Bontrager Race

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Parkersburg Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
yes please

Summary:
This wheelset came on my 2007 Lemond Chambery. To be honest, I've yet to find anything to complain about. At 210 pounds I would have expected a failure by now based on the poor reviews of this wheel, but mine are as true as the day they were new despite the many hundreds of miles I put on them in a 6 month period.

Strengths:
Good looks. Hold-up well to my 210# body. Hubs spin freely.

Weaknesses:
If anything, weight. But it's not like they're made of lead.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at neworld cycle

Favorite Ride:
Round the bay

Bike Setup:
Trek 5000 with 105/Ultegra

Summary:
These came with my Trek 5000. I owned an earlier version. The hubs get rough very quickly, and the rims have a hard time holding true. The spokes loosen easily, making the wheels woobly in corners. Mavic Aksiums are a much better wheel at the same price point.

Strengths:
Low cost.

Weaknesses:
Not durable.
Do nothing well

Similar Products Used:
Mavic Aksiums, Other mavics

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Any route that includes some climbing

Bike Setup:
Trek Madone 5.0 (2007). Ultegra groupset, Bontrager components and either Mavic Cosmic Carbon SL wheels or Bontrager Race (soon to be replaced by R-Sys).

Summary:
After having read all the reviews of the Bontrager Race wheel, I just wanted to counter all the negative experiences with some positive ones. I have used this wheel set for 1 season as they are standard on the Trek Madone 5.0 (2007) that I bought this spring. Being a recreational rider doing 100 km a week and the occasional competitive race, I have to say I have no negative things to say about the wheel. It's true that they are not very light, but I find climbing with this bike (and wheels) quite a nice experience. Also, I am happy with the way they roll and unlike many others I have not encountered any problems with the spokes or the rims. Being a 115 lbs guy may of course come into play here. When I now replace these wheels for a set of Mavic R-Sys it's not because I diskile them, rather because I got the Mavics for USD 850, which is at least according to Norwegian standards quite competitive. Perhaps after I have tested the Mavics I may be more conscious about the weaknesses of Bontrager Race - but until then I think they're worth their price.

Strengths:
Good alround wheel that is well suited to rough Norwegian roads, comfortable and with adequate rolling abilities

Weaknesses:
I have not really detected any as yet - although they are relatively heavy

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Select

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Lemond Zurich

Summary:
This will be my 5th rear wheel in 5000 miles. They have all failed at the drive side spoke nipples. I'm about 220 lbs so I know I'm harder on wheels than an average weight rider but this is crazy. The only positive is that Trek keeps throwing new wheels at me two or three times a year. I'm just tired of going to the bike shop all the time.

Strengths:
The Bontrager 5 year warranty service has been great so far

Weaknesses:
Lousy rim design for clydes and just about anyone else who can pedal out some power.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Jax

Favorite Ride:
Bontrager Race

Summary:
I bought a Trek Madone in 2007 that came with Bontrager Race. The rear wheel came out of true after about 1 year and perhaps 3,000 miles. I weight about 250 pounds and was worried the wheels wouldn't hold up. Upon inspection, the rims were cracked in several places around the spoke holes. I took them to the dealer who informed me that Bontrager had a bad production run and some wheels were defective. He said Trek put 5 year warranty on these wheels because of it and he would order a replacement at no charge to me. So far, I've been happy with Trek's handling of this. They have taken care of another problem on the frame and now will be replacing the faulty wheel. Hopefully the replacement will last, but it does have a 5 year warranty.

Strengths:
Look great

Weaknesses:
Out of true
Cracks around spokes

Similar Products Used:
Rolf - was extremely happy with these wheels