Bontrager Line Pro 30 - Carbon Wheels You Might Actually Be Able to Afford

Apr 19, 2017 at 19:42
by Mike Kazimer  
Bontrager Line 30


What do you think a wheelset with wide carbon rims, a hub with 108 points of engagement, and a weight of 1700 grams would cost? $2000? $2500? Guess again. How about $1200 USD? That's right – Bontrager's new Line Pro 30 wheelset comes in at an almost unheard of price, especially for a pre-built wheelset from a major manufacturer.

We've seen more reasonably priced carbon wheelsets from the likes of Ibis and Specialized hit the market over the last few years, but Bontrager's Line 30's may be the harbingers of a new era, one where it's not necessary to pawn a family heirloom or cash in a retirement account to afford a set of carbon wheels.
Bontrager Line Pro 30 Details

• Intended use: trail / all-mountain / enduro
• Carbon fiber rims
• Sizes: 27.5'', 29"
• Internal width: 29mm
• External width: 34mm
• Rapid Drive 108 hubs
• Boost spacing
• Weight: 1700 grams (actual, 29" with rim strips)
• MSRP: $1200 USD
• www.bontrager.com

The carbon rims have an internal width of 29mm, and a external width of 34mm, which allows them to play nice with a wide range of tires, including the 2.5” and 2.6” options that are becoming more and more common. Those 28 hole rims are laced to Bontrager's Rapid Drive 108 hubs with DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, and Alpina locking nipples keep everything snug and secure.

The Rapid Drive hub relies on a six pawl system and a 54-tooth drive ring. The pawls are offset so that three of them are engaged at a time, which means there's only 3.3 degrees of crank rotation between engagement points. In other words, there's minimal lag between when you step on the pedals and when the pawls engage with the drive ring.



Bontrager Line 30
Bontrager Line 30
The Line 30's carbon rims have an internally width of 29mm, and are laced up to Bontrager's Rapid Drive 108 hubs.


Bontrager Line 30
Bontrager Line 30
A 54 tooth drive ring, and two sets of three pawls creates a very quick engaging hub.


Ride Impressions

I only have five rides in on the Line Pro 30 wheels, but things are off to a good start so far. Getting a set of tubeless tires installed didn't pose any major hassles, and the fact that Bontrager's rim strips are already installed helps make the process even easier.

On the trail, I'd call the rear hub noise 'medium-loud' – it's not quite as attention grabbing (or obnoxious, depending on your point of view) as an Industry Nine or a Chris King, but it's not dead silent either. Engagement is quick and crisp, and so far there hasn't been any strange noises or sticking pawls. The wheels have a nice energetic feel out on the trail, with enough compliance to avoid rattling out fillings, but enough stiffness to slap them into berms without worry.

A handful of rides certainly isn't enough time to comment on how the Line Pro 30 wheels will survive over the long haul, although I will say that there was no shortage of air time and rough, rooty section of trails on those initial outings. The wheels shrugged all of that off without a wobble to be seen, which is a promising start.

If their durability remains up to par the Line 30's are going to end up on the wishlists of plenty of riders, especially those who wouldn't mind having a positive balance in their bank account after buying a set of carbon wheels.






