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Experience with Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 & 6?

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Experience with Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 & 6?

Old 05-07-20, 11:06 AM
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martymc
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Experience with Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 & 6?

Has anyone ridden both the Aeolus XXX 4 (47mm) and 6 (60mm)?

Opinions? What did you prefer between the two / why?

Many thanks.
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Old 05-07-20, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Has anyone ridden both the Aeolus XXX 4 (47mm) and 6 (60mm)?

Opinions? What did you prefer between the two / why?

Many thanks.
I have not ridden either, but considered buying each with my Project One build. Have you also considered the Aeolus Pro 3V wheels?
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Old 05-07-20, 01:59 PM
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I rode the Pro 3, not the 3v. Also rode the Reynolds 58/62x. I personally found the Reynolds felt better than the Pro 3s; however, they did not feel as snappy as deeper profile rims I've ridden. Looked at the Enve 4.5s and 454 NSW, but the price has me looking elsewhere. The XXX 6 has my eye due to my past good experiences with wheels around 60mm and the price, with various discounts available, make it less hard to give up the money.
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Old 05-07-20, 02:55 PM
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I guess it depends on your use-case. I wanted a wider rim to run 28+ tires. I have the ENVE 4.5ARs on my road bike and the Pro 3Vs on my gravel bike. I found the XXX series sexy, but too narrow for my preferred tires. If I had to keep only one set it would be the Pro 3Vs. They are absolutely beautiful and guaranteed for life.
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Old 05-07-20, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Has anyone ridden both the Aeolus XXX 4 (47mm) and 6 (60mm)?

Opinions? What did you prefer between the two / why?

Many thanks.
What bike are the wheels for? Disk or rim brake?
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Old 05-07-20, 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by SkepticalOne
I guess it depends on your use-case. I wanted a wider rim to run 28+ tires. I have the ENVE 4.5ARs on my road bike and the Pro 3Vs on my gravel bike. I found the XXX series sexy, but too narrow for my preferred tires. If I had to keep only one set it would be the Pro 3Vs. They are absolutely beautiful and guaranteed for life.
I have both. I bought the XXX4's with my P1 and then couldn't live without the wider 3v's so I bought them too. I have gp5k's mounted on both; 25 w/latex on the xxx and 32 tubeless on the 3v. I love them both. I use the xxx's when I'm feeling aero and the 3v's when I'm not feeling it and want a nice compliant ride.
The hubs on the 3v's are much louder than the xxx's - that angry bee thing. It doesn't bother me really.

I have the original bont R3 28s on the xxx4's in the pictures.





Last edited by ckindt; 05-07-20 at 05:40 PM.
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Old 05-07-20, 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by ckindt
I have both. I bought the XXX4's with my P1 and then couldn't live without the wider 3v's so I bought them too. I have gp5k's mounted on both; 25 w/latex on the xxx and 32 tubeless on the 3v. I love them both. I use the xxx's when I'm feeling aero and the 3v's when I'm not feeling it and want a nice compliant ride.
The hubs on the 3v's are much louder than the xxx's - that angry bee thing. It doesn't bother me really.

I have the original bont R3 28s on the xxx4's in the pictures.
Great looking machine!
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Old 05-07-20, 06:10 PM
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Originally Posted by ckindt
I have both. I bought the XXX4's with my P1 and then couldn't live without the wider 3v's so I bought them too. I have gp5k's mounted on both; 25 w/latex on the xxx and 32 tubeless on the 3v. I love them both. I use the xxx's when I'm feeling aero and the 3v's when I'm not feeling it and want a nice compliant ride.
The hubs on the 3v's are much louder than the xxx's - that angry bee thing. It doesn't bother me really.

I have the original bont R3 28s on the xxx4's in the pictures.
That may be the best-looking Trek I've literally ever seen.
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Old 05-07-20, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by SkepticalOne
Great looking machine!
Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
That may be the best-looking Trek I've literally ever seen.
Thanks!
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Old 05-07-20, 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Noctilux.95
What bike are the wheels for? Disk or rim brake?
My typical ride is solo, around 30-50 miles - 2000-5000' over those distance. The typical climb is 5-6% / not many killer 12%+ extended efforts. We do group rides and those typically are fun or super fast. The fun ones I could do on beater wheels. The fast one I need everything; I treat them more like training and even transitioning to the back is a challenge to drop back but keep the speed up high enough to not fall off the train.

On my old rim brake bike, I had Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs (58mm) and just loved how, once through about 20-21 mph, they would leap up to 27-28 with not a ton of extra effort. it's that feeling I'm aiming for.

