Bontrager re-draws the Line 30
New shapes and sidewalls for Trek's in-house wheel brand
Bontrager’s back with an improved version of the Line series carbon fibre wheels, targeting more durability and better performance. A significantly improved shape and sidewalls are the main changes to the rims for 2020. While those changes may sound minor, Bontrager is touting a big effect from the tweaks. Taken together, the changes make the Bontrager Line Pro 30 and Line Elite 30 the strongest in the companies own testing.
More durable, fewer flats
The first change is to the rim shape. Bontrager has flattened out the Line series rims to a shallower 27 mm wheel depth. Stiffness isn’t everything with carbon hoops. This change is aimed at improving vertical compliance for a more comfortable ride and a more planted feel on trail.
Second, Bontrager has made a massive change in the side of the Line series sidewall thickness on the Line Pro 30 and Elite 30 rims. Both still have an internal width of 29 mm. But, the hookless sidewalls more than double to 4.6 mm. This gives the Line rims a solid 36-mm external width.
RELATED: First ride: Bontrager Line Pro 30 wheels
Durability is just one reason for the change. And Bontrager does say the new Line Pro and Elite rims improved in impact testing over previous versions. Enough says, Graham Wilhelm, Bontrager’s Director of Product for Wheels and Tyres, that a new test was needed. “We created an all-new impact anvil that delivers even stronger, more menacing blows that mimic real-world forces of rick strikes,” says Wilhelm.
The thick sidewalls also help protect the tires, meaning fewer pinch flats. It’s not just a rim that has to survive rock strikes. With a wider area on each sidewall, Bontrager takes steps to make sure you’re tire rolls away unscathed too. More surface area helps prevent the rim piercing the tire during deep impacts, including the dreaded tire-bead flat.
Bontrager Line Elite 30
Bontrager Line Elite 30
Line Pro 30 side profile
Bontrager Line Pro 30
Pro vs. Elite
Both the Bontrager Line Pro 30 and Line Elite 30 use the Rapid Drive 108 hubs, featuring 3.3-degree engagement, and come in 27.5″ or 29″ options. All versions of the wheel are tubeless-ready, 28-spokes, and use Boost 110 front, Boost 148 spacing. The hubs use 6-bold disc rotors and come standard with SRAM XD drivers. Shimano 10/11 speed HG and MicroSpline drivers are available separately.
All versions of Bontrager’s Line series come with the Carbon Care guarantee. This offers a lifetime warranty on the rims. Unlike some lifetime warranty options out there, Bontrager only offers crash replacement or repair for the first two years of riding and for the original owner.
So what’s the difference between the Line Pro 30 and Line Elite 30? The Pro model uses lighter-gauge straight-pull spokes, compared to the Elite’s traditional j-bend spoke construction. While both are constructed from carbon fibre, the Pro’s get OCLV Pro carbon fibre, while the Line’s are standard OCLV carbon fibre.
The differences add up to 110 grams in weight shaved off for the 27.5″ Pro version versus the Elite. On the 29″ wheels, the Pro and Elite are separated by 130 grams.
Claimed weights for the Line Pro 30 are 1,760 g/set in 29″ and 1,710 g/set in 27.5″. The Line Elite 30’s come in at 1,890 g/set in 29″ and the 27.5′” are 1,820 g/set.
Line series pricing and availability
Both the Bontrager Line Elite 30 and Line Pro 30 wheelsets are available immediately through Trek retailers. Both come in 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with wheels available individually if, say, you’d like to try out a mullet 27.5/29″ set-up.
Line Pro 30
Wheelset: $1,730.00
Front wheel: $770.00
Rear wheel: $960.00
Line Elite 30
Wheelset: $1,200.00
Front wheel: $575.00
Rear wheel: $624.00
