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SOC18: Bontrager shows killer one-off steel road bike, plus affordable carbon wheels

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic
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Keith Bontrager’s name may not be on production bikes anymore, but that doesn’t mean the folks inside Trek’s Waterloo, Wisconsin, headquarters can’t have a little fun with their project builds now and then. This Bontrager steel disc brake road road bike is thoroughly modern, and one of a kind.

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic

It’s 1x, and pairs a Dura-Ace road crank with an XTR Di2 rear derailleur and cassette.

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic

Thru axles and flat mount brakes, of course.

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic

Ample tire clearance means it could double as a light-duty gravel bike running cyclocross tires. And what about those tires?

custom Bontrager steel road bike built in house by Trek for 2018 Sea Otter Classic

They’re 700×28 Bontrager R4 Classics Tubular with a high grip compound. They’re $99.99 each. There’s a 320tpi clincher version, too, if you just want that look, but with a slightly different tread (or lack of) pattern.

Finishing off the build was their 68g full carbon saddle, which is also available for a mere $380.

Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 Carbon Wheels

2018 Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 carbon road bike wheels are affordable disc or rim brake options

And now for things that are really new. Earlier this year, they released the top level X X X Aeolus wheels, and we’ve reviewed them here. Now, there’s a more affordable Pro 5 version that comes with many of the same features, with a new 50mm depth. Our man at Bontrager, Alex Applegate, runs through the details real quick and shows off a few other goodies in this video:

2018 Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 carbon road bike wheels are affordable disc or rim brake options

Across the range of regular and X X X models, they have depths from 20mm to 90mm, offering something for everyone from climbers to time trialists. The rims are all OCLV carbon, but the highest end models receive a new brake track treatment (among other upgrades).

2018 Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 carbon road bike wheels are affordable disc or rim brake options

Bontrager’s Aeolus carbon road rims are tubeless, and you can set them up with regular tubeless tape, but they include their rim strip inserts that make it easier and quicker, but add a few more grams.

2018 Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 carbon road bike wheels are affordable disc or rim brake options

Retail is $1,200 for either rim or disc brake sets.

A few other things worth looking at include their Portal road helmet and Rally mountain bike helmets use their Blendr mounts that attach magnetically. Quick, easy integration that’ll break away if you wreck.

Their Velocis road shoe now comes in a bright orange, day-glow orange color to catch drivers’ eyes.

The Flatline MTB shoe gets a new sole and style updates.

Bontrager.com

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28 Comments
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Eric
5 years ago

Why is there no “overall” photo of the steel bike?

JNH
JNH
5 years ago
Reply to  Eric

I second this question, showing bits and bobs of the bike is a horrible tease!

lop
lop
5 years ago
Reply to  Eric

Seriously, what the hell were you guys thinking?

Robin
Robin
5 years ago
Reply to  Eric

Excellent question. That’s four votes, and that means the vote carries. Post pics of the whole bike.

Craig
Craig
5 years ago
Reply to  Robin

Add my vote to that please

EATRIDEGROW
5 years ago
Reply to  Craig

Me three

Robin
Robin
5 years ago

$1200 for a set of tubeless ready CF rims with a 19.5mm interior width seems pretty damned good, especially from a “big” manufacturer. I wonder if the new Bontrager hubs hold up better than my old RaceX Lite rear hub, one of whose flanges decided to break off?

Frank
Frank
5 years ago
Reply to  Robin

The guy that designed those hubs is a friend of mine. He says they’re not as light as DT Swiss 240, but they are going to be more durable. They have better seals and stronger freewheel engagement mechanisms.

Garrett Work
Garrett Work
5 years ago
Reply to  Robin

With aerolite spokes to boot! Makes ordering direct from China less appealingfor sure.

Séan O’B
Séan O’B
5 years ago

Can it really be a Bontrager frame if it doesn’t have gussets?

Jason West
5 years ago

Agreed

DeeKeezy
DeeKeezy
5 years ago

SHOW US THE BIKE PLEASE!

Not a troll
Not a troll
5 years ago

wtf where is bike

Ivy
Ivy
5 years ago

I want to see the photo of the whole bike

blah blah blah
blah blah blah
5 years ago

glad bontrager is showing off their steel bike because bikerumor certainly isnt

Kristi Benedict
Admin
5 years ago

All – Sorry, we meant to put that photo on the top and accidentally loaded the wrong image. It’s fixed now.

JNH
JNH
5 years ago

Now that I’ve seen it, it was worth the wait. Trek need to come out with a Trek Bontrager based on that design, it’s one the cleanest steel roaders I’ve ever seen.

Fred Gravelly
Fred Gravelly
5 years ago

Looks like you can run a 36c in the rear & a 28c up front ???

Zach
Zach
5 years ago
Reply to  Fred Gravelly

Probably the stock fork from an Emonda SLR disc….which only clears 28-30c tires.

Reverend Dick
Reverend Dick
5 years ago

The article leads with the steel bike and there are no photos. This is not good work.

Jon B
5 years ago

they have to make this bike, so rad.

Josh
Josh
5 years ago

The road helmet is the Circuit, not the “portal”

Eggs Benedict a.k.a Darth Baller
Eggs Benedict a.k.a Darth Baller
5 years ago

I like steel frames, TIG’d, lugged, brazed, they all appeal to me. But I never understood all the hype about his frames. I remember seeing a few of his MTB frames back in the day, it was a frame, it worked. Other than that, meh. This one kind of falls into the same category, it’s nice.

JBikes
JBikes
5 years ago

I’m with you. I fail to see what so incredible about this frame compared to many other available steel framesets.
It honestly feels a little “beige” and just a tool to hang parts on. There is no tube shaping when many steel builders are using shaped tubing on the TT, ST and DT based on lessons learned from CF and AL frames. Just look at the BB. Zero of the larger real estate was used by the DT/ST.

Sean Doyle
Sean Doyle
5 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

Shaped tubing doesn’t necessarily mean a better performing tube. Round is the best overall shape for handling the complex loads that a bicycle goes through. The shapes you see from carbon and aluminium are mostly to facilitate the joining methods for those materials and aero in some bikes. Adding shape actually takes away some properties and can add weight to make up for it. Don’t automatically assume a plain steel round tube bike is going to be a bad bike. They usually are among the best performers it;s just they don’t look fast standing still.

Matt
Matt
5 years ago

I think in a day and age when some of the bike design and tubing choices are so exaggerated and form over substance, it is really nice for some of us to see clean lines, functionality and simpleness. I really love this bike.

Tom Sullivan
5 years ago

FYI: When the article reads: “A few other things worth looking at include their Portal road helmet and Rally mountain bike helmets use their Blendr mounts that attach magnetically. Quick, easy integration that’ll break away if you wreck….” you’ve got a mistake.

It should read: “…include their CIRCUIT road helmet,” instead.

Don’t know of any portal helmets by Bontrager.

mike
mike
5 years ago

This is the coolest bike I’ve seen since a red Cherubim with Campy a few years ago…Simple, sleek, strong, sexy, the perfect balance of old school steel and modern tech. Me like.

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