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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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188 Comments
  • 95 1
 dang 108 points of engagement, sounds like a decent deal you're getting carbon fiber rims and hubs with good engagement. I thought for sure it was going to be carbon rims with crappy hubs to keep things cheap. Still too much for me, but certainly in the right direction.
  • 34 0
 i am curious what the downside is... because damn that ticks all the boxes.
  • 17 6
 I'd like to see a test that measures how much "more engagement" affects friction while coasting. For this particular design it seems like there are 324 pawl activations per rotation (3 pawls * 54 engagement points * 2). If I'm racing Enduro or DH am I losing speed on coasting sections because of the rachet mechanism, or is it so small that it doesn't matter?
  • 28 1
 @dthomp325: try onyx then
  • 6 0
 They might look good in the photo, but I'd wait for some longer term testing. I'm still bitter about a set of higher end (RXL) Bontrager hubs that failed on me, the year after they switched from DT star ratchets.
  • 6 0
 @dthomp325: It would also vary depending on pawl spring tension, ramp angles etc. There's a frictional loss for sure but I would imagine you would need lab conditions in order to measure the difference between different designs.
  • 5 0
 This looks outstanding. Especially from a major brand. A set of decent aluminums cost 700-900, why not drop a few extra bucks? ...unless you ride DH as a privateer. Then never ride carbon.
  • 20 7
 @adrennan: the downside is they are boost only....that's the second set of wheels reviewed today on PB that are boost only...FFS how many people have a 27 or 29" bike (no 26) and also have a boost frame and fork?....and how many of these are ready to pay up $1200?
.....it's almost like they don't want to sell many?
  • 11 1
 @Travel66: i guess i get that, but most bikes coming out right now are boost. bummer for the aftermarket crowd with couple year old bikes, but bontrager/trek has never been one to help out people with older bikes. that is what companies like dt, hope, stans are for
  • 3 2
 @Travel66: not me, I have a 29" full sus and 26" HT, neither of which is boosted. I guess they don't want my money. In a lot of ways I feel like I bought my most recent bike just a tad too soon and have been left out in the rain. Where's my carbon wheelset with 29mm internal width fast engaging hub for less than $1300?
  • 4 0
 @dthomp325: same hubs used on the XC worldcup racers so my guess pretty smooth
  • 10 0
 Super fast engagement doesn't mean its not a crappy hub
  • 4 0
 @LuvAZ: agreed .... bearing quality and axle material play large factors if you ride alot ...6 pawls seem pretty durable tho
  • 7 1
 @kjjohnson: at the light bicycle USA website
  • 3 0
 Straight pull spokes... or why you need a vise-grip wrench in your tool box!
  • 4 0
 @kjjohnson: Light bicycle would be a pretty neat place to find what youre looking for Smile
  • 2 1
 @sevensixtwo: Since when exactly do decent wheel cost 800 bucks? Hope techs for example cost 450 bucks right now in CRC.
  • 2 0
 @dthomp325: Duke University did a study which included Chris King, Onyx, DT Swiss, Hope Tech, and Profile Racing. I forget where I saw the article it but I believe it had to do with the drag on a solar assisted vehicle they where building.
  • 1 0
 @gibbon-on-an-orange: There is an actual lab test out there that compared a few different hubs. Was done by a university studying drag for an electric vehicle project. Profile hubs were the highest drag I think. I can't find a link to the study.
  • 1 0
 @Travel66: exactly, boost is still relatively new so unless you're wanting to upgrade the wheelset of a brand new bike you're out of luck
  • 1 6
flag TheOriginalTwoTone (Apr 20, 2017 at 15:45) (Below Threshold)
 @trocksmooth: and completely irrelevant to Mountain Bikes.
  • 1 0
 @trocksmooth: do you have a link to the study? I'd love to see something from that guy in Boulder who does friction/wattage tests for Velonews. I've never seen freehub tested.
  • 1 1
 zz
  • 4 1
 @Travel66: Not really, the people with new Boost bikes are the people with Money to spend. People with older or used stuff are generally the worst people to sell to In any industry interested in making money. And I'm sorry to say 90% of the people complaining there not non boost compatible wouldn't buy them anyway.
  • 2 0
 @Travel66: a lot of people actually. Most bikes in the last 2/3 years. And around Denver, that's everyone. I see so many ENVE Wheels it's crazy. People have money to waste.
  • 1 0
 @kjjohnson: derbys on hope, LB on hope, BlueFlow on hope, nextie..... I guess the aftermarket is covered and with some below £700.
But what if you own a non-boost trek?
  • 1 0
 @kjjohnson: Check the Acros wheelsets, I've been eyeing those for a while now...
  • 1 0
 @T-rider: 23mm though.
  • 1 0
 @rzicc: I lived out in Boulder for 2 years. It was nuts the bikes out there. CO has had a population boom and and I think almost everyone that's moved there in recent years also bought a brand new high end bike. Trails are so crowded now
  • 4 0
 @kjjohnson: Traverse Fattie SL's are 30mm internal width, have DT240 internals with the faster engaging 54T upgrade, are available in boost and not boost and is usually marked down to $1200 during Specialized's spring sales events. They also weigh about 130g less, and I know the DT hub quality is top notch. Good warranty too.
  • 1 0
 @kjjohnson: Roval Traverse Fattie SL come close to that price? Seem to get good reviews..
  • 1 0
 @Samuli-1: I like mine. Have only had them a year, but most of my riding is technical, rocky, fast in Grand Junction and Moab. No problems so far.
  • 1 0
 @TucsonDon: the Rovals do look good. As long as you avoid the ones with less than 32 spokes.
  • 1 0
 @trocksmooth: Found it here, not complete though.

