Knowing I’m a 29er fan, Ritchey/Syncro’s marketing and brand guys Sean and Angelo called me over with a big smile on their face, and that upside down frown was well justified. Syncro’s new FL Carbon 29er wheels look really, really good on paper and in person, and with a sub-1500g weight and a price about half of Easton’s EC90 29er carbon wheelset, they may just be the “everyman’s” carbon wheeled option.
And for those that said Ritchey should go big or go home, well, they’ve gone big. Roll past the break for all the details…
The 29er versions are spec’d identically to the 26″ models released about a year ago, except that now they’re specifically stating they’re tubeless compatible (presumably with different rim strips), and if the signage below is to be believed, they’ve dropped $500 in price. Rim is a broad 25mm with 28 spokes front and rear.
The wheelset uses Syncros’ FL hubs. Unlike the Centerlock mount on many of the lightweight Ritchey wheelsets, these thankfully use the more common 6-bolt rotor mount. Front will be available with either 9mm QR or 15mm thru axle.
I love signs like these. They save me so much typing.
The wheels don’t have a firm release date yet, they’re still in testing. We’ll update as we hear more.
With all the comments on the announcement of their new 26″ tires, Ritchey knew they needed a bigger tire. The new 29×2.1 Shield comes in at a claimed weight of 590g, and they should be avaialble this summer for $69.95.
