Tested

CRANKBROTHERS SYNTHESIS ENDURO ALLOY WHEELSET

£499.98

SPECIFICATION Weight: 2,120g pair • Internal Rim width: 31.5mm front, 29mm rear • Contact: extrauk.co.uk

Crankbrothers Synthesis wheels treat each end of the bike differently, and focus on creating a more compliant front and stiffer rear wheel. It’s a system originally designed around carbon rims with specific widths and lay ups, but the US brand now offers more affordable packages built from good old alloy too.

Available in 27.5in or 29in, the T6 aluminium wheels target a vertically softer front, to better track the ground, and a rear that transfers cranking energy and directional inputs more effectively. Own brand hub versions are just under £500, while pricier, Industry Nine, 1/1 hubs with a faster (4°) engagement cost an extra £200. The sleeve-joined and welded alloy rims are also sold alone for £100 and weigh around 560g each.

The alloy Synthesis uses a broader front rim to square off the tyre and give a more planted feel and extra transverse (lateral) grip at aggressive lean angles. The rear is narrower, to encourage faster rolling from a more rounded tyre profile and sharpen directional changes when steering the bike with feet.

Built three-cross with easy-to-find J-bend spokes, the front uses fewer (28) Sapim D-Light spokes to increase absorption and hand comfort and the rear 32 Sapim Race spokes to boost energy transfer and momentum. Crankbrothers’s three-pawl hubs have a relatively slow (17°) engagement, which might be a consideration for those after a snappier feel up technical climbs, but used extensively they haven’t missed a beat in terms of reliability.

Synthesis’s end-specific goals make perfect sense, and the carbon versions won our recent wheel test, but how does the performance translate for a fraction of the price? To find out, I rode