ED: Andrea Cohen, fat-bike rider and racer extraordinaire (she finished 1st at this year’s Triple D in the women’s class!) has a set of the newly available Bontrager Jackalope wheels for testing. Here is here first look at these intriguing wheels!
Wheel choice is always a hot debate among fat-bike riders. Deciding what the ultimate combo is for your frame, riding style, and conditions can be a constant battle. As fat-bikes grow so do the options. With the advent of Trek’s new 2015 Farleys came a new wheelset, the Bontrager TLR Jackalopes. The Jackalopes are a welcome sight to the fat-bike market. They utilize Bontrager’s TLR technology, which is a system that completes every piece of the tubeless puzzle.
The Jackalopes are fairly standard as far as fat-bike wheels go. The aluminum hoops are 80mm wide with a 75mm internal width. The rim features an offset spoke bed to reduce dish, which can improve stiffness.
Bontrager supplies you with all the accessories needed to achieve the tubeless set up as well. Included with wheels are Bontrager TLR valves, TLR rim strips, and end caps. Lastly Bontrager makes their own TLR sealant and TLR Flash Charger pump to round off this tubeless game.
You might be wondering if these wheels will fit your bike? They come pre-built from Bontrager’s Wheelworks shop as a 170/177mm rear and two front options, 135mm QR or 150mm/15 thru axle. The rear is adaptable with the aforementioned included end caps. The front is not adaptable right out of the box. I will be testing the 170/177mm and 135mm QR combo. If you need to fit these to a 190/197mm rear you can always rebuild the rims to those hubs! The quoted weights for these rims are 1552g for the rear, 1305g for the front QR verision, and 1330g for the 150mm front. My combo weighed under at 1542g for the rear and 1290g for the front.
I am stoked to test out these bad-boys. While I will miss the purple glitter adorned holes of my Rolling Darryls, this is a welcome change. The streamlined tubeless set-up is enough to get behind these wheels, now to see how they roll! Be on the lookout for a long-term review in the coming weeks!
Specs
- Construction: 6061 alloy rim, 3 pawl rear drive system
- Spoke Holes: 32 F/R
- Front: 135 QR/142 front and 150X15
- Rear: 170/177×12 Shimano/SRAM 10spd (SRAM XD 11spd available)
- Weight: Front Q/R 1290 (as tested), Front 150 1330g (factory spec), Rear 10Sp 1542g (as tested)
- Interchangeable axles to accommodate different frames and forks
- Includes: Bontrager TLR rim tape, TLR valve stem
- No rider weight restrictions!
- MSRP: Front $482.99 either way, Rear $516.99 10sp
These are the rims I’ve been waiting for. True tubeless-ready. Mike Curiak raved about their ease of tubeless set-up. But… only available as a wheelset?
Hey Joe,
Not much info is available in the rim only option. Bontrager/Trek does stock the rims only as replacement parts for the wheels. Your Trek dealer can order them for you.
I too was wondering about the rim only option. I can’t find anything on this. But, you say that i can go directly through the Trek dealer to get a set? Rims only.
Aslo, Can these be tied to I9 Torch straight pull hubs?
Jason, yep you should be able to get the rims directly from a Trek dealer. I believe they are listed as a replacement part for the wheelset.
I have no idea on your I9 question, but I can’t think of a reason why they couldn’t be laced to a straight pull hub.
I like the bunny sticker.
Did anyone get a previous rim weight? I want see how these compare.
Thanks for all the great write ups.