Have looked at the Enve 4.5 AR too -- wide like the Pro 3v but deeper like the XXX4 and XXX6s.

Wheels will be on a Trek Domane SLR
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Old 05-07-20, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by SkepticalOne
I guess it depends on your use-case. I wanted a wider rim to run 28+ tires. I have the ENVE 4.5ARs on my road bike and the Pro 3Vs on my gravel bike. I found the XXX series sexy, but too narrow for my preferred tires. If I had to keep only one set it would be the Pro 3Vs. They are absolutely beautiful and guaranteed for life.
If you had to do it over again, would you buy the Enve 4.5 ARs? Did you opt for the Chris King hub or something else?

Thanks.
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Old 05-07-20, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
My typical ride is solo, around 30-50 miles - 2000-5000' over those distance. The typical climb is 5-6% / not many killer 12%+ extended efforts. We do group rides and those typically are fun or super fast. The fun ones I could do on beater wheels. The fast one I need everything; I treat them more like training and even transitioning to the back is a challenge to drop back but keep the speed up high enough to not fall off the train.

On my old rim brake bike, I had Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs (58mm) and just loved how, once through about 20-21 mph, they would leap up to 27-28 with not a ton of extra effort. it's that feeling I'm aiming for.

Have looked at the Enve 4.5 AR too -- wide like the Pro 3v but deeper like the XXX4 and XXX6s.

Wheels will be on a Trek Domane SLR
Snapped this today of my Domane SLR7. It came with the Pro 3Vs but I put them on my Checkpoint and use the Enve 4.5ARs exclusively. DT240 Hubs.

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Old 05-07-20, 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted by SkepticalOne
Snapped this today of my Domane SLR7. It came with the Pro 3Vs but I put them on my Checkpoint and use the Enve 4.5ARs exclusively. DT240 Hubs.

Beautiful! The bike Batman would ride!

If you had to buy the 4.5 ARs again, would you stick with the same hub, go to the Chris King, ceramic, etc?

Thanks

Last edited by martymc; 05-07-20 at 07:18 PM. Reason: Spelling
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Old 05-07-20, 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by ckindt
I have both. I bought the XXX4's with my P1 and then couldn't live without the wider 3v's so I bought them too. I have gp5k's mounted on both; 25 w/latex on the xxx and 32 tubeless on the 3v. I love them both. I use the xxx's when I'm feeling aero and the 3v's when I'm not feeling it and want a nice compliant ride.
The hubs on the 3v's are much louder than the xxx's - that angry bee thing. It doesn't bother me really.

I have the original bont R3 28s on the xxx4's in the pictures.




Absolutely beautiful! Love the paint job.
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Old 05-07-20, 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Beautiful! The bike Batman would ride!

If you had to buy the 4.5 ARs again, would you stick with the same hub, go to the Chris King, ceramic, etc?

Thanks
I have the 4.5 ARs with the DT hubs. Wouldn't change a thing.
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Old 05-07-20, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
I have the 4.5 ARs with the DT hubs. Wouldn't change a thing.
I've been riding around on 21mm ID wheels bastardized with 28mm tires -- not the most aero, but not bad. First thing I noticed over my old 19mm ID with 23-25mm was my hands. They just felt fresh, good, better much much longer.

The 28mm optimized Enve 4.5 ARs to get that plus optimized aero seems too good. Gonna pull the trigger and see how it goes (with the DT hub and save $450 over the Chris King option). Thanks for your input.
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Old 05-07-20, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
My typical ride is solo, around 30-50 miles - 2000-5000' over those distance. The typical climb is 5-6% / not many killer 12%+ extended efforts. We do group rides and those typically are fun or super fast. The fun ones I could do on beater wheels. The fast one I need everything; I treat them more like training and even transitioning to the back is a challenge to drop back but keep the speed up high enough to not fall off the train.

On my old rim brake bike, I had Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs (58mm) and just loved how, once through about 20-21 mph, they would leap up to 27-28 with not a ton of extra effort. it's that feeling I'm aiming for.

Have looked at the Enve 4.5 AR too -- wide like the Pro 3v but deeper like the XXX4 and XXX6s.

