Bontrager Race XXX Lite Carbon

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
2007 Trek 6.9 Madone

Bike Setup:
Trek Madone 6.9 SSL with Dura Ace standard groupo. The only change I have made is a 12-27 in the rear to help on these hills.

Summary:
I have a pair of these that came stock on my 2007 Trek Madone 6.9 SSL. I weigh about 265+- any given day and ride about 25-50 miles a day whenever the weather allows. I have put LOTS of miles on this bike. WITH NO MISHAPS...but here is one weird one. Yesterday was a short day. 12 miles. Bike is fine, rims are fine. This morning I get up and had to move my bike for some housework and lo and behold the front rim is bent. JUST LIKE THAT sitting in the living room a spoke broke at the hub.

Strengths:
STRONG, STRONG...no wonder Trek doesn't put weight limits on their bikes!

Weaknesses:
Don't know of any.

Similar Products Used:
Don't use any

Price Paid:  $1700.00 at LBS Spain price in €

Favorite Ride:
sunny and tailwind

Bike Setup:
Used on my WW bike for the mountains a Trek SSL with SRM Compact and Record.

Summary:
I bought them course the LBS had his for a year and his fried a heavy guy had his for 3 years with no problems.
I got the 2008 years model with white spokes and red nipples. 1212g without QR.
The new “RACE XXX Lite” sticker comes of easy thankfully.

Strengths:
Comfortable but does not have any lateral flex. Wind is no problem.
Hub bearings are sweet. And the hubs are pretty bling/trick to.
Pretty hardcore wheels, can be used every day.

Weaknesses:
Carbon wheel are not the best for braking. I have so far found out that Bonty's original (that came with the wheels) are best in the rear and Swisstop are more powerful in the front however a bit grippy.
If you don’t ride in the mountains then the supplied are just fine even in front.
The rim finish are not that super, some pretty ugly mould marks there. But hey, as long as you don’t slow down no one will notice!
I’m not that particular impressed by painted spokes think it looks cheap. It is a personal thing.
It says in Treks catalogue and on the pic on their site that they are stainless, silver. That’s wrong!

Similar Products Used:
Many wheels over the years...

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at Roy's Sheepshead Cyc

Favorite Ride:
Boston-New Haven non-stop

Bike Setup:
Madone SL 5.9, SRAM Force, XXX lite wheels w/Tufo somethings, Newton bar, Thomson stem and post, 6500 Ultegra crank with 5500 105 bb (traditional style is KING), Arionne.

Summary:
WOW. These wheels are mindblowing right out of the box. At a claimed 1200g and at 1203g on my scale, I was impressed as hell! The hubs are amazing to look at and are smooth and silky. Sealed bearings aren't the loosest of spinners, but these were still extremely efficient. Bringing them up to speed was effortless.

The rims on these wheels are so light that when I think "GO" the bike JUMPS forward. They are way stiffer than any aluminum wheel I've ever used. But the rims are so light that you barely feel that there's any lag with acceleration. Amazing.

So far they've held up exceptionally well under a 200lb rider. They have stayed as true as they were out of the box. Which was a relief, because I was nervous at first on these wheels but then started bashing them everywhere I went. New York streets are NOT friendly.

Single best thing about these wheels: braking performance. The braking is absolutely phenomenal. Grippy and smooth in the dry, with the supplied pads. There is a tiny bit of jitter but it's well worth it considering how great the pads bite the rims. Nothing I've got now or had with any other wheels comes close to this kind of grip. In the wet they engage quickly, but I wouldn't want to do it too often as I'm afraid of the stuff that gets picked up in the rain.

Strengths:
Braking performance is out of this world. The nipples are not hidden inside or on the hub, they are easy to access. STUPID light and amazingly strong. Hub body changes out in 30 seconds flat. Seamless rim for great tubular contact and gluing.

Weaknesses:
What? Weaknesses? These puppies were/are on sale for less than a set of Ksyrium ES wheels.

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race X Lite (1490g). Xero XR-1 (1520g). Mavic Ksyrium ES (1485g).

Price Paid:  $1800.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Round Valley

Bike Setup:
Seven Axiom SG, Alpha Q fork, Dura Ace 10, Easton EC70, Syntace F99 stem

Summary:
I love these wheels! Talk about light - these are the nicest wheels I have ever owned. Just as strong as my 404's, and they accelerate equally as quick. They have ridden smooth and straight since the day I got them (ok the rear had to be trued ever so slightly). I've used them in both circuit and road races and they performed superbly.

Strengths:
Weight, looks, ride quality. Unbelievable on the hills.

Weaknesses:
Price, of course, and perhaps a small sacrifice in stiffness.

Similar Products Used:
Zipp 404, Kysrium ES, Rolf Vector Pro