Thoughts on Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheelset?
11-05-23, 06:54 PM
#1
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Thoughts on Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheelset?
Thoughts on Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheelset? These are on the Trek Madone SL7 I test rode today. They feel sluggish to me. I also expected DTSwiss hubs but was told these are Bontrager's own hubs.
Any knowledge on the subject appreciated.
11-06-23, 10:42 AM
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I have the Pro 51s on my TT bike. Wen up to speed, the roll quite nicely. Not the fastest, but a nice set of wheels for that price point of bike. The hubs, according to Trek, have DT 350 internals.
11-06-23, 05:57 PM
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Also, just seems to me much more likely anything you felt concerning the wheels was really the tires. I assume it had Bontrager somethings on it. And I don't think any Bontrager road tires are known to roll all that great.
This is just my thinking. Please edjumicate me.
I have Aeolus Pro 37's on my Domane and they seem quite nice. But real or placebo, I have no idea.
FYI, the Trek web site say the 51's come with DT350 hubs, but it says that about the 37's I have. Yet those hubs have Bontrager stickers on them. My guess, they are likely DT350's just rebranded Bontrager.
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11-07-23, 06:54 AM
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FWIW the biggest influence in the feel of a test ride is tire pressure. Inflate tires to or beyond the max and any bike feels faster with crisper handling. Under inflate and the best bike feels like a dog.
Personally, I'm not convinced anyone can feel the difference between any two reasonably comparable wheels.
Personally, I'm not convinced anyone can feel the difference between any two reasonably comparable wheels.
Last edited by FBinNY; 11-07-23 at 06:58 AM.
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11-07-23, 03:43 PM
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Not looking to argue, I'm genuinely asking, how could wheels (not tires) feel sluggish? The way I see it, the spokes are always under tension, though the amount varies as the wheel rotates. While to some degree, the varying tension in the spokes will cause them to change length slightly, I doubt that that would amount to anything detectable. And given that, I don't think even soft rims would deform enough to notice and carbon rims probably not at all. Of course, if there were extraordinarily bad hub bearings, then sure that might be something, but that's not likely an issue on a new bike. Or of course the wheel built with unusually slack spokes.
11-07-23, 05:22 PM
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Weight certainly makes some sense. Accelerating a heavy wheel would be something you might notice. Though I doubt the Aeolus 51's the OP references are unusually heavy. But some people (not me) are more attuned to what for me would be subtle differences I likely wouldn't notice.
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11-07-23, 05:57 PM
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Not looking to argue, I'm genuinely asking, how could wheels (not tires) feel sluggish? The way I see it, the spokes are always under tension, though the amount varies as the wheel rotates. While to some degree, the varying tension in the spokes will cause them to change length slightly, I doubt that that would amount to anything detectable. And given that, I don't think even soft rims would deform enough to notice and carbon rims probably not at all. Of course, if there were extraordinarily bad hub bearings, then sure that might be something, but that's not likely an issue on a new bike. Or of course the wheel built with unusually slack spokes.
Also, just seems to me much more likely anything you felt concerning the wheels was really the tires. I assume it had Bontrager somethings on it. And I don't think any Bontrager road tires are known to roll all that great.
This is just my thinking. Please edjumicate me.
I have Aeolus Pro 37's on my Domane and they seem quite nice. But real or placebo, I have no idea.
FYI, the Trek web site say the 51's come with DT350 hubs, but it says that about the 37's I have. Yet those hubs have Bontrager stickers on them. My guess, they are likely DT350's just rebranded Bontrager.
Also, just seems to me much more likely anything you felt concerning the wheels was really the tires. I assume it had Bontrager somethings on it. And I don't think any Bontrager road tires are known to roll all that great.
This is just my thinking. Please edjumicate me.
I have Aeolus Pro 37's on my Domane and they seem quite nice. But real or placebo, I have no idea.
FYI, the Trek web site say the 51's come with DT350 hubs, but it says that about the 37's I have. Yet those hubs have Bontrager stickers on them. My guess, they are likely DT350's just rebranded Bontrager.
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11-07-23, 06:06 PM
#8
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The biggest factor for me is the crosswinds this time of year. I grab the emonda with the 36mm deep wheels when windy. Seems to help a little.
