Review: Bontrager's 1,290g Kovee XXX Wheelset

The Details

The latest iteration of these wheels knocks 100g off of the previous Kovee XXX wheelset's weight. More demanding courses and better tire technology are leading riders to run wider tires at lower air pressures, which is why Bontrager went with a 29mm internal rim width, 29mm height, and a 34mm external width.

The rims, built in Asia, are laced up using 24 DT Swiss Aeroblade spokes and assembled in house, at Trek, in the USA. The hub is a Bontrager shell with DT Swiss 240s internals with a 54-tooth star ratchet.

The wheels are designed to be set up tubeless and come with two options: Riders can use rim tape for the lightest set-up or, they can opt to use Bontrager's proprietary rim strip system which is said to provide a better bead lock with the tire to help with set-up and to improve performance at ultra-low tire pressures. The rim strip system adds a little weight, at about 75-grams a wheel, but according to Bontrager, also improves performance. I opted for the tape.

Also worth noting is that the wheels come with a lifetime warranty where Bontrager will replace or repair wheels for the original owner. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Bontrager have enough confidence in these wheels that there is not a rider weight limit, something you often see in the fine print with weight-weenie XC parts, especially wheels.







Performance

This Kovee XXX wheelset has spent several months on Trek's new Supercaliber, as well as a stint on Revel's 130mm Rascal trail bike. Tires have mostly been Bontrager's 2.4" XR3 trail tires, although I also had some Maxxis tread mounted up as well. In swapping tires out, I have had no issue getting them inflated with more than a standard volume floor pump. Speaking of inflation, it's been wet, leafy, and slippery so I've been running somewhat low air pressures at 18 - 22psi for my 150 pound weight.

Despite a mostly good (but by no means flawless) track record with carbon wheels, I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant when it came to using a sub- 1,300g carbon wheelset. After a few months of pointing and shooting my over-forked XC race bike with a dropper post down the chunkiest descents in the forest, hucking and hoping down lines usually reserved for a longer travel bike, laughing as I'm hanging onto the bucking bronco of an XC rig, I can attest that the Kovee XXX wheels can hang in the durability test. I've had zero issues with the rims themselves and, as expected, no issues with the tried and true DT Swiss 240s hub innards, common in many high-end wheelsets.

When it comes to putting the power down and getting the wheels up to speed, the ultra-light weight of the Kovee XXX wheelset is noticeable. On tight, rooty, technical terrain, the wheels help the bike accelerate quickly, especially in places where quick bursts of power are paramount and in everything short and punchy. One of my frequent test laps has a section that requires picking away at a technical bit of off-camber singletrack, and then powering into a short but steep uphill section. The quickness that the Kovee wheels can get up to speed and accelerate is very noticeable in situations like this. There's noticeably less effort required to hammer up to speed compared to wheelsets that weigh even just a couple hundred grams more.

The wheels feel amply stiff and similar to other top-tier XC wheelsets such as Roval's Control SL hoops as far as ride quality and stiffness, and slightly more compliant than ENVE's M525 wheels. They never felt overly harsh or unforgiving, a trait that becomes even more important when you're talking about a set of wheels that will end up on a shorter travel bike.






Pinkbike's Take:

---

---

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Reviews Wheels Bontrager Bontrager Kovee Xxx