So I got my lovely new 2019 Trek Madone SLR 6 Disc end of July and have been loving it. A lot of rides on the trainer with it (happened to get a lovely new baby 2 weeks after getting the bike). I’ve been annoyed at the wheels (Bontrager Aeolus Comp Disc Tubeless Ready) as they have holes in the carbon fairing that allow water and dirt inside the wheels with a small hole on the side to try and drain it out. I think it’s a terrible design but I can’t afford to just buy new wheels.
After getting punctures on the weekend and taking the tire off tonight (tubeless tires) did I realise that the slooshing noise that my wheels made when I spun them wasn’t the sealant inside the tires but rather more water inside the wheel that could only be drained out the valve hole (after I had removed it)?! This means that when I wash my bike or ride in the rain, the wheels will fill with water that can’t drain out unless I take off the tires and remove the valve!?
I’ve never had a problem like this with any other wheels that I’ve had. I’ve contacted Trek via their website but no response as yet (not expecting a response until at least tomorrow sometime).
I’ve had that happen with DT 440 rims before and I had to remove the rim tape to drain it. It was after a long day (8+ hours, half of which was in pouring rain). I wasn’t running tubeless at the time so it wasn’t a huge problem for me. I haven’t experienced that since then though. Unfortunately I don’t really have any answers.
Keep in mind that you could probably have the wheels rebuilt to a different rim for the price of new rims, spokes, and nipples. Flo sells carbon rims and they’re actually fairly close in price to Hed Belgiums. I’m sure there are other carbon rim-only options out there
I had these wheels for two years. i never had issues from it. but yes it will collect water. i raced in the rain with them even won one
shouldn’t the Bontrager tubeless plastic strip stop water from getting in the tire? its supposed to be a closed system. but i never ran them tubeless so i dont know for sure. i understand your pain because when i bought them i thought i could use them when CX season started.
@cbounds It sounds like the water is not accumulating in the air/sealant compartment which should be air and hence water tight but in the closed section of the rim with the spoke nipples. Presumably that’s where the water is getting in. Guess Bonty didn’t expect them to be ridden in rain?
Interesting, I hadn’t considered getting them rebuilt. I have no idea what the hubs are (just have a Bontrager label) but it did come with DT Swiss through axles, so surely that means they good right? lol
@cbounds@andho The water doesn’t get into the tire itself, but just under the carbon fairing. It happens when I wash the bike and when I ride in the rain.
I’ve only had the bike a couple of months, so going to see what Trek will do about it. It’s a terrible design and spec’d to a bike they consider to be “the ultimate race bike”. Just trying to see if other people have wheels that fill with dirt and water like these do.
But yes that’s the design of the wheel. I’ve heard there’s other wheels out there like it.
I honestly loved the wheelset though. I never found it to be a serious problem or much of a problem. Never undid the rim tape to get rocks or water out. Just keep riding it’ll sort out
I bought the Speed Concept last year. Same issue. Extremely annoying and I haven’t found a solution. The guy at the trek store said it wouldn’t get it from rain only from washing, but where I live unavoidable puddles form in the rain and if you drive through one, the wheels fill up.
I have the same bike and wheels and noticed that they had filled with water after I washed the bike. The wheels have a small drain hole on one side near where the fairing meets the rim. The water should come out this hole during normal riding, or you can leave the bike sitting with the drain hole at the bottom and the water will flow out.
