Mountain Wheels
Shimano Deore XT WH-8020 Tubeless Trail $650
Shimano XT has long been a trusted line when it comes to solid, reliable mountain bike products. The WH-8020 wheelset continues that trend offering a lot of performance features, some trickling down from the xtr line including tubeless-ready rims, in 27.5" and 29", and Center Lock hubs. One fantastic feature of the wheels is that both the front and rear use the same spokes, which means you don’t need to keep three spare sizes around. The freehub supports 8-, 9-, 10- and 11-speed cassettes, although you obviously won’t be able to put your sram XD cassette on these hoops. These are a snappy and durable set of wheels at a good price point. ( bike.shimano.com)
DT Swiss EX 1501 Spline One 27.5" $2,100
World champion downhill rider Aaron Gwin would agree when we say that the DT Swiss EX line of wheels are meant to take a beating. Gwin won the 2014 Leogang World Cup on a flat tire riding nothing but his bare EX 471 rim to the finish. The newer EX 1501 is surely as durable, but with some tweaks to modernize the wheelset. Geared toward the enduro riders, the EX 1501 Spline One comes in both 25-mm and 30-mm widths. The wheels come tubeless-ready and in Boost 148 and 15-mm options. These hoops’ palmares include Richie Rude’s two consecutive Enduro World Series overall wins. ( dtswiss.com)
Praxxis C32 $2,350
Praxxis, a company well-known for its quality cranksets and bottom bracket adaptors, got into wheels in early 2016. The C32 carbon wheelset is the top-of-theline carbon mountain bike offering. The rims are laced into DT Swiss hubs designed specifically by Praxxis. The company offers the wheel in both 27.5" and 29" sizes. With an internal rim width of 32 mm and Boost hub spacing, you could certainly use these wheels with plus-size tires. Praxxis doesn’t discriminate, making the freehub available in both Shimano and sram XD. ( gwbicycle.com)
FSA Afterburner Wider $723
The Afterburner Wider are hand-built tubeless-ready alloy wheels that are sure to help you shed some weight from your bike. Coming in at 1,660 g for the pair, the Afterburners will spin up to speed quickly and help keep you there. You have the option of a 9-mm quick-release or 15-mm thru axle at the front and 135-mm quickrelease or 142-mm thru axle on the rear. These not only suit your mountain bike but your disc-brake cyclocross or gravel road bike, too, for some aggressive adventuring. fsa lets you choose between Shimano or sram freehubs. ( fullspeedahead.com)
Race Face Aeffect SL $665
Fast engagement is what the Race Face Aeffect wheels are all about. Using their new Trace hub design that boasts 9.2 degrees of hub engagement via a three-pawl system built with cartridge bearings, the Aeffect wheels are responsive when you put the hammer down. Aimed at the cross country and trail markets, the wheels come in several different hub-spacing options including Boost. A 24-mm width allows for many tire options. The wheelset uses one spoke size throughout, which is something every wheel system should do. Custom colour graphics are also available for those who want to add a little bling to their ride. ( raceface.com)
Mavic XA Pro Carbon $2,500
At 1,590 g for the 29" set, you would expect this to be a cross country race wheelset, but you would be wrong. The XA Pro Carbon is Mavic’s new trail wheel. A hooklessrim profile helps to reduce tire burps and to keep the weight of the wheels down. With each wheel’s 26-mm internal rim width, it pairs perfectly with a 2.4" tire. This setup makes it ideal for enduro riders trying to shave weight for climbing but who don’t want to sacrifice durability. You can convert the rear axle from a 12-mm thru axle to a QR. With the front axle, you can switch from a 15-mm thru axle to a QR as well. Both Shimano and sram drivers are supported. ( mavic.com)—mattstetson