Rebuilding Bontrager Racelites

Travis said:

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when
I rebuild my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often
suggested here, and some decent DT Swiss spokes (or
something), or should I get some Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Getting the hubs to work with proper rims would be almost impossible. They use direct pull spokes, which are pretty difficult to find, and paired spoking, which means that if you want to use normal rims, spoke lengths will be all over the place (if you can even do it with straight pull spokes).

The hubs aren't anything particularly special anyway, so I'd recommend buying a pair of 105/Ultegra hubs and building wheels on those.

Cheers,

Suzy

Travis said:

Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.

I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might be
BS...

The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life. Several
spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
making it impossible to retrue the wheels.

So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones I've
got.

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I rebuild
my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Travis said:

Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.

I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might be
BS...

The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life. Several
spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
making it impossible to retrue the wheels.

So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones I've
got.

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I rebuild
my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

I second that. To rebuild the racelites (even the high-end ones) you need a
special tool. The bearings are nothing special though!
I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Gemm

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Travis said:

Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.

I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might be
BS...

The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life. Several
spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
making it impossible to retrue the wheels.

So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones I've
got.

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I rebuild
my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

I second that. To rebuild the racelites (even the high-end ones) you need a
special tool. The bearings are nothing special though!
I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Gemm

Gemma_k said:

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Travis said:

Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.

I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might be
BS...

The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life. Several
spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
making it impossible to retrue the wheels.

So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones I've
got.

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I rebuild
my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

I second that. To rebuild the racelites (even the high-end ones) you need a
special tool. The bearings are nothing special though!

That's the 5/16ths socket? I have one .. it cost ... $25! For a
glorified hex wrench!
(and, not very glorified, at that ....).

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

Gemma_k said:

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Travis said:

Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.

I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might be
BS...

The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life. Several
spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
making it impossible to retrue the wheels.

So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones I've
got.

The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I rebuild
my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

I second that. To rebuild the racelites (even the high-end ones) you need a
special tool. The bearings are nothing special though!

That's the 5/16ths socket? I have one .. it cost ... $25! For a
glorified hex wrench!
(and, not very glorified, at that ....).

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

Bleve said:

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

You were saying that 105 hubs have the same mechanism (though a heavier
alloy) than Ultegra hubs, can the same be said of lower spec Shimano
wheels?

I have some old low end Shimano wheels already in storage, if their
hubs are decent maybe I could just build those with some decent rims?

Travis

Bleve said:

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

You were saying that 105 hubs have the same mechanism (though a heavier
alloy) than Ultegra hubs, can the same be said of lower spec Shimano
wheels?

I have some old low end Shimano wheels already in storage, if their
hubs are decent maybe I could just build those with some decent rims?

Travis

Travis said:

Bleve said:

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

You were saying that 105 hubs have the same mechanism (though a heavier
alloy) than Ultegra hubs,

Not a heavier alloy, a heavier hub. They're bulkier.

Quoted message said:

can the same be said of lower spec Shimano
wheels?

No, or at least, not that I'm aware of.

Quoted message said:

I have some old low end Shimano wheels already in storage, if their
hubs are decent maybe I could just build those with some decent rims?

No, you can't. They have funky lacing patterns and a low spoke count.
You need the matching rims.

Travis said:

Bleve said:

Quoted message said:

I ended up having to take a pair into an LBS who then had to order the
special tool in for a day just to do basic maintenance.
At least the shimano wheelsets (pre built ones) still have proper bearings
in their hubs...

Ja, the bearings in the low end Bonty hubs are a dog's breakfast.

You were saying that 105 hubs have the same mechanism (though a heavier
alloy) than Ultegra hubs,

Not a heavier alloy, a heavier hub. They're bulkier.

Quoted message said:

can the same be said of lower spec Shimano
wheels?

No, or at least, not that I'm aware of.

Quoted message said:

I have some old low end Shimano wheels already in storage, if their
hubs are decent maybe I could just build those with some decent rims?

No, you can't. They have funky lacing patterns and a low spoke count.
You need the matching rims.

Travis said:

I have some old low end Shimano wheels already in storage, if their
hubs are decent maybe I could just build those with some decent rims?

Travis

That sounds like a false economy to me, just do it right the first
time. Otherwise, when things go wrong, you're going to spend more to
fix it up.

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gemma_k said:

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Travis wrote:
> Comments from Bleve, and stuff I've seen elsewhere, have been rather
> disparaging of the quality of certain Bontrager components.
>
> I've also heard that Bontrager have a weird spoke configuration which
> means their hubs are only compatible with their rims, but that might
> be
> BS...
>
> The rims on my Bontrager wheels are at the end of their life.
> Several
> spokes look a little dodgy and some of the spoke nipples are broken,
> making it impossible to retrue the wheels.
>
> So I'm definitely getting some new wheels, or rebuilding the ones
> I've
> got.
>
> The question is, could I, or should I, recycle the hubs when I
> rebuild
> my wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims, as is often suggested here, and
> some decent DT Swiss spokes (or something), or should I get some
> Ultegra hubs (or something)?

Turf the hubs. Unless they're the high-end Bontrager ones, they're
junk.
I'd suggest 105 hubs, a bit cheaper than Ultegra, and for your use, the
few grams will make no difference at all, and they roll the same (same
bearings)

I second that. To rebuild the racelites (even the high-end ones) you
need a
special tool. The bearings are nothing special though!

That's the 5/16ths socket? I have one .. it cost ... $25! For a
glorified hex wrench!
(and, not very glorified, at that ....).

