Paul Petch

Bontrager Race Disk tubeless wheelset – long term review

Having come stock on a 07 Trel Fuel EX8 back in 2007, the Bontrager Race Disk wheelset has seen constant abuse ranging from the rocky Port Hill trails, wet and muddy winter gloop, as well as daily commutes. They have been hammered and disrespected unlike any other wheelset that I’ve owned.

First thoughts

I must confess that my initial thoughts and feelings were not that positive when I first received this wheelest. The strip that acts to create the “tubeless” properties was….well…quite frankly shite. It was loose and never stayed put so within the first week the Bontrager Race Disc tubeless wheels became a standard “tubed” variety…. and that was that. Weight wise they did not really embrace the weight weenie in me either weighing in at a seemingly porky 1820g, but for their intended purpose of trail riding this weight was acceptable. I was also a tad concerned with a generic branded set of hubs from Bontrager….I had no real grounds to be wary mind you, I was just a brand whore….and a brain washed one at that ;)

Wheel highlights

• Tubeless Ready works with all recognized tubeless or standard tyres
• DT Swiss-made hubset features supreme durability and easy servicing
• 6-bolt rotor attachment
• Includes Bontrager tubeless rim strips and valve cores
• Alloy locking nipples for durability; Presta valve
• Offsett spoke bed

Hammered

Soon after purchase the Bontys saw a few months on the Trek Fuel on Australian trails at various cycling events, and then were stored as I had several other “lighter” sets of wheels. Once I arrived in New Zealand the Bontys found their way onto practically all of my bikes…..from my rigid single speed to full squish. Why exactly? Well….the rims were strong and took far more abuse than the Shimano XTR’s (that broke) and the hubs were fast and smooth….unlike the Chris Kings that dragged like I was pulling a small Rhino behind me…..can you see a pattern here? :D

So since late 2007 these wheels have been well and truly thrashed around some pretty demanding terrain over this way and have seen some serious KM’s and extreme weather conditions too. Combine a serious lack of maintenance and some healthy disrespect… they are as good as the day that they hit the dirt. This wheelset has been simply fantastic for bombing about the trails and have not caused me any dramas at all (aside from not being able to run tubeless… grrr). When you consider that you get DT Cerit Swiss hubs (re – badged as Bonty), super strong 24mm rims, 28 spoke design, tubeless compatibility (when rim strip fits) and a nice and secure QR set (not visually the best)……it starts to make sense doesn’t it?

As for maintenance….it has consisted of a few spoke replacements on the rear due to a derailleur getting excited,  and a single re-tensioning of the spokes after “bedding in”. After multiple dings and stupid line choices the rims are still true and dent free, and when you consider that they have lived mainly on hardtails with me as the pilot….that is just plain amazing. As for the hubs, the bearings have been buttery smooth and have spun so so fast from day one, and again zero tinkering, cleaning or mothering has been required! Brilliant!

Cut to the chase

So what features of the Bontrager Race Disk wheels have I liked and thought “meh” about over the past 3 yrs? Their reliability is second to none with no mucking around from day one. The weight bothered me when I was into my weight weenie “phase”, but things have changed and I need strong and reliable wheels over light, “temporary” and expensive. Realistically at 1800g these are on the light side of “all mountain/ trail” anyhow and the abuse that they can tolerate week in and week out is just mind blowing.

I’d love to comment more on their tubeless abilities, but I can’t due to removing the rim tape within the first week of their purchase. What I can comment on though is how annoyingly tight the rim is when it comes to changing a variety of tyres. Maybe it’s their requirement for a tight seal in case you run tubeless?…but a bowl of soapy water to lube up the contact area of the rim and tyre has been required for every tyre change and some serious PSI with a foot pump to get them seated….which is a real pain. Tyre changes on the trail have been….lets say….frustrating :)

Another rim “annoyance” is their uncanny ability to make every rim tape (and the original tubeless tape is testament to this) “shift” and rise upward past the bead rim edge. Without fail when changing tyres, the rim tape would be pushed off the spoke bed to the extent that the spoke holes were clearly visible and exposed…..which is not ideal when you have a thin rubber tube at pressure next to them! No matter how much I “tinkered” with the rim tape- or even swapped brands- the same thing would happen regardless.  I guess that due to the offset spoke bed design this problem has occurred? who knows. Oddly though, I’ve never suffered from punctures due to rim tape movement on the is wheelset….so ultimately it has not been a real issue…..more of an annoyance/ bad design.

Sensible wheels

You may have noticed a theme of my blog in that once upon a time I used to go top shelf when to came to gear….that was before I started to ride real mountain bike trails where things break. Pretty much like the Cove Handjob, these wheels made me stop and think when it came to what really makes a great mountain bike product.. and I decided that reliability and longevity was far more important than weight. These hoops have changed the way that I view MTB wheels….

The Bontrager Race Disk wheels are a sensible, reliable, smooth rolling, affordable, and overall a light set of AM hubs and hoops. This wheelset surpassed (and continues to do so) all of my initial expectations…..and they just keep going. They have also outlived and taken front stage over both XTR and Chris King. Put bluntly Ladies and Gents…these wheels are fu*k#ng awesome :D

I’d go Bontrager Race Disk again….no worries. Highly recommended!

Related posts:

1. Crank Brothers Candy C pedals – long term review
2. GT Peace single speed review
3. Salsa Fargo 800km update & first review
4. Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25″ review
5. DT Swiss 5.1 & converting to tubeless

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 1:12 pm and is filed under Bike & Gear Reviews and tagged with bontrager, Gear and Reviews, port hills, review, trek. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.