New Bontrager XC and Trail wheelsets debut at Sea Otter Classic

For 2017, Bontrager has added new Trail and XC wheelset options at an affordable price point.

Scour the internet long enough and most will agree that a carbon wheelset is the best upgrade you can make to your current mountain bike. Unfortunately, that upgrade is also typically the most expensive. With some wheelsets costing more than the complete bike you just purchased, it’s a tough pill to swallow even knowing it’s the best bang for your buck.

Bontrager sent us a set of the Line Pro 30’s pre-embargo for a firsthand look before they were officially released to the masses at Sea Otter Classic 2017. The Line Pro 30’s consist of 29mm internal and 36mm outside diameter hoops. They are molded from Bontrager’s Optimum Compaction Low Void (OCLV) pro carbon, which is optimized for weight, strength, and durability.

The Rapid Drive 108 hub (Shimano 10/11 speed or SRAM XD driver) is laced in with 28 front and rear DT Swiss Aerolite 14/17 gauge spokes and Alpina alloy locking nipples. To no surprise, the Rapid Drive hub offers 108 points of engagement utilizing a six pawl design and 54-tooth drive ring for durability and easy servicing for all those that enjoy getting some grease under their fingernails. The Rapid Drive 54 hub is the same design only instead of six pawls, it uses three.

First Impressions

The Line Pro 30’s have been mounted on my singlespeed for only a short while; however, I am really happy with the wheelset thus far. The wide rims help create a more voluminous profile of the 2.35” tire and allow me to run lower pressures without fear of bottoming out the rim. Lower pressure, more traction, more confidence, more fun!

Bontrager seems to have found that happy place between stiff and compliant for these carbon rims. They provide that instant responsiveness and predictability that many of us have grown to love without being so overly stiff they shoot jolts through your body on every root or rock.

The Rapid Drive 108 hub hums along at a reasonably audible level—it is certainly louder than a DT Swiss 240 but not quite as conversation-killing as an Industry Nine or Chris King. For a hub that offers 3.3 degrees of engagement, I really didn’t notice much resistance in terms of drag in the first few initial rides. Typically, I have found that other high-engagement hubs tend to have a bit more drag before they start to bed themselves in and settle.

As of today, I have only had the opportunity to run these on my local singletrack, which are hard-packed fast rolling inner city trails. However, I intend to put these wheels through the ringer in central Pennsylvania’s gnarly rock gardens at this year’s Transylvania Epic Stage Race as well as this weekends cross-country race at Big Bear Lake Trail Center in West Virginia. Big Bear is also the home to our new Dirt Fest West Virginia event in July. I’m looking forward to seeing how well they hold up over the long haul.

Look for a full review of the Bontrager Line Pro 30’s in an upcoming issue of Dirt Rag, just don’t forget to subscribe!