Bontrager Race Lite Wheels

Another option would be to sell them for say $250 and put that towards the purchase of a Trek 1500 which come with those wheels. Never thought of that!

The '05 1500 comes with Bontrager Select wheels - which are 2 steps below the Race Lites.

http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2005/road/1500.jsp

Kind of depends on your level of riding now. The Race Lites are fine wheels but if you are just getting into it, you may not notice the difference. Then again, you'll never get them any cheaper than you have now.

I'd keep them.

55/Rad

55/Rad said:

The '05 1500 comes with Bontrager Select wheels - which are 2 steps below the Race Lites.

trekbikes.com1500.jspOpen ↗

Kind of depends on your level of riding now. The Race Lites are fine wheels but if you are just getting into it, you may not notice the difference. Then again, you'll never get them any cheaper than you have now.

I'd keep them.

55/Rad

If you sell them, sell them on ebay UK where you will get twice thamount becuase of currency, they retailat about £400 here, which is a lot more than $400.

Briguy said:

I have been notified that I met a fundraising incentive in which I will be given a pair of Bontrager Race Lite Wheels. I see these retail for about $400. Help me out here guys. I am going to be putting either a Trek 1000 or 1200 in layaway. Here are my options. Sell the wheels and put that towards the purchase of the bike or keep them and put them on my new bike.

Will these wheels make a big difference? The wheels that come on the two Trek models are Alex rims. Help a beginner out here! Thanks!

Keep them and put them on the new bike. Better wheels will make a bigger difference than almost any other upgrade you can do and will cost you nothing.

Pat

I was thinking that it would make a big difference for one reason. I've been riding a mountain bike for 5 months now. My brother in law was telling me that bike weight is not necessarily what I need to look at but what drives the bike. Light wheels and crank will make a big difference vs. a light frame and crappy wheels and crank. Anyone agree?

Frame, wheels, components, in that order. Lousy frame + great wheels = mediocre bike. And vice versa.

In your case, are you trying to guage the difference between your MTB and road wheels, or the difference between a solid set of wheels (Selects) and a better set (Race Lites)? The former will be huge no matter what wheels are on your road bike but the difference you ultimately feel between these 2 Bonty wheelsets will be less than dramatic.

Keep the freebies. For while they do have value if you were to sell them, you never had it in your plans as far as saving for a bike. And it's unlikely you'll ever get another set of equal or greater value for the same price.

55/Rad

I'm leaning more and more towards the 2005 model Trek 1000 and slapping these wheels on it.

One more thought - Any LBS will credit you a certain amount for the wheels that come with the bike - which you don't need. Or you could sell them. This could translate into a better bike.

55/Rad

Keep them for sure!! i've got a trek1000 and getting a set of racelites was my first upgrade. Its a great wheelset, smooth as internal dt swiss hubs, cool looking (aero spokes, sik design), very stiff, its actually stiffer than the raceXlite but a little heavier. There heaps strong too, been riden them for over a year now and they are still 100% true, if you get a trek1000 and your not a small rider, you'll probably snap a spoke or two on the [censored] wheels that they give you.
What i would do is use both wheels, the [censored] ones to train on and the racelites for races and fast group rides.

Briguy said:

I'm leaning more and more towards the 2005 model Trek 1000 and slapping these wheels on it.

I was forever breaking the stock Alexis (or whatever they are) in the first six months on my 2004 Trek 1000 until I upgraded to my racelites.

They made such a difference - as I'm very tall, the old ones used to bend and flex underneath me through every corner (such a horrible feeling). The moment I decided that I had to get rid of the Alexis wheels came as i was in the middle of having a crash at a circuit race when the spokes on the back wheel let go midway through a 20mph corner. luckily i missed the guy on the outside of me and the rest of the bike wasn't damaged.

As soon as i put the racelites on, it was like riding a different bike! i'm very pleased with them. plus they are a lot lighter and look cool! (image IS everything).

now winter is coming, i was going to put the old ones on but i really don't want to go back to them!!!!!!!!! ewww...

whatever you go for (trek 1000, 1200 or 1500), i say KEEP THEM!!!!!

I am going to keep them. However I did want to point out that I am a small dude. When I do get my Trek 1000 I will probably have it out of layaway to ride next spring. By then I hope to be down to 150-155lbs.

anyways, how did you get them for free.....🙂

Sunflowers to Roses is a local chapter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I raised enough money to be able to get a set of wheels, and a clothing kit from Verge. 🙂

🙂 cool, is it like a refferal program, plus how much did you have to raise! well done for a good cause

What is cool is that the original incentive level for those wheels was $1500. They did not have alot of people reach that goal. I got to $800. They included me. Damn cool!