DT Swiss EX 1700 Spline wheelset £663

These wheels use DT’s aluminium

EX 511 rims, which have a 30mm internal width and a fairly shallow profile designed specifically for hardcore enduro racing. They’re laced to the brand’s 10-degreeengagement 350 hubs with doublebutted DT Competition straight-pull spokes, using DT’s Pro Head curved washers and Squorx ball-headed nipples to improve strength and durability. Set up tubeless using the supplied valves and fitted with a SRAM XD Driver freehub body, our 29er wheels weighed 2,023g.

While tubeless tyres were easy to inflate on the rim with a normal pump, they didn’t hold air at first, losing some at the valve. Once some sealant had built up, the air loss stopped. We tried tyres ranging from 2.4in to 2.6in. Although the 30mm internal rim width isn’t massive, it gave them quite a square profile, which meant we couldn’t lean as far (compared to with a rounder tyre) before the tread broke traction, with the loss of grip being quite abrupt.

Spoke tension is quite high, giving a distinctly taut feel over bumps and down rough sections. The wheels aren’t harsh to the point where they cause early fatigue on long trails. But getting the most from them requires a tough set of hands, and they come alive the faster and harder you ride. This rigidity makes for accurate tracking around turns and across cambers, but ride slowly and bumps can become quite harsh.

The wheels stayed true during our test period, the spokes didn’t require any re-tensioning and the hubs needed no maintenance either, despite regular mud riding and careless jet- washing. All in all, the EX 1700s are an enduro racer’s dream, but they do respond best to aggressive riding rather than cruising. Alex www.freewheel.co.uk

A tough, affordable and reliable set of wheels that are well-suited to heavier and harder enduro racers or riders