After about a week of debating and lamenting over the though of having to buy some wheels for my "new" Madone, I finally pulled the trigger and grabbed a set of Bontrager RXL wheels. I had thought over and over in my head what wheels I should go with. The biggest question kept coming up of, "Should I go with carbon and fork over the extra cash and have more wheel swaps or stay with aluminum and be consistent with my brake setup?" I went with the latter.
It took some time for me to "settle" on these wheels. At about $1,000 retail, the wheels aren't cheap. But they are worth every penny if you ask me.
Now, they do come tubeless ready, hence the TLR in their name, but I opted to not run them tubeless at this point. I'm still a little hesitant with a tubeless road setup for now. With that being said, I actually am running a set of tubeless tires while having tubes in. Kind of idiotic, I know, but it's been working, and I'll explain why.
First of all, the tire to rim combo is an extremely tight fit making them nearly impossible to get on. Or for my case, off. Leading into my first criterium I was a little nervous to run something like the R3s by Bontrager that can slip off so easily when I change out a flat tube. Having such a tight interface and difficult time seeding the bead into the rim, I knew these could handle some tough cornering. And they did. I was hitting some 90 degree turns pushing 25mph.
What I really like about these wheels as compared to anything else I have ridden in the past, besides some rental wheels, is just how responsive they are. Not only from a criterium standpoint, but when I am out riding and training. The cornering is great, but the speed at which they can built up is superb.
When I took a solid ride last week to some tough hills on the west side of Madison, I was able to put them to the test. I climbed hard, I braked hard and I cornered hard and had some maneuvering arount potholes and gravel at speeds of 50+mph. The wheels responded instantly. Without hesitation. No bend, no wobble and no lag. Especially useful when standing up to climb some of the steep short climbs I encountered.
What it mostly comes down to for me is their straight pull, stacked lacing and the hubs. Based around the DT Swiss 240 hubs, they are light and sturdy as all get out. Being a heavier rider, I can really test these bad boys out in a hurry. But they stayed true from start to finish.
If you're looking for a one set of do it all wheels without going to a full carbon set, I would put these at the top of your list. Right up there with Shimano Dura Ace wheels and Zipps. Bontrager wheels are becoming more and more popular as the engineering that goes into them is top notch and the engineers themselves are at the top of their game. I would recommend these to anyone. Triathlete, road racer or crit racer. As well as anyone who just rides and wants a very solid set of wheels.
-Dave
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