Experience with Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 & 6?
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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.
Opinions? What did you prefer between the two / why?
Many thanks.
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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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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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#6
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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.
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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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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
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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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.
Thanks.
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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
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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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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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.
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.
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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.
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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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
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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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.
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.
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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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.
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.
Last edited by martymc; 05-07-20 at 08:30 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.
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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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.
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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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/
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.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2560831/
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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All that said, I hope you love your wheels as much as I love mine.
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I’m mainly interested in the TL seating and how grippy the compound is.