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Weight study of Lightweight Wheels and Tubeless Wheels The following table shows the weight of various wheels, fully assembled, with tires and tubes. That's the only way to compare tubeless and standard wheel weights. You can see that tubeless wheels are not the lightest, not as light as the lighter standard wheels. Claims that they were the same weight as a light traditional wheel are not true, or only true under special circumstances. The lightest traditional wheels are not very pinch flat resistant. So, on a rocky course or trail, one that doesn't favor climbing performance extensively, along with a rider in a hurry, so he or she doesn't get to choose lines carefully, the pinch flat resistance would be an advantage. And the extra weight would not slow the rider down enough to offset that. One pinch flat takes a lot of time to fix. If the rider chooses to also run the tubeless tires at lower pressure there is a similar trade off between rolling speed on hard packed ground and traction and cushion with the softer tires. It all comes down to the conditions for the day (if you can get past the money...). The data that went into these is tabulated below. One table lists the individual components in each wheel. The other compares individual wheels to the Race lite wheel baseline, with separate tables for front and rear wheels. |
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Total Weight of Wheel Pairs (the 1999 Bontrager Race lite wheelset is the baseline wheel) |
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Assembly Description |
F,R assembly weight (g) |
Total (g) |
Difference (g) |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 assembly - less Q/R w/ UL tube |
1251,1433 |
2684 |
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1999 Crossmax assembly less Q/R w/ UL tube |
1288,1488 |
2776 |
+ 92 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution assembly - less Q/R |
1286,1493 |
2779 |
+ 95 |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 assembly - less Q/R w/ standard tube |
1303,1433 |
2684 |
+ 104 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution assembly - less Q/R w/ standard tube |
1303,1545 |
2848 |
+ 164 |
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1999 Crossmax assembly less Q/R w/ standard tube |
1340,1540 |
2880 |
+ 196 |
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Crossmax UST tubeless assembly less Q/R |
1428,1617 |
3045 |
+ 361 |
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Individual Front Wheel Assemblies (the Race lite with a UL tube is the baseline) |
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Assembly Description |
Wheel weight (g) |
Total (g) |
Difference (g) |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 front assembly - less Q/R |
613 + 108 + 530 |
1251 |
0 |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 front assembly - less Q/R w/ standard tube |
613 + 160 + 530 |
1303 |
+ 52 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution front assembly - less Q/R |
648 + 108 + 530 |
1286 |
+ 35 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution front assembly - less Q/R w/ standard tube |
648 + 160 + 530 |
1338 |
+ 87 |
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1999 Crossmax front assembly - less Q/R |
650 + 108 + 530 |
1288 |
+37 |
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2000 Crossmax UST front assembly - less Q/R |
707 + 721 |
1428 |
+177 |
* advertised weight
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Individual Rear Wheel Assembly Weight Totals (the Race lite with a UL tube is the baseline) |
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Assembly Description |
Wheel weight (g) |
Total (g) |
Difference (g) |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 rear assembly less Q/R |
795 + 108 + 530 |
1433 |
0 |
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Bontrager Race lite 2000 rear assembly less Q/R w/ standard tube |
795 + 160 + 530 |
1485 |
+ 52 |
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1999 Crossmax rear assembly less Q/R |
850* + 160 + 530 |
1540 |
+107 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution rear assembly - less Q/R |
855* + 108 + 530 |
1493 |
+ 60 |
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Bontrager Valiant/Shimano XTR/DT Revolution rear assembly - less Q/R w/ standard tube |
855* + 160 + 530 |
1545 |
+ 112 |
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2000 Crossmax UST rear assembly less Q/R |
896 + 721 |
1617 |
+184 |
* advertised weight
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Lightweight Wheels Weight Study - Individual Component Weights |
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Brand |
Component |
Weight (g) |
Notes |
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Mavic |
2000 Crossmax UST front wheel |
707 |
no Q/R, w/ valve stem |
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2000 Crossmax UST rear wheel |
896 |
no Q/R, w/ valve stem |
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Hutchinson |
Python 2.0 Tubeless Tire 1 |
721 |
Kevlar bead - UST |
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Python 2.0 Tubeless Tire 2 |
730 |
Kevlar bead - UST |
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Bontrager |
Race lite (2000) front wheel |
613 |
no Q/R, w/ rim tape (Ritchey - 5 grams) |
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Race lite (2000) rear wheel |
795 |
no Q/R, w/ rim tape (Ritchey - 5 grams) |
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Bontrager/ Shimano XTR |
B+S front wheel w/ 32 DT Revolution spokes |
648 |
no Q/R, w/ rim tape (Ritchey - 5 grams) |
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B+S rear wheel w/ 32 DT Revolution spokes |
855 |
no Q/R, w/ rim tape (Ritchey - 5 grams) |
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WTB |
Racing Raptor - 2.1 Front tire |
530 |
Kevlar bead |
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Cheng Shin |
Super thin tube |
108 |
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Standard tube |
160 |
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Bontrager |
Super X - 2.1 tire |
530 |
Kevlar bead |
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Super X - 2.0 tire |
515 |
Kevlar bead |
Fine print: The opinions expressed herein by Keith Bontrager are in the nature of general observations and should not be relied upon in your specific situation. Your question, problem, bicycle or component, may be different than the one he is discussing. This Page (Web Site) is not a repair manual and is not a substitute for having your bicycle examined and repaired by a qualified bicycle mechanic. It is not intended as a tutorial or course in how to safely ride or use your bicycle. See your local library or bicycle store for publications regarding how to ride and repair your bicycle.
Think of Keith like your Aunt Edna. You wouldn't really do what she tells you to do, now would you?
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