£149.99f/£179.99r; weight 1,940g
Contact: www.trekbike.co.uk

The hard plastic tubeless rim strips supplied with the Rhythm Elite wheels are tricky to fit and go on easier if you pre-stretch them. Once in place the Bonty design holds air well enough to use genuine UST tyres without sealant.
To help balance spoke tension on both sides of the wheel, Bontrager rims have an offset spoke bed (OSB). This has obvious advantages on the rear wheel due to the space requirements of the cassette but there are also gains to be had up front due to the offset necessary to accommodate the disc brake.
Hubs are care of DT Swiss and while the front wheel is one of the lightest on test the rear increases the overall weight of the package because it uses a steel freehub body and threaded axle. It’s also worth pointing out that you don’t get the Ratchet System freehub internals found on the EX1750 and Traversee wheels, which explains the price difference.
The Bontrager Rhythm Elite wheels aren’t the lightest on test but they have low rolling inertia because the weight is concentrated in the rear hub. However, they don’t feel as solid as the Hope wheelset. Weight includes tubeless rim strips.

MBR RATING: 8/10