Road Cycling - Second thoughts about Bontrager Race Wheels

I’m having second thoughts about the Trek 2200 I ordered :( . At 250lbs I’m concerned that the Bontrager Race wheels won’t hold up to my weight. There’s time to get out of the deal, I’d loose the $50 deposit. My biggest concern about my weight and a new bike is wheels going out of true and breaking spokes.

TREKRIDER wrote in another thread:
I have a 04 Zurich that came with the Bontrager Race wheels… I had reservations about the wheels as I am 240lbs.

I e-mailed Bontrager and they said that at 240lbs, the Race wheels would support me for a long, long time. After about two weeks and several hundred miles, the rear wheel went seriously out of true…. A few weeks later, it went out of true again… Then, three weeks ago, I broke a drive side spoke… I have now been waiting for three weeks to get a new spoke from Bontrager!

In the interim, my LBS put in a regular spoke … Yesterday the rear wheel was out of true again. Maybe the Race wheelset isn't made for heavy riders… :eek: (Edited for brevity)

I was looking at a ’03 LeMond Tourmalet because of the steal frame and the Matrix Aurora 32 spoke triple cross wheelset that’s suppose to be pretty tuff. The LeMond is a Shimano Tiagra with a 105 rear derailleur. Once I test rode a Ultegra equipped bikes (Trek 2200) :p I was convinced I’d be upgrading the LeMond to all Ultegra. I thought, why not go for the better bike? Now I’m afraid I made a big mistake.

Has anyone else had experience with these wheelsets? Other suggestions keeping in mind the $1500 for the Trek 2200 was a bit more then I wanted to spend. So getting Bontrager Race Lites is out of the question.

I am 185lbs and have a bit over 2000 miles on my race wheel set. They run as true as the day I got them. I don't have a lot of experience with wheels but I know that the older style regular spoke and lacing pattern (see how ignorant I sound) would go out of true on me all the time. The good thing about those older ones is that I could true it myself on the fly. The race wheel spokes and patterns I cannot true my self but they are so strong that it simply doesn't need it. I suspect you may have gotten a bum wheel. But perhaps 60 more pounds is where they hit there limit? Did treckrider ever say he had a problem with them?

You could ask the shop to swap out the wheels with some standard 32 spoke 3 cross, Open Pro wheels. They may not even cost any more money.

Second on what BlastRadius said. Talk to the shop where you are buying it. Tell them your concerns and be firm - it may be somewhat pyschological but that is reason enough to do a swap. Go with Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs (at least) and 32 spoke, 3 cross lacing.

The cost should be minimal if anything. And I would think they would do anything reasonable to keep you happy and close the sale.

55/Rad

I just put a set of Bontrager Race wheels on my Fuji after my Ritchey rear rim cracked around a spoke. I, too, am a big guy, but so far--after maybe 50 miles--the Race wheels feel stronger (stiffer) than the Ritchey wheels. My LBS people tell me that the paired spoke wheels hold up better than low-spoke wheels with convential lacing.

You could ask the shop to swap out the wheels with some standard 32 spoke 3 cross, Open Pro wheels. They may not even cost any more money.

That is exactly what they did!!! :D

You could ask the shop to swap out the wheels with some standard 32 spoke 3 cross, Open Pro wheels. They may not even cost any more money.

FYI - I have Open Pro's on my Litespeed Blue Ridge and thought they were great wheels. I'm 250lbs and had no trouble the first 750 miles. I was running 85psi 35cc tires on them. When I switched to 25cc tires, within 75 miles the rear wheel went out of true. It did it again 50 miles later. I switched back to the 35cc tires and so far 100 miles later they are fine. The roads are a bit rough around here so the 35cc help with the bumps too.

Just something to consider - the open pros aren't bomb proof for us heavier guys but are very good.

Mark

FYI - I have Open Pro's on my Litespeed Blue Ridge and thought they were great wheels. I'm 250lbs and had no trouble the first 750 miles. I was running 85psi 35cc tires on them. When I switched to 25cc tires, within 75 miles the rear wheel went out of true. It did it again 50 miles later. I switched back to the 35cc tires and so far 100 miles later they are fine. The roads are a bit rough around here so the 35cc help with the bumps too.

Just something to consider - the open pros aren't bomb proof for us heavier guys but are very good.

Mark


etofhb, have you considered Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels?. These are extremely strong and would cost you in the region of us$350.00 They hold up to anything ie. potholes.

etofhb, have you considered Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels?. These are extremely strong and would cost you in the region of us$350.00 They hold up to anything ie. potholes.
Do you mean the Equipes? The Elites run around $550 a pair and the Equipes are around $350. I would imagine 32 spoked open pro's would be a bit more durable over the 20F (radial)/24R (2 cross).

Elites can be purchased for $465 new on Ebay. I've seen them closer to $400-425 in the past.

55/Rad

Elites can be purchased for $465 new on Ebay. I've seen them closer to $400-425 in the past.

55/Rad


Big floppylama, the Ksyrium Elites are built using 2002 standard Ksyrium rims with zicral spokes which as I understand it are bonded and are wound up extremely tight into the reinforced rim/hub. I've heard from countless riders who weigh in the region of 250lbs who have used these for years and the rims never seem to go out of true.