Earlier this year at Sea Otter, Trek had several new launches including the excellent Carback Radar Tail light. Lately, Trek has been releasing new products in batches, which means that it’s easy to miss something new – like the Bontrager Paradigm Pro 30 TLR Disc gravel wheels. It wasn’t until after the show that we found the (very) wide gravel wheels on the Trek website. Naturally, we wanted to know more.
Gravel wheels are quickly seeing a race to mountain bike widths, and the Paradigm 30 wheels are no different. In fact, these wheels use the same rim as the Bontrager Kovee Pro 30 MTB wheel. That includes a rim that’s 35mm wide externally, 29mm wide internally, and 29mm deep. As a result, Trek says these wheels will pair well with 700c tires in 42-50mm widths like their new Betasso RSL GX.
The hooked rims are tubeless ready, and come pre-taped. The tubeless tire set up with the Bontrager Betasso RSL GX TLR gravel tire was a cinch using Bontrager TLR tire sealant.
What makes the Paradigm 30 wheels different than the Kovee Pro 30s? It mostly comes down to the hubs. The Paradigms have the necessary 12 x 100mm front and 12 x 142mm rear hubs needed for modern gravel bikes rather than the Boost spacing found on the Kovees. Both wheels are 24-hole with 14/17/14g bladed spokes and alloy locking nipples.
That should make the weight very similar as well, with the 1380g claimed weight of the Paradigm 30s just 5g less than the Kovee Pros. Once taped and the included tubeless valves installed, the weight is slightly more at 1428g.
Only PARTLY Compatible with Shimano GRX 12-speed – Until 2025
The only catch to consider when purchasing these wheels is that Trek/Bontrager currently does not have a Micro Spline freehub option for their road hubs, and has no plans to add one any time soon. Update: Shortly after posting this, Trek informed us that they have decided to fast-track the Micro Spline freehub option, and should have it available by early 2025.
Note that there is currently a Micro Spline option for their MTB Rapid Drive hubs, but they are not cross-compatible, and can’t be used here.
That only matters if you plan to run a GRX 1×12 drivetrain with a Shimano MTB cassette, or any drivetrain combination with a Micro Spline cassette for that matter. Otherwise, the wheels include a Shimano HG 11-speed freehub option that will work with SHIMANO GRX 2×12 drivetrains with HG splined cassettes.
Our sample shipped with the other freehub option, SRAM XDR which is available separately. Both freehub options include Bontrager’s Rapid Drive tech with 108 points of engagement.
New Bontrager Gravel Tires
Along with the wheels, Trek sent over the new Betasso RSL GX TLR and Girona RSL GR TLR tires to check out. As mentioned, the Betasso is a 700c x 50mm size, while the Girona is 700c x 45mm. Due to the difference in width and tread height, the two tires are almost 100g apart. I’ve spent most of my time on the Betasso so far, but the Girona tread is very similar to the new WTB Vulpine S which should make it extremely fast on pavement and hardpack dirt and gravel.
What are they like to ride?
Sometimes, review products show up just at the right time. That was the case with the Paradigm 30 Pros. I’ve been reviewing the Kona Ouroboros Supreme which came stock with Zipp 101 XPLR wheels that I have not been able to successfully run tubeless (this seems to be a known issue with these wheels, but more on that in the Kona review).
I needed a different pair of wheels as a result, and the Paradigm 30 Pros seemed like the perfect answer for a gravel bike like the Ouroboros that’s meant to get rowdy. The Ouroboros ships with 700c x 50mm Maxxis tires, so the 50mm Bontrager Betasso RSL GX tires seemed like an ideal fit as well.
Setting up the Bontrager wheels tubeless couldn’t have been easier. Just dump in some sealant, inflate, seat the bead, and you’re done. After the tire pinged into place, there weren’t any leaks to be found, and the tires hold air for the long term better than most.
It took a while, but the tires have now stretched to nearly their full labeled width at 49.70mm. In this case, it seems that the extra wide rims have had little to no effect on the tire’s overall width. That’s good news if your frame or fork is tight on tire clearance.
My immediate first impression is that this is one of the fastest 50mm tire setups I’ve ridden on pavement or hard-packed dirt/gravel (which is to say, still slower than many 45mm setups). Having changed both the wheels and tires at the same time, I can’t say which one is more responsible, but I can say that they make a great combination.
Usually with gravel tires, fast on pavement means you’ll be missing out off-road, but the Betasso gripped well in our humidity-slicked conditions, followed up by bone-dry late summer dust.
Starting out with 32psi in the rear, and 31psi up front, I quickly found you can get away with much lower pressures if you want to. The new WTC Pressure App recommended that I go 30.5 in the rear and 28.5 up front, which felt good but I was riding at 25 psi at one point and it still didn’t feel like the tire was squirming uncomfortably under the pressure, and I have yet to bottom the tire out on the rim.
During testing, I purposely hit every root, rock, and curb that I could find in an effort to see if the wider rim would result in more pinch flats. Happily, I had no such issues – even when charging at full speed on lower pressures head first into a wall of roots. You can also charge into root and rock gardens with abandon knowing that the wheels are covered by Trek’s Carbon Care Wheel Loyalty Program for the first two years – if you manage to break them, Trek will replace them for free. That coverage continues after two years but transitions to “steeply discounted” rebuilds or replacements. There’s also a lifetime warranty which covers manufacturing defects.
This is not the combination that I would choose if outright speed for gravel racing is the goal. But if you are looking for a lightweight gravel wheelset optimized for wide tires that can take a beating, the Paradigm 30 Pro TLR wheels are very enticing – as long as you don’t want to run a cassette that requires a Micro Spline freehub body (or can wait until 2025).
These wheels are sold separately with the front selling for $679.99, and the rear priced at $819.99 for a total of $1,499.98 before tax. The wheels come pre-taped with the tubeless valve installed and carry no rider weight limit.