www.dropbox.com/s/cs2g251nz9faz14/dev-wheel-spindown.pdf?dl=0
  • 2 0
 Looks like the Bontrager Pro 30 holds up pretty well in World Cup DH!

m.pinkbike.com/photo/14671677
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: It will make an extremely minimal difference.
  • 1 0
 @sevensixtwo: Probably ENVE with Bontrager logos...
  • 59 6
 Are those Bontrager? Decals need to be bigger to eliminate all doubt that they are indeed BONTRAGER.
  • 84 15
 Shut up, the bigger the Bontrager name, the more I think of Emily Batty...
  • 11 0
 I wonder if they can be removed...
  • 9 2
 @sml2727: you can always spray paint over them.
  • 36 1
 I bet if they changed the brand name from Bontrager to Emily Batty they would sell more.
  • 24 2
 just cover up with enve stickers right???
  • 9 5
 BONTRAGER just doesn't have the same meaning as it did in the 1990's...............
  • 21 2
 @WAKIdesigns: its actually pronounced Bonnertrigger
  • 5 2
 I like when my wheels yell at me in all caps.
  • 3 1
 @fjshand: Pretty Sure it BongRager
  • 3 1
 @fjshand: what is a bonner?
  • 1 1
 @fjshand: according to my buddy, it's Bo-tanger
  • 3 1
 @sml2727: Emily's clothes?
  • 1 0
 @sml2727: I would only buy if you can remove those decals. Looks like they are painted on.
  • 2 0
 @TKETTLE: 420 joke.....lol
  • 4 1
 @WAKIdesigns: BONTRAGER..boom boom batty boner time haha
  • 31 1
 Only about 25% more than a set of Light Bicycle carbon rims laced to Hope hubs.
  • 7 0
 I got 33mm nexties, 32 dt competition spokes, dt 240 hubs to my door for $1300 canadian.
  • 17 4
 Ill bet lots of people will pay 25% to be able to order through their lbs rather than from china

I was expecting these to be double the price of lb wheels
  • 5 0
 @BryceBorlick: Maybe for those who don't build their own wheels, this makes sense.
  • 41 2
 Still waiting on the Light bicycle pinkbike article.

