Durability, lightweight, stiff

none found

Love these wheels! bought them last year and haven't had any problems with them. These are not the lightest or the stiffest wheels you can buy, but they do the job for me! Also, the durability of the hubs, spokes, and rims are superb. I ride these wheels around the streets of Baltimore City (abundant potholes) a lot of the time and hardly ever have to true them.

Superior hubs - DT Swiss 240 -over 20 thousand miles

fast

climbers

effectively aero for box section rims

corner good

despite cracking at a few eyelets, the wheels wheels are still holding strong after 20 thousand miles

Bonti's 5 year warranty

Rims at eyelets crack which is a continuing problem for Bonti.

This review is for the 2008 RXL. Got over 20 thousand miles on them... NEVER had to service the hubs... still rolling like a champ!! Bonti uses DT SWISS 240 hubs and they are solid, smooth, durable and fast.
This wheelset is a warranty replacement for an '05 RXL that deveolped cracks in rim. THESE rims have developed a small cracks in them too. There cracks at 2 or 3 eyelets in the rear wheel rim after about 10k or so miles, however I still ride them and the cracks have not gotten worse. These wheels keep rolling strong and I rarely have to true them.

Bonti has a 5 year warranty on their wheels. I will ride these a little longer before I take the wheel in for warranty.

I NEVER have to service the hubs.

If Bonti RXL did not use DT Swiss hubs then I would not bother riding them.

Lighter than Race Lites. Have held together longer than my other Race Lites. Good training wheel. And as in my other Race Lite review "they are round, they roll."

Still lack lateral stiffness that some other wheels are providing now.

Nearly a year ago, I posted my review for the terribly built Race Lite wheels that came with my Madone. That LBS, soon there after, replaced the problem with a set of new RXLs. I have not had any problems from this set of wheels thus far. I use them as a training wheel and use my set of Topolino 2.0 Black series wheels as my primary race/climbing wheels. 195 lbs 6'0 sprinter. Gotta have more lateral stiffness in the rear wheel.

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Topolino 2.0 Black Carbon Core

Very fast for a 70's cyclist.

I hate it when a hub pulls apart.(My old Campy Record hubs never did such a thing-even after 25,000 hard loaded miles)

I bought a 2002 Lemond Maillot Jaune off ebay about four years ago. I'm a touring cyclist starting in the mid 70's with many thousand miles. It was exciting coming into a new age with fancy wheels. Last week when I was about 2-3 miles from home I broke a front spoke on my Bontrager X Lites. When I got home I realized the front hub had pulled apart!!

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Campagnolo Record from 70's

Nice when they worked.

Only worked for two months/2000 miles

Ok got myself a new 2009 Madone 5.2 with the Bontrager Race Lite wheelset. After two months/2000 miles started to get chain hang at 35 plus. Two trips to service didn't change much and on the third the found the rear axle worn and metal fragments in the rear hub. Three weeks later told no parts available and had no idea when parts would be available. Confirmed that with head office. Pretty Lame. Moved on to a nice new 2009 Roubaix SL2 with a Fulcrum Race One wheelset.

Warranty. Trek stood behind them!

Paired spokes on the 2007. Weak flange on the 2004.

My bike came with a set of Race Lites. At about 2,000 miles the flange on the rear drive side broke taking several spokes with it. My lbs thru Trek replaced the wheel with a new wheel. Rode them for about another 2,000 miles no problem but wanted something lighter. Bought a set of new in the box 2007 Race X Lite. Big improvement. Lighter faster stiffer & better riding than the Race Lites. After 4,000 miles the rear rim cracked. LBS got Trek to replace it with a 2010 Race X Lite. The 2010 has about 400 miles on it. Seems to be quicker & rides about the same.

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Easton Tempest 2, Velomax Circuit.

Spins up fast
Stiff
Comfy
Looks nice with the white spokes and red nipples

Reputation doesn't bode well
Cleaning wheels with white spokes is teh sux
Freehub sound is L.O.U.D!

This review is for the 2010 Race X Lite. I was a little hesitant after reading all the stories of cracked rims, but my bike shop is willing to stand by them and noted the re-designed wheel and move to non-paired spokes.

This wheelset replaced the stock Bonty SSRs that came with my bike. What an upgrade! The Race X Lites roll up significantly faster, maintain speed better, and are much stiffer.

The difference between the 2 wheelsets was so pronounced that I felt like I had to "re-learn" to ride my bike. The Race X Lite has so much less flex. I'm no Clydesdale (far from it at 5'10", 137), but I romped on the pedals and felt like I'd been shot from a canon. Once I fully acclimated, I was easily picking up 2 - 3 mph on some of my normal routes.

The set has bladed spokes, 18 front, 24 rear, and the blades are larger in the rear. The bike is more sensitive to cross-winds, but not aggravatingly so.

Ridewise, I have Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps on these and the ride is surprisingly plush while maintaining a lively feel and connectedness to the road.

I've only got about 500 miles on these and time will tell if they'll remain praiseworthy, but for now I'm a very happy camper.

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Bontrager SSR

Light, low spoke count, cool looking, DT hubs are BUTTER...

Flexy, don't stay true, unreliable design.

Had two sets of these wheels, a set from 2006 and a set from 2008(newer model w/ white spokes and brushed aluminum hubs). Older model was a little flexy but stayed true and round and I'm a 215lb. sprinter. Never used them in crits because they flexed but a good, light training wheel.

The 2008's were aesthetically pleasing, that's it. Had the wheel rebuilt twice and it would be out of true within a couple hundred miles. Will never buy bonti again. They should definitely have a weight limit of 200 lbs. on these things.

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Ksyrium SL, Ksyrium ES, Easton Circuit, Race X Lite, Open Pro/Ultegra.

Best two: Campagnolo Shamal Gold on my Look 595 and DT-240 laced to Kinlin nio 30's with cx-ray on my Litespeed

06 and earlier clearly not strong enough for serious riders

Purchased a 2006 Trek Madone 5.9 which came with Bontrager Race X Lites. I had two rear wheels develop cracks on the rim. The first was replaced with another '06 wheel. That one developed two cracks and was repaced with the newer and seemingly stronger 07 wheel. I have since sold that bike to a friend and so far the newer X Lites have held up for him. He is , like me about 190 lbs. A mechanic at an Albuquerque bike shop said these wheels are not advised for anyone over 165 lbs??????Bottom line, the 07's and later seem to be stronger.

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Mavic Elites

Nice fast wheel

Based on other reviews, un-reliable, maybe even dangerous

Fortunately Trek is a stickler on their warranties, and although their Race Lites have a 5 year warranty, my rear wheel's hub failed in 5 years and a couple of months. I am now riding on new (non Bontrager Race Lites.) If they had replaced the wheel I might have been snookered into using them. Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you. After my experience, I don't trust the wheels, and life is too short.