- You have to love getting a new piece of tech
to put on your bike.
And today we're incredibly lucky
because Bontrager have asked us to have a look at,
and a ride on, their brand new range
of Aeolus XXX wheels, which they claim are lighter,
more aero, and more stable than the previous models.
- Yeah, and what better place to take them for a ride
than in the component wrecking grounds
of Flanders in Belgium?
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The Aeolus range of wheels have been around
for a fair while now, launched back in 2011.
But Bontrager have now released a complete new range,
three years in the making and a complete redesign as well.
- Yes, and there are three models in that new range.
So we have the XXX 2s, the XXX 4s, and the XXX 6s;
with a depth of 28 millimetres, 47,
and 60 millimetres, respectively.
All those models are available in disc brake
and rim brake versions, as well as clincher and tubular.
And the clincher version are also tubeless compatible.
Today, Matt, on his Orbea there, has got the XXX 6s on,
whilst I've got the much shallower XXX 2s on my Trek Emonda.
- With the redesign, Bontrager have aimed
to refine the aerodynamic performance
of these wheels over the previous Aeolus range,
whilst at the same time, making them even lighter,
two key component parts in the top-end wheel set.
But the big deal for me is the investment that they've made
in making these wheels incredibly stable
in crosswind conditions.
- Bontrager claimed that, in a test they've conducted,
this new range of wheel fairs better than the competition
for similar rim depth in all three of the components
that Matt has just talked about.
And as Matt also just mentioned,
crosswind stability really is a big deal.
It doesn't matter how aero your rims are,
it's not going to do you much good
if you get blown off your bike
and you sat in a gutter on the side of the road.
Now rear wheel rim depth doesn't make too much difference
in crosswind stability, hence why I can still use
a deep rim or even a disc wheel
in a time trial without worrying too much.
However, at the front here, where you will also find
your steering, well, that's a different story.
More on that later on.
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- Now if it's okay with you, Dan,
we're gonna start with a closer look at my wheels.
Now, I really do love a set of aero wheels,
but they can feel a little bit sketchy
from time to time in windier conditions.
All it needs is a big gust of wind
to really knock your confidence,
and we've all been there at some time or another.
- And it's for this precise reason
that Bontrager have put such an emphasis
on improving the stability of their new range.
They sent a bunch of riders out on the road on windy days
and asked them to make a note of exactly when
they felt unstable because of a gust of wind.
From this, they could extrapolate
the precise wind conditions
that make riders feel most nervous,
and then recreate those conditions
for their wind tunnel test.
And they claim that this new range of wheels,
the results of that testing,
experiences significantly lower side force in crosswinds
than their main competitors at a similar rim depth.
To get here, Bontrager started out by testing an amazing
10,000 different rim shapes using computer software.
They then got the best shapes and made multiple models
of them and then put them in the wind tunnel,
eventually arriving at the optimal shape
that provides the best in aerodynamics,
strength, and stability in crosswinds
for each of the three rim depths that you see here today.
- Now, historically, one of the drawbacks
of carbon rims has been their braking performance,
especially in wet conditions.
Now I, for one,
have quite often been a little bit nervous
in the middle of the bunch, in the wet,
knowing about the lag between pulling the lever
and actually starting to slow down.
So, Bontrager spent a lot of time
and energy addressing this issue.
The braking surface on these has got
the laser control track.
Basically, they've used a laser to precisely etch
a kind of texture on the braking surface,
and it's supposed to be massive step forward,
in terms of carbon rim braking performance.
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- That's not really of any concern to me though today, Matt,
because I am using disc brakes.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, I'm on the shallowest
of their new models today, the XXX 2s.
They tip the scales at just 1305 grammes
for the rim brake version, or 1380 grammes for these.
Pretty impressive, I think you will agree.
And you can take a further 150 grammes off those weights,
if you opt for the tubular version.
Despite being so light though,
they are reasonably wide as rims.
Internal rim width is 21 millimetres,
so optimised for today's wider tyres of 25 to 28.
The minimum that Bontrager recommend you use
are 23 mil tyres, but quite frankly,
I can't really see why you'd want
to go that narrow these days.
- Now, since Matt didn't actually talk about the weight
of his wheels, I guess I better do that for him.
Even at 60 millimetre depth,
his wheels come in at just 1530 grammes.
- However, just because mine are far shallower,
doesn't mean that they are not aero.
Not at all, in fact, Bontrager,
in the wind tunnel test that they did,
found that this model was just as aero and fast
as some of their key competitors' rims that are 50% deeper.
And because they are so shallow, it means that crosswinds
really aren't a factor at all with these wheels.
I don't think that just because they're light,
it doesn't mean that they're not strong enough.
These have been designed, not just with the road in mind,
but also gravel riding, if you so wish, or indeed over
the cobbles that we've been doing today in Flanders.
And also, there is no rider weight limit
with these wheels, either.
- Now, let's look a bit more centrally,
inside the rim itself. DT Swiss provided the spokes.
Now, 24 Aerolite spokes at the front and at the rear.
Although, that does go down to 16 at the front
when you're on the rim brake version of these wheels.
And that is the same spoke count across all three models.
And then even more centrally, at the hub,
these shells are from Bontrager themselves,
but internally, that is provided again, by DT Swiss.
And you just know when you hear that name,
it's going to be very reliable.
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- The third set of wheels are the Aeolus XXX 4s.
They sit in the middle of the wheels
that me and Dan have been riding today,
and they say that they're their all-round rim,
so good on all courses and conditions.
- Yeah, just like we have the XXX 2s, Bontrager's tests
have shown that these are aerodynamically on a par
with some deeper rims from their competitors.
And so you'll have the benefit of going just as fast,
whilst being less nervous in gusty conditions.
In fact, there could be a double benefit, couldn't there,
because you could still use these,
whilst your competitors are reaching for far shallower rims.
- But before we finish, Dan, is worth mentioning
that these rim's wheels have been designed
and manufactured at Trek HQ in Waterloo,
Wisconsin, which is pretty cool.
- It is, isn't it? Actually, don't finish yet,
'cause we've forgotten something. I just remembered.
- What? A brew?
- No, the freehub sound test.
- What's that?
- We test the sound of the freehub.
- Oh, right.
- I mean, people get mad in the comments if you forget it.
- We'd better do it then, we really.
- [Cameraman] Got the mic here. You ready?
- Let's have a little listen.
- Mind your fingers.
- Okay.
- That's not very loud, is it?
- You can't really hear over this wind.
- No, is that a good or a bad thing?
- I don't actually know.
Well, I'm sure our viewers will let us know
in the comment section down below.
- Yeah, they will.
- All right, well, if you've enjoyed watching this video,
you can give us the thumbs up,
if you would like, just down below.
Incidentally, Team Trek-Segefredo will be using these wheels
in the tubular version at both
the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix this year.
And incidentally, we have got our preview
for the former race there, just down here.