Bontrager + or - ?

teamgomez said:

Back in the market for a new machine...trek seems to own the market (ok...bought the market) w/ the proliferation of bontrager. How good was/is is his stuff now that Trek is funding his name? I'm talking everything from tires to wheels...is it a name or do you like the stuff?

Trek have been building good decent bikes and parts for as long as I can remember. I recently bought a bar and stem by Bontrager and they seem to be as well built as they ever were. I've only ever owned one set of rims by them and didn't really like them. The tyres were practically impossible to get off them, but that was years ago. Things might have improved since then.

I have a mixed experience with Bontrager parts.

I have a Bontrager-equipped Trek (carbon seatpost, bars, and stem) and, for the most part, I have found the components to work well. I also have a set of Race X-Lite wheels that perform well, but I only use them for training.

I would, however, strongly discourage anyone from using Bontrager Race-X Lite Pro clinchers. A new set of these $60 tires was ruined in less than three miles on a smooth road. Within those three miles, I had a front flat and about five or six small rock embedded deep within each tire. Each tire also has several significant cuts. The damage to these tires exceeded damage to other sets of tires I have put upwards of 1500 miles on.

While they may be high profile, I doubt that Bontrager and Trek 'own' the market (well ok, I am not familiar with what people ride in the US!).

Take a look around, there are plenty of bikes and zillions of quality component makers. A bit of happy surfing on a few forums and company websites and you will have all the options and knowledge that you need to begin to orient yourself in the market!

Happy shopping and riding!