No it was a tricky shaped propriatry spline tool thing, made by [censored]
Inc.
See it p27 here:
http://www.bontrager.com/assets/File_Listings/asset_upload_file335_970.pdf
The wheels I was changing hte bearings in were race X lites
Replacement bearings came from the bearing shop round the corner, they were
nothing special either :-)

Gemm

Gemma_k said:

Quoted message said:

That's the 5/16ths socket? I have one .. it cost ... $25! For a
glorified hex wrench!
(and, not very glorified, at that ....).

No it was a tricky shaped propriatry spline tool thing, made by [censored]
Inc.
See it p27 here:
http://www.bontrager.com/assets/File_Listings/asset_upload_file335_970.pdf
The wheels I was changing hte bearings in were race X lites
Replacement bearings came from the bearing shop round the corner, they were
nothing special either :-)

Ahha, ok. After we pulled mine to bits and resolved that it wasn't
worth reassembling until Trek decide to redesign the freehub body so
it'll survive 10sp cassettes, we didn't bother to put it back together.
I just got the spoke tool to keep the one I'm still hacking about on
(front) true. It's done 16,000km or so now, and has a tiny wobble.
They're strong in that regard, at least. But they will *not* be my
next wheels!

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No it was a tricky shaped propriatry spline tool thing, made by [censored]
Inc.
See it p27 here:

http://www.bontrager.com/assets/File_Listings/asset_upload_file335_970.pdf

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The wheels I was changing hte bearings in were race X lites
Replacement bearings came from the bearing shop round the corner, they

were

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nothing special either :-)

Ahha, ok. After we pulled mine to bits and resolved that it wasn't
worth reassembling until Trek decide to redesign the freehub body so
it'll survive 10sp cassettes, we didn't bother to put it back together.
I just got the spoke tool to keep the one I'm still hacking about on
(front) true. It's done 16,000km or so now, and has a tiny wobble.
They're strong in that regard, at least. But they will *not* be my
next wheels!

Maybe rebuild it and get a one peice cnc cassette? (that spreads the load
over the entire width of the spline instead of just one cog?)

I have to say I've been impressed with both the current model Zipp hubs and
Ksyrium SL's too. I haven't touched either of them, ever. And they get a
fair bit of loading from big ol' me.
Gemm

Gemma_k said:

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
No it was a tricky shaped propriatry spline tool thing, made by [censored]
Inc.
See it p27 here:

http://www.bontrager.com/assets/File_Listings/asset_upload_file335_970.pdf

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The wheels I was changing hte bearings in were race X lites
Replacement bearings came from the bearing shop round the corner, they

were

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nothing special either :-)

Ahha, ok. After we pulled mine to bits and resolved that it wasn't
worth reassembling until Trek decide to redesign the freehub body so
it'll survive 10sp cassettes, we didn't bother to put it back together.
I just got the spoke tool to keep the one I'm still hacking about on
(front) true. It's done 16,000km or so now, and has a tiny wobble.
They're strong in that regard, at least. But they will *not* be my
next wheels!

Maybe rebuild it and get a one peice cnc cassette? (that spreads the load
over the entire width of the spline instead of just one cog?)

I have to say I've been impressed with both the current model Zipp hubs and
Ksyrium SL's too. I haven't touched either of them, ever. And they get a
fair bit of loading from big ol' me.

Have you swapped cassettes much on these? The zipps are just DT Swiss,
AFAIK, not sure where the mavic's come from though?

Quoted message said:

Gemm

This is what happened to my freehub on a Bontrager race-lite aero after
5,000km with an Ultegra 10sp cassette.

http://www.aboc.com.au/images/galleries/20060116-bontrager-freehub/

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gemma_k said:

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

> >
> No it was a tricky shaped propriatry spline tool thing, made by

[censored]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Inc.
> See it p27 here:
>

http://www.bontrager.com/assets/File_Listings/asset_upload_file335_970.pdf

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> The wheels I was changing hte bearings in were race X lites
> Replacement bearings came from the bearing shop round the corner,

they

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

were

Quoted message said:

> nothing special either :-)

Ahha, ok. After we pulled mine to bits and resolved that it wasn't
worth reassembling until Trek decide to redesign the freehub body so
it'll survive 10sp cassettes, we didn't bother to put it back

together.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just got the spoke tool to keep the one I'm still hacking about on
(front) true. It's done 16,000km or so now, and has a tiny wobble.
They're strong in that regard, at least. But they will *not* be my
next wheels!

Maybe rebuild it and get a one peice cnc cassette? (that spreads the

load

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

over the entire width of the spline instead of just one cog?)

I have to say I've been impressed with both the current model Zipp hubs

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Ksyrium SL's too. I haven't touched either of them, ever. And they get

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fair bit of loading from big ol' me.

Have you swapped cassettes much on these? The zipps are just DT Swiss,
AFAIK, not sure where the mavic's come from though?

On the zipps I have. Slight 'gouging' but nothing like yours. I run 9spd
though!
The ksyriums I haven't touched.
I was actually referring to the hubs as a whole - never had to adjust or fix
anything. (except for the annoying carbon end cap on the zipp hubs)
Gemma

Bleve said:

This is what happened to my freehub on a Bontrager race-lite aero after
5,000km with an Ultegra 10sp cassette.

http://www.aboc.com.au/images/galleries/20060116-bontrager-freehub/

Why do you bother with a 10-speed Carl? It looks like you only use 5...

;-)

--
BrettS

BrettS said:

Bleve said:

This is what happened to my freehub on a Bontrager race-lite aero after
5,000km with an Ultegra 10sp cassette.

http://www.aboc.com.au/images/galleries/20060116-bontrager-freehub/

Why do you bother with a 10-speed Carl? It looks like you only use 5...

The other 5 are on a common carrier, which reduces the pressure.