# upgrading wheels



## turtle14 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hi all,

Before I get to my question, let me just tell you that I am a complete bike newbie. I have an '09 7.2 FX that I've been riding for about 3 months now (and I love this thing!). I ride my bike every other day (mostly for workout reasons), about 20 miles per day. My ride is over paved roads only, no offroad use at all.

Now, on to my question. My bike is all stock except for the tires (I swapped the original bontrager 700x35's for gatorskin 28's). A good friend of mine is offering me a spare set of bontrager race lite wheels for very cheap ($100 for the used pair), and I was wondering if it would be worth the upgrade for me. First, will these wheels fit my frame? Second, what kind of improvements/advantages would I see from this upgrade? My bike currently has the stock "Matrix 750" wheels.

I originally wasn't planning on doing too many upgrades, but I figured it may be worth it if they are a direct replacement. Thanks for any help!!


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## zac (Aug 5, 2005)

1) Fit? Yes they should fit. It should be a Shimano 8/9/10 speed free hub, with the proper spacing. You will have to adjust your brakes though.

2) Very cheap for used Race Lites? $100: Depending on condition, I wouldn't offer much more than $50 for practically new ones. They are an okay wheel, but are they better than what you are riding? They are certainly lighter, but you could do better with a Mavic/Ultegra hub, standard spoked wheel for a few dollars more and have a much, much better wheel. The RL had hub issues up to about the 2005-6 models, then they are now experiencing rim issues. To me the real sell point to Bonty RL and RXLs are that they have a 5 year (pretty much no questions asked) warranty, that any Trek dealer will honor. However, that warranty only applies to the original owner.

3) Are they worth it? Well only you can answer that, but your current wheels look okay. The change over to 28s or even 25s will be the most noticeable change from the 35s.

What you may want to do, it take them out for a spin. Mount up your tires (the 28 gators) on them and ride them and see how you like them.

While it is not a bad idea to have a spare set of wheels, especially if you are doing daily rides, good stout wheels that roll smooth, have good hubs and rims and standard spokes and are sub 2000 grams really aren't all that expensive.

HTH
zac


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