"Actually affordable, quality carbon, but no ad revenue"
  • 3 0
 Looks like Bontrager warranty is 2 years and Light Bicycle is 1 year. Anyone have warranty experience with either company?
  • 6 3
 @BryceBorlick: not to mention being able to get quick warranty service at lbs if something goes breaks
  • 6 1
 @cyrways: I think you can also buy complete wheels direct from lb
  • 4 0
 @0gravity: I had a Bontrager hub go bad and my LBS got a new wheel overnight-ed at no charge so I could make my race 2 days later. They are quick to respond. I also have light bicycle rims and they are great, but have not broken so no info on warranty from them.
  • 12 0
 @0gravity: I work at a Trek dealer, aka Bontrager. Their warranty is iron clad. Even if you completely screwed it up yourself, they still find some way to take care of you. Even if it is only a fat discount.
  • 1 0
 Is they have crash replacement it's worth it.
  • 1 0
 @cyrways: it'll never happen
  • 2 0
 @0gravity: Trek replaced my 2011 Bontrager Duster 26" on 3 seperate occasions. There was a manufacturer defect. The 3rd pair was a new design and no problem since. But, all 3x they went bad in September and I was off my bike for 4-5 weeks at the best time to ride. I appreciate there was no hassle other than the wait.
  • 5 1
 THIS. Every time there is an article about affordable carbon rims, someone brings up www.lightbicycle.com but pinkbike just seems to keep ignoring them. Whats your deal pinkbike? Give us a review.

For the people asking, I ordered a pair of wheels very similar to these bontys from LB a couple years ago, with hope hubs... came to about 900 USD with shipping. They built them how i requested, and the customer service was great. They will even do custom decals/colors if you ask (I got mine with no decals) I have never had any issues with them, so i have no experience with their warranty. Would order from again.
  • 1 0
 @0gravity: my mate on LB carbon, crash replacement so it's cost think around rim £130? Don't quote me
  • 1 0
 NOBL has carbon wheels laced to hope hubs for around 1200 new. Their quality is super rugged and they are great.
  • 1 0
 @enduroFactory: light bicycle crash replacement was 15% off the price when I broke one of my rims (not the rims fault I was being an idiot)
  • 1 0
 @FullLotus: I love my LB wheels. Built them on the DT Swiss 350 hubs that came with my Bronson C. I have bee n beating on them for 2 full seasons and they have never given me a problem. Customer service was great when ordering them.
  • 22 2
 XC weight weenie here: you can save 90-100g a set by dumping the Bontrager rim strips for some Stan's yellow tape.
  • 2 5
 I wonder if tires would fit loosely tho
  • 11 0
 @BryceBorlick: w a t
  • 2 0
 @BryceBorlick: Nope, fit just the same on my '17 Bontrager Kovee Pro wheels. That rim strip isn't particularly thick, just heavy (compared to tape).
  • 1 0
 Not bad.
  • 2 1
 Nice tip man. Thanks!
  • 3 2
 Considering the Bontrager rim strip (just weighed it) comes in at 43g each, I'm calling BS on this.
  • 1 0
 @wako29: Mine were more on my Kovee Pro wheels, closer to 60g each IIRC.
  • 11 2
 There's still a lot of complaining in here about price, and questions about who can afford these wheels. I know $1200 for wheels seems like a lot, but if there's a market for $5k and above bikes (which is most new carbon bikes coming out), there's also a market for $1200 wheels. And no one questions or complains that forks cost around $1000. Wheels are arguably just as important
  • 10 0
 Strong cheap light. Pick two. (Keith Bontrager)

