Syntace has finally unveiled their mountain bike wheels. In development for quite some time, the new MX wheels come with rims of 25, 30, 35 or 40mm outside widths. All four are offered in 26″, and the 30mm and 35mm widths will be offered in 26″, 27.5/650B and 29er. The 30mm even has a 24″ offering.
Numerous features set them apart. Starting with the overall design, they’re built using standard spokes with 28 or 32 counts. This means there are enough spokes to get you out of the woods if a couple of them break, and they’re easy to source and fix at any bike shop, usually with parts on hand. Contrast this to “system” wheels that use proprietary spokes or low spoke counts, and Syntace says the benefit is obvious, and it comes with no weight penalty. The lightest version, the W25 MX comes in at a paltry 1295g in 26″.
The wide 40mm wheelset comes in at just 1,840g for the pair. Rim weights range from 350g (26″ W25) to 580g (26″ W40), yet they claim both the rims and the complete wheels are stronger than competitive offerings.
Syntace’s press materials show the benefits of a wider rim. They say the tire holds its shape better, which increases traction while letting you run lower pressure and thinner sidewall tires (equals lighter total wheel/tire weight, too!). Their widest rims even keep 2.5 knobbies holding a nice round shape.
The strength comes from a higher spoke count combined with design features on both rim and hub. The rims use asymmetric, angled spoke holes and the hubs have angled flanges. This keeps the spokes straight without unnecessary bending stresses. Inside, the hubs roll on two pairs of double sealed cartridge bearings – one pair in the hubshell and one in the freehub body. Engagement comes from a Spur Gear freewheel mech with 36 teeth and four engagement springs. All four are engaged at once for maximum “grip”, but that’ll give it a somewhat large 10° float. Syntace says they’ll roll smooth in any conditions, though, unaffected by temps or crud. Freehub body is made of 7075 alloy.
Three hubs are offered, all with 6-bolt disc rotor mounts. The rear is available with 28 or 32 holes in QR or 142×12 and weighs in at 225g. It has a butted 17mm axle.
The front MX Front 32 OS hub (center) is a 32 hole, oversized hub for 15/20mm thru axles (or QR with end cap adapters) and weighs in at 150g. The smaller front hub is 28 hole, tips scales at just 99g and works with either QR or 15mm thru axle.
The rims are made of a custom aluminum that’s cold worked then heat treated. The result are some pretty lightweight rims that Syntace claims are tougher than carbon ones at the same weight and in wider shapes.
All the wheels will be the same price (€989 / $1,200 USD for the set), letting you mix and match the sizes and parts you want for one fee, all built with black Sapim CX Ray spokes and nipples in a 3x pattern. They come with their 3/7 (10 year) warranty. Three years replacement, seven years at 50% off current retail.
MODELS, SPECS & WEIGHTS
W25 MX
- Rim: 250g (26″) – 25mm outer width, 19.3mm inner
- Wheels: 710g rear / 585g front (28 hole)
W30 MX
- Rim: 24″ (390g) – 26″ (430g) – 27.5″/650B (460g) – 29″ 490g – 30mm outer / 24.8mm inner
- Rear Wheels (28 hole): 24″ (750g, rear only) – 26″ (790g) – 27.5″/650B (836g) – 29″ (884g”) +15g for 32 hole.
- Front Wheels (28 hole): 26″ (665g) – 27.5″/650B (711g) – 29″ (759g)
- Front Wheels (32 hole): 26″ (730g) – 27.5″/650B (778g) – 29″ (827g)
W35 MX
- Rim: 26″ (500g) – 27.5″/650B (530g) – 29″ (560g) – 35mm outer / 28.5mm inner
- Rear Wheels (28 hole): 26″ (860g) – 27.5″/650B (906g) – 29″ (954g”) +15g for 32 hole.
- Front Wheels (28 hole): 26″ (735g) – 27.5″/650B (781g) – 29″ (829g)
- Front Wheels (32 hole): 26″ (805g) – 27.5″/650B (853g) – 29″ (903g)
W40 MX
- Rim: 26″ (580g) – 40mm outer / 33.5mm inner
- Rear Wheels (32 hole): 26″ (955g)
- Front Wheels (32 hole): 26″ (885g)