Wheels will be on a Trek Domane SLR
I have the XXX6, Aelous Pro 3V, and Enve 5.6 on three different bikes. As good as the XXX6 wheels are, the Enve's are even better. They engage faster and are better in cross winds. And if you go tubeless (I would), the Bontrager tubeless tape adds over 100 grams to your wheels. To be honest you can't go wrong with either wheel, but the Enve's are just a little better at everything. BTW if you decide to go with the Enve's, just get the excellent Enve alloy hubs.
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Old 05-07-20, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
I've been riding around on 21mm ID wheels bastardized with 28mm tires -- not the most aero, but not bad. First thing I noticed over my old 19mm ID with 23-25mm was my hands. They just felt fresh, good, better much much longer.

The 28mm optimized Enve 4.5 ARs to get that plus optimized aero seems too good. Gonna pull the trigger and see how it goes (with the DT hub and save $450 over the Chris King option). Thanks for your input.
I feel like you're paying for the rim, and the build quality. I mean, they won't sell them to you with bad hubs, so you can't go wrong.

Know that tire choices are limited. Even if you use tubes, you must run tubeless tires.

The Pro Ones they recommend are excellent, but don't take them off the pavement. IRC Roadlite is a great option if you're going to be riding some dirt.
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Old 05-07-20, 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
I feel like you're paying for the rim, and the build quality. I mean, they won't sell them to you with bad hubs, so you can't go wrong.

Know that tire choices are limited. Even if you use tubes, you must run tubeless tires.

The Pro Ones they recommend are excellent, but don't take them off the pavement. IRC Roadlite is a great option if you're going to be riding some dirt.
Thanks for the insight. I have some 28mm Continental 5000 Tubeless I've been riding and feel great, roll fast, have held up fine. Recommend them on the 4.5 ARs?

Last edited by martymc; 05-07-20 at 08:30 PM.
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Old 05-07-20, 08:38 PM
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Enve says no GPs.

https://www.enve.com/en/lp/tire-compatibility/

I've only used a few tires on these wheels, I really like the IRCs a lot and basically stopped looking for new ones.
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Old 05-08-20, 04:03 AM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Beautiful! The bike Batman would ride!

If you had to buy the 4.5 ARs again, would you stick with the same hub, go to the Chris King, ceramic, etc?

Thanks
Same hubs for sure. Very serviceable, simple and reliable.
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Old 05-08-20, 04:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Enve says no GPs.

https://www.enve.com/en/lp/tire-compatibility/

I've only used a few tires on these wheels, I really like the IRCs a lot and basically stopped looking for new ones.
Thanks for the guidance... Looks like I'll be giving away the 5000TLs. Bought the IRC RBCCs. I wanted to get the X-Guard version, but am being safe until it's on Enve's approved list.
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Old 05-08-20, 07:23 AM
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Here's a Aeolus XXX 4 / 6 wheelset so you can try both for yourself (This is not my wheelset, just thought I'd pass the info along...)
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2560831/

Originally Posted by ckindt
The hubs on the 3v's are much louder than the xxx's - that angry bee thing. It doesn't bother me really.
I wish Bontrager would use the same quiet magic on all their hubs and not just on the high-end stuff. I currently have the 3Vs on my Domane and am not a fan of the buzz-saw sound. The freewheel on my old Aeolus 5s was nearly silent and I loved it. Anyone know how they make the hubs quieter???

And finally, as big of a fan as I am of Bontrager, it's my opinion that their XXX wheels are priced too high. I know they are Trek's high-end wheels, but there are starting to be a lot of other options that are just as light (or lighter) for way less money.

Last edited by PoorInRichfield; 05-08-20 at 08:00 AM.
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Old 05-08-20, 11:03 AM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Thanks for the guidance... Looks like I'll be giving away the 5000TLs. Bought the IRC RBCCs. I wanted to get the X-Guard version, but am being safe until it's on Enve's approved list.
Sorry about the tires. I loved 4Ks, haven't even got to try the 5s. When I bought the wheels I thought tubeless was about to become ubiquitous and there would be 20x as many compatible tires by now. It's more limiting than I expected. That's really the only downside to the wheels, and frankly once you settle on a tire you like, it stops mattering. Glad you know this ahead of time.

All that said, I hope you love your wheels as much as I love mine.
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Old 05-08-20, 05:10 PM
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Originally Posted by martymc
Thanks for the guidance... Looks like I'll be giving away the 5000TLs. Bought the IRC RBCCs. I wanted to get the X-Guard version, but am being safe until it's on Enve's approved list.
Please let me know how that goes. I’m looking at the X guard as well, but it’s hard to justify buying an $80 tire with very few online reviews and 0 real life ones.

I’m mainly interested in the TL seating and how grippy the compound is.
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