Guess they aren't really cheap then.
  • 10 0
 or they arent strong...
  • 2 0
 @adrennan: I have the aluminum Line 30's that came on my '17 Fuel 29er. They are very strong. I see the wheels in the bed of my truck when I hit a pothole or heave, and they are stiff as heck. The other bikes in the truck, the wheels just shimmy after hitting anything, but the Line 30's just stop moving way sooner. I know, not a scientific reply, but they appear to be very strong compared to other mid-level rims.
  • 2 1
 @deadtime: i was just making a joke
  • 7 1
 " I'd call the rear hub noise 'medium-loud' – it's not quite as attention grabbing (or obnoxious, depending on your point of view) as an Industry Nine..." Ha! If it was up to me, I'd make Industry-Nine's even louder. Something along the lines of a Stuka dive-bomber would be perfect.
  • 7 0
 After working in (big) shop that was a Trek Dealer I can say that the Bontrager products are actually very good for the most part. Their tires are certainly underrated in my opinion
  • 19 10
 How is £1000 affordable?
  • 19 2
 Everything is affordable. It's the "justifiable" part that gets ya!
  • 2 1
 @MTBrent: I think your talking about Hookers!
  • 2 5
 Most probably this article was affordable for Trek. Just remember that the guys from pinkbike just need to earn for living and to afford some nice bikes. So yeah, lots of "afford" here Wink
  • 8 1
 You have to consider this in the context of those people looking to buy carbon wheels. Relative to the other "name brand" carbon options, this is affordable - for those who "need" carbon wheels. I'm not saying anyone other than a pro "needs" a carbon wheelset. In fact, I bet most riders would be amazed with a set of Stan's rims at an even more "affordable" price. But it's good to see a big brand reducing the price relative to their competition. Would be nice if we saw a little more of this type of competitive pricing on carbon bike frames (relative to aluminum) from some of the big players, not just mail order direct (YT, etc.). If Trek can do it with wheels - maybe they can do it on their frames also - sure will help them against YT etc.
  • 8 3
 @trillot: I don't believe anyone 'needs' carbon wheels when you can build a super light and strong ALU wheelset for so much less!
  • 1 0
 @trillot: stans ftw
  • 11 4
 OK, serious question: What percentage of mountain bikers actually buy $1200 wheels. 5%? 10%?
  • 7 1
 I would be surprised if it was more than 1%.
  • 4 2
 Alot.
  • 3 1
 600 max
  • 6 1
 Me, but I ride 6 days/week, so I find it easier to justify. It's my main hobby. I'd rather have a high performance bike than a fancy car.

