Mavic over patent infridgement. The result, Bontrager can no longer sell the milled out rims.

I owned the milled rims as well as the current version and both are light wheels. In fact I emailed Bontrager about the weight difference between the two wheels and they say that the current version is 3-4 grams lighter.

I disagree that these X Lites are only for race days. I weight 215 lbs and use them everyday on my training rides without any issues.

I'll admit my statement of 'race day only' was a bit over the top, but discussions with a mechanic at a LBS that sells a LOT of LeMond and Trek bikes and a former pro racer who has a strong vested interest in one of the aforementioned companies convinced me. (I have an '04 Tête de Course on order that comes stock with the X Lites, and I specifically ordered the Race Lites in-lieu of the others). Don't get me wrong, I'd love to own the X Lites, I just hate truing wheels...

__________________
"The only thing in this world that gives orders, is balls"
~ Ski-U-Ma! ~
"Know your limits... Then FK'N Crush'em!!!"

I have the 03 XLites (milled out) on my Lemond Tete de Course and also use them on daily training rides ... no issues! They are very similar to the Mavic SL's ... hence the law suit. I was a slow convert to the Bontrager wheels, but really like them now.

Enjoy ...

I have had my X Lites for 2 years now.. Came on my '02 5900. Great wheels. I have never had to twist a spoke..

Totally agree. I had RaceLites on my 5200 and had "Matrix" wheels on my 1200. I intended to use the 1200 for daily training and the 5200 (at first) only for special occasions. But I found out rather quickly that my weight (90+ kilos) the Matrix back wheel and the famous Montreal (and Quebec) potholes do not agree with each other. I had 3 spokes break before I wised up and go me a rear RaceLite (using the original cassette from the 1200). EXCELLENT choice. Best money I ever spend. Since I had to use the 5200's back wheel every time the Matrix showed a sign of "material fatigue" I pretty much knew that the rim was excellent.

Did 3000 kilometers since... Not once did it need truing... And the Bontrager clinchers are pretty flat resistant too.

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Driven, pushed, pulled, stretched, smacked, cracked and torn apart... by what's inside !
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Trek 5200, Specialized Allez Comp Intl., Trek 1200, Corratec Glacier MTB ... and since march 30th a BMC ProMachine Yeeehaaa!!!

Tom, I've got a Trek 5500 with Bontrager X Lite wheels, there GREAT... I've been riding on "Chip Seal" roads ie rough, and theve done very well. I weigh #210 so there's a fair amount of stress on them and after 1 season of 2000+ miles theve maintained true. The 5900 might have X X Lites on it but I believe they are just a thinner walled wheel. If you're a heaver rider, I'd go with the 5500.