DT Swiss XRC 1200 SPLINE 30 wheelset £1,824.98

The latest XRC 1200 wheels are aimed at XC racers but their broad rims make them an aspirational, super-stiff fast trail option too. With a 29.5mm internal width, they’ll support tyres from 2.2in to 2.6in well, even at low pressures. Experience with DT Swiss wheels suggests they’ll take a hammering, and we’ve had no issues with the 3mm-thick walls of this pair despite ‘robust’ use. At 1,560g (720g front, 840g rear), they’re very light for 29in wheels of this width and capability. Straight-pull spokes are embedded into low-profile SPLINE hubs for outstanding lateral stiffness on our Boost set. Drive and braking rigidity is equally impressive, and the 10-degree freehub pickup means they come out of corners all guns blazing. They’re responsive enough to have taken Florian Vogel to XC World Cup podiums and add a whole new level of flick-and-kick agility. Given their pedigree and performance, they’re a reasonable price too. The extra rim width and secure ‘hookless’ tubeless sealing mean you can run lower tyre pressures to compensate for their stiffness, in comfort terms. They’re not as brutally rigid as some carbon wheels, but are definitely sharper in feel than DT’s alloy XM 1501s. Guy