Think about other people that spend $1200 to put bigger rims on their car just to make it ride like shite and increase their tire costs. Those are the folks I don't understand. Or folks that spend $2000 to put a lift on their truck that they don't even take off-road, because they just want that look...
  • 3 0
 Serious question: Would this be better than Flow Mk3's + DT Swiss Aerolite spokes + Hope Pro4 hubs? The price (wheelbuilding included) should come out close to this Bontrager's SRP.
  • 5 0
 carbon is generally stiffer but you cant go wrong with the wheelbuild you listed.
  • 2 0
 My Flow mk3s on DT 240s are pretty fantastic.
  • 4 1
 Can the flow rim take the spoke tension required for the aerolites?
  • 3 0
 That wheelset would be half the price of these bontragers. I just had a set of Arch Mk3's with dt competition spokes and hope pro4 hubs shipped for $650 from www.coloradocyclist.com
  • 2 0
 For the same price, I'd go with the Bonty's. Lighter and stiffer. I'd expect the wheelset you listed to go for about half the price of the Bonty's though. Then it's a personal call.
  • 4 0
 Was loonking at these but Im just not sold on pawled hubs, had big issues with snapping pawls, specially bontrager ones. Dt swiss gets my money...
  • 3 0
 Snapping *coughE13* prawls you say?
  • 1 0
 serious question: What other options are there? I've had to replace my 6 pawled freehub twice in as many years. Would love something that engages quickly (less than 10 degrees) and can withstand my 260 pounds.
  • 4 0
 @kjjohnson: Onyx.
  • 1 0
 I had a Bontrager Control Column Hub and all three pawls broke apart at the middle groove for the spring after ~3000km. Couldn't figure out how that happened.
  • 1 0
 @sd351: second that - onyx. Buy once and reuse.
  • 1 0
 @sd351: @Loamhuck ok then thanks for the tip
  • 1 0
 The old Bontrager hubs were poorly designed. It appeared the pawls were too close to the center axle. The load had to be super high to deliver the applied torque, and the freehub body would just fail via overload or low cycle fatigue. New design looks much better. It's a spitting image of industry nine's freehub body. Which is a bit of a bummer since I love those folks, but the torch freehub has held up very well for me and requires very minimal service compared to any hub besides DT swiss. I9s have extremely good tolerances, though, and the first gen hubs the pawls would eventually move in the freehub body and cause occasional slipping--so I wouldn't know if these get the same performance as the torches. DT is still by far the most reliable hub on the market. Think about it--those ratchets are spreading the drive load out over almost the entire freehub body and circumference of the hub shell. They have huge springs, and there's nowhere for something to slip or migrate to an incorrect location.
  • 2 0
 Can you take off the Bontrager? Good price though I prefer a better quality hub. I just spent a bit over $1700 US for custom carbon wheelset. Derby 40mm wide rims laced to Onyx hubs with Sapim XRay spokes built up by my LBS mechanic. Sure its a bit pricy, but still almost half of what a set of Enve/Chris King hubs costs. So far they are bomber and look badass. Rollin with some 2.4 Trail Kings front and back is a great compliment for the trails in Colorado and Utah!
  • 3 0
 Nahhh; after 2 busted Nextie carbon rims last year (though Nextie delivered new rims in no time!) I am counting on alu for future endeavors: DT XM 481 have been rock solid so far!
  • 2 0
 I have been running a set of LINE ELITES with the rapid drive hubs now for a year and they have been really solid. I heard a lot of rumors of them denting and cracking but I live in San luis Obispo " Rock Country" And they have held up great.
  • 2 1
 When will rims finally cost less then actual car rims, and how do more people not have issues with $1200 being Cheap!!! Come on I love my bike but lets get over these prices thats unreal, again these are intended to be cheaper options!
  • 1 0
 Checked the tech docs for these wheels and they aren't bad. Hub bearings are the same price as anything else and all spares are available. Cheap for a light wheel set and you can buy all hub spares separately, pawls, bearings or complete free hub assembly.
  • 1 0
 For my wife's Juliana Joplin (Tall Lady) I'm not worried about 28 spokes. She's gonna ride XC and not charge hard. The 23 mm rim internal at $700 is a great upgrade from the heavy stock wheel build on the lowest end C build. So I'm in. Cheaper than LB according to what I can tell.
  • 4 0
 Wow! Had to check the date and read the title twice. I thought this was an April fools joke. nice job Bontrager!
  • 2 0
 I like the price point,but not the hubs or those spokes.cant even count how many aerolite spokes I've gone thru on my last do 1950fx wheelset..those with regular 2.0 and ft 240 hubs I'd be game
  • 1 0
 Anyone have these and have problems removing a tire? I got some used with SE tires already mounted. I am having a terrible time breaking the bead so I can use a tire lever.

It's worse than Mulefat and Barbagazi tire. At least with thise, the heel stomp method broke the bead
  • 1 0
 I've had a couple of issues with these. 1) breaking the bead on a tire can be a bear with this system, especially the SE tires from Bontrager with their tough sidewalls. Using the end of a rubber dead blow hammer helped focus pressure on a spot to get the bead to release; 2) the sidewalls are taller than MK3, WTB i29 or similar newer tubeless designs. So it seems harder to get the tire back on. Ensuring that the opposite side of the bead is as far into the center channel as possible helps in finishing installation; 3) The pawls are prone to stickiness and delay in returning to position. I think it is related to the flat spot on the pawl and sticking to the freehub body when pressed down. I try to minimize any grease in that spot and use the real thin grease; 4) the springs that push out on the pawls are very small coil springs that seem pretty weak. The leaf spring style of Hope's seem stouter and stronger. I'd like to find some stronger springs or experiment with stretching them out by hand so that when compressed they have more force.
  • 6 1
 Key word: *might*
  • 1 0
 "Might" be able to afford $1200.....
Blue Flow Wheels www.blueflowwheels.com have got to be the best value wheels out there, hand built in the UK and laced to pro4s for under £700, can;t go wrong!
  • 1 1
 That's not far off of $1200, guv'nr. Wink
  • 2 0
 oops, I was thinking of Euros, that's "only" $900. Sorry. Wink
  • 1 0
 @tacoma73: meh, euros, pounds, dollars, who cares when it's all expensive!
  • 1 0
 So crazy that $12000 is considered cheap.

