Bontrager has a new range of wheelsets ready to roll for everything from cross-country to enduro and at prices that are refreshingly attainable.
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The expanded Kovee and Line wheel families all come in 27.5 and 29in versions, and are only offered in the Boost axle spacing.
These two wheel lines are built around a Bontrager-branded hub system with 108 or 54 points of engagement, depending on the price point and intended use. The rims are appropriately wide for the given applications and, as previously mentioned, pricing is extremely competitive.
Kovee Elite 23 TLR
For cross-country and light-duty trail riding, the Kovee family expands from the top-end XXX offering to include a more affordable version that still employs OCLV carbon rims.
The Kovee Elite 23 TLR rolls on carbon rims with an internal width of 22.5mm and an external width of 29mm.This 28-spoke wheelset uses Bontrager Rapid Drive hubs with 54 points of engagement.
Total claimed wheelset weight for the 27.5in version is 1,606g. The 29in wheelset comes in with a claimed weight of 1,690g.
The best part may be the price, which is set at $700 for the wheelset. That’s right, not a wheel, the entire wheelset. (UK and Australian pricing TBC.)
The Line expands
Line Pro 30 TLR
Moving to the heavier-hitting options. Bontrager has broadened its aggressive trail and enduro race wheelset, the Line. The Line now comes in a more affordable carbon version as well as two alloy-rims variants.
The Line Pro 30 TLR uses OCLV carbon rims with an internal width of 29mm. It has a speedy 108 degrees of engagement thanks to Bontrager’s Rapid Drive freehub with six stepped pawls, rather than the three-pawl system used on the lighter weight Kovee Elite 23 TLR.
The claimed weight for the Line Pro TLR wheelset is 1,539g for 27.5in wheels and 1,608g for the 29in version.
Pricing is set at $1,200.(UK and Australian pricing TBC.)
Line Elite TLR 30
The top alloy wheelset in the Line family is the new Line Elite TLR 30. It also has an internal width of 29mm and spins on the same fast-acting freehub design.
The Line Elite 30 TLR does see a light increase in claimed weight to 1,708g and 1,794g for the 27.5 and 29in versions respectively. Pricing is set at $600. (UK and Australian pricing TBC.)
Line Comp 30 TLR
The entry-level wheelset in the expanded Line family is the Line Comp 30 TLR. It also uses 29mm-wide alloy rims, but uses a slower but still respectably quick 54t version of Bontrager’s Rapid Drive freehub.
The Line Comp TLR has a claimed weight of 1,978g for 27.5in wheels. The 29er option has a claimed weight of 2,080g.
While the engagement might be half as fast as the other members of the Line family, the Line Comp TLR is also half the price at $300 per set. (UK and Australian pricing TBC.)
