Alright, that's enough talk about my racing and lack of skills on the cyclocross bike. Let's talk a little bit about some of the gear I have been rocking and get a feel for how I like it or don't like it. First up is the Bontrager Affinity Pro Disc TLR Wheels.
I wasn't sure what wheels to get when I first started having to build this bike up from a frame. I did some research to figure out what style of bike would be better for me and then decided to really do my looking at wheels. I spent some time online searching, which of course, really didn't give me much feedback since these wheels were super fresh to the market, only really being available on the Domane 6.9 Disc. So nobody had really ridden them in a cyclocross fashion to say the least. However, knowing what I do about the Bontrager RXL wheels, which I both have and have seen on numerous cross bikes, I knew I was getting into a good wheelset when I saw the build of these bad boys.
Going along with the RXL wheels, the Affinity Pros have reinforced spoke nodes right at the rim bed. Which for me is vital. Especially in a lighter weight wheel whose primary purpose is for the road. I had been looking at the Elite level of these wheels as well, but after some talk with the shop guys who I trust as one as a mechanic and the other as a cyclocross racer (cat2) and general bike afficionado, I was coaxed into spending a little more to get these. The hub alone being a DT SWiss with straight pull meant an amazing gliding feeling and super rigid bracing to give me no wobbling in the corners both on and off road.
Another great feature, that is honstely on a lot of newer road wheels, is the rim width. Being able to run a wider tire that actually gets wide is nice. At 23mm external width, the tire can actually feel like it has a wider contact patch, getting more tread on the ground in the corners, giving me ample grip.
When riding these wheels in comparison to others that come stock on the other cross bikes that Trek makes, I could definitely feel the stiffness and responsiveness right away. These felt very similar to how my RXLs respond to cornering and snappiness in a few quick turns of the crank.
When it came to racing on them, I put them through the grinder right away. They were beat up in the mud and grass and wet dew, staying true through it all, never flinching. Even running low pressures on the mountain bike trails and hearing my rims hit the rocks, they never flinched, staying fast and even the whole time.
If you're looking for a great crossover wheel that can handle both the cross scene and be an amazing gravel grinding wheel as well, I would highly recommend these wheels. They have centerlock disc mounts, so adding in some Shimano Ice Tech Freeza rotors is a no brainer. The question is size from there. I went with 140 to start. I may swap over to a 160 up front to give a little more power. But that's another day.
-Dave
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