I remember doing custom built wheels... spokes, nipples, hubs, hoops, etc... all for far less. So nuts.

But hey... carbon is carbon. Shits expensive.
  • 1 1
 Do some bucks to flat then maybe, could be next set of wheels, about time someone took this step, stepping out of the industry norm of over priced and over retarded excuses on why so expensive, Ibis Trek (Bontrager) if these are durable Enduro capable then winner winner chicken dinner!

Only thing that's a neg for me is 28h spokes! Esp for a 29" wheel 32h should be std!!!
  • 3 0
 LOL "Might be able to afford." Pinkbike, you funny.
  • 3 0
 Awesome I'm pumped to get some for my Remedy!
  • 1 0
 Glad to see carbon wheels coming down in price. anyway my only complaint on these is that Bontrager isn't using DT Swiss internals like they used to.
  • 1 0
 Does DT make 108 point engagement hubs? Not that I am aware of. Have to stay competitive.
  • 2 0
 @FisherFreerider: simplicity & easy maintenance > engagement in my world.
  • 1 0
 @Sycip69er: Looking at that hub it looks pretty simple to me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 1 0
 @FisherFreerider: Can't disagree. Might be able to pull the caps and freehub off by hand like the DT Swiss. My experience is that I roast standard pawls a lot more often than the star ratchets. Easy to replace a pawl I guess but when they go it is a lot more destructive.
  • 1 0
 @Sycip69er: looking at the tech diagrams now, and you can pull the freehub body right off. They wanted to keep the ease of swapping freehub bodies like DT.
  • 1 0
 @demonsun: Cool! Thanks for that info.
  • 3 0
 Boost only=no sale. Shame because these sound like a good deal.
  • 4 2
 I didnt realize that $1200 USD for a bicycle wheel was "affordable" these days
  • 2 0
 When you compare these wheels to similarly spec'd wheels across the industry they are coming in a good 40% cheaper, then yeah I would call them "affordable". I was hesitantly looking at alloy wheelsets in this price range but now I'll be ordering these tomorrow. Stoked.
  • 1 0
 @jameswb: I dont know how you spend 1200 on a wheel, but I guess if you have boatloads of money good on ya man
  • 1 0
 @epoit: I agree that $1200usd per wheel is ridiculous which is why I was excited to see two wheels for the price of one, also prodeals are a thing that exists. I don't have boatloads of money, quite the opposite in fact, which is why these wheels are so appealing.

I don't understand why you have such difficulty with the concept; if you were looking at cars and they were all $20k then a manufacturer made practically the same car for $10k would it not be 'affordable' by comparison?

Sure a 20 year old $500 kijiji rust bucket might get you from A to B in a somewhat similar manner to a brand new car but you're comparing apples and oranges now aren't you?
  • 1 0
 On Trek's B2B site, the external width is listed as 36mm for the carbon and 34mm for the alloy versions. I wonder who is correct...
  • 1 0
 Got aluminum rims on my bike and just bought an Isuzu trooper for a $1000
What will last longer my $1000 trooper or carbon wheels?
  • 2 2
 yeah i'd still rather have some flow MK3's laced to some pro4's, as if i was to go carbon i'd have to go all out on some enve M70's.
  • 4 2
 why call them line pro 30 when they are only 29mm internal
  • 7 0
 There are just some things in life you've gotta round up on.
  • 8 1
 "Line Pro 29"- Probably would be too confusing, as many would assume they are referring to the wheel diameter rather than the internal rim width
  • 2 0
 Carbon front rim, aluminum rear... may be a good durable mix
  • 3 0
 Boost only, of course.
  • 3 0
 "Reasonable Prices"
  • 1 0
 Really not bad. With spokes of that cross-section, I'd like to see 32H. At least the nipples are exposed.
  • 1 0
 Weights not impressive. You could get DT1700s for less than half the price and are 85 grams more
  • 1 0
 Shut up and take my money!
  • 1 0
 Where can I get more pawls?
  • 1 0
 Great rims , just a shame the hubs are made of cheese.
  • 5 4
 Nope. Still can't afford $1200 wheels. Nor would I ever want to.
  • 15 0
 You don't want to be able to afford $1200 wheels?
  • 3 1
 @nyhc00: I guess I should have said, I'd never spend $1200 on wheels, even if I had $1200 burning a hole in my pocket. For me, I can think of a lot of ways to upgrade my bike by spending $300-400 on a really nice set of non carbon wheels, and still have 8 or 900 bucks to upgrade a lot more shit. But that's just me.
  • 2 1
 @schwaaa31: Wheels are the best upgrade on the entire bike. Once you've ridden a really nice wheelset, there's no going back to a junk $300 wheelset.
  • 2 0
 @dualsuspensiondave: I have such a hard time justifying spending that much on wheels. Maybe someday I'll get to take a spin on some high end carbons and change my mind.
  • 3 0
 @dualsuspensiondave: i would say once u ride a high end rear hub u never go back. The rims just don't make as much of a difference. But the hub alone alone may be over 300.
  • 1 0
 @LuvAZ: I somewhat agree, however rotational weight and rim design are important for pedaling and traction. 200 grams make a huge difference when pedaling, rim width usually equals traction.
  • 1 4
 28h rims and hubs... so basically as with other factory wheels (esp shimano) if something goes wrong, user serviceability and/or repair is limited... you probably can't buy a hub on its own and you are forced to pay more for a spare spoke or rim than if you buy a whole new wheelset.

This is where Hope and Sun Ringle have it right... wheelsets built from the same components they sell seperately... I'd rather pay a bit more for that convenience than a 'once off' bargain wheelset.
  • 1 0
 It's not the 28h that gets you, it's the Straight Pull. Luckily, if you've got a local shop that can cut and thread spokes, then the hub/rim combo doesn't matter too much, but if the lack of needed spokes has you constantly breaking them, then you'll need the local shop to cut lots of spares.
  • 1 0
 Again another 28h wheelset. Is 28 the new 32?
  • 2 0
 In carbon, yeah. No need for 32h in carbon, especially with boost. Out of true rim isn't the mode of failure, but rather cracked rims from rock strikes.
  • 1 3
 Better warranty, cheaper price and nicer looking wheelset: www.purecomponents.co.uk
www.instagram.com/purecomponents

Seen/used them on a few bikes now and there solid.
  • 4 1
 Right, direct order Chinese wheels will have a better warranty than one if the largest oem parts brands in the industry...
  • 3 2
 @allix2456: Working in the industry I have seen numerous top brands or large companies gave some lame excuses to get out of warranty situations. You will usually find its the smaller companies who will bend over backward to help you in any situation.
  • 1 0
 I hear there's no weight limit. I'm sold!
  • 1 0
 Looks like hubs are comming from bitex. Wich is a good sign.
  • 1 0
 Nope still can't afford them
  • 1 0
 How hard is it to put Enve stickers over the Bontrager ones?
  • 1 0
 Looks great!
  • 1 3
 "Two sets of three pawls"? Why not say "SIX PAWLS"? LOL

Boost only, lame, looks like heavy, boring, aluminum wheels for me, aww shucks
  • 6 0
 Because the pawls are offset - only three are engaging at a time. And good news for you, Bontrager has an aluminum version of these exact wheels for $600.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer:

OOOH! That IS good news. Big Grin I'm not sold on carbon for rims anyhow. $600 is a good deal. Thanks for the heads up.


I was just poking a little fun about the pawl thing. Of course they'd say two sets of three if only one set is engaging at once. I like the idea, and REALLY like these new fast-engagement hubs. Way better than the 80's. l
  • 1 1
 No thanks, I can build a much better wheel set for 400 bucks
  • 1 1
 Awesome!
  • 1 4
 **
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