Clack, clack, clack! The hard pedalling of the test machine can even be heard through the hearing protection. The freewheel torture is a new part of the BIKE test procedure and takes place in the Syntace halls where we set up for parts of the test. In the same room are the drum machines, which demonstrate what happens when mountain bike wheels are constantly subjected to high loads. Bumps on the drum and skewed running put a strain on hubs, spokes and rims, just like a brisk pace on the trail. Anything that rolls through 3000 kilometres without triggering the limit switches, whose sensors register impacts of just ten millimetres, is guaranteed to be tough. The torture is completed by destructive tests in the BIKE lab, where we also record weights, inertia, stiffness, etc. Welcome to the most comprehensive test of trail wheels we've ever carried out!
Five aluminium wheelsets and seven carbon wheelsets with prices ranging from 367 to 2400 euros were used to test the state of the art - as always, regardless of price. The test products were selected on the basis of our assessment of market relevance. All bikes receive the same treatment and evaluation, because we want to know whether the many euros spent on the more expensive bikes really add value beyond a few grams on the scales. Because as big as the price differences are, the weight differences are small: a good pound lies between the extremes.
Do you get more for the extra 2000 euros than less mass? And fundamentally: Is carbon the first choice for rims, as it is for frames? In our last major investigation (BIKE 10/2017), carbon wheels showed a rather digital behaviour. The transition from "holds" to "breaks" was abrupt, and only Syntace mastered the puncture test back then without damage. Our current test shows that the manufacturers have used the time. Carbon now performs better in the same test. Out of seven MTB wheels, only two showed slight damage in the impact test, none broke. So the carbon wheels hold up, while aluminium dents - sometimes more, sometimes less. Carbon also performs better than aluminium in the endurance test on the drum test machine. Cracks form occasionally in aluminium, carbon remains unimpressed.
You can download the complete comparison test of twelve mountain bike wheels from BIKE 7/20 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.99 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
- Crankbrothers Synthesis XCT Alloy
- Crankbrothers Synthesis XCT 11
- DT Swiss M 1900 Spline
- DT Swiss XRC 1200 Spline
- eThirteen TRS Plus
- eThirteen XCX Race
- Race Face Next SL 26
- Reynolds TR 309 s
- Stan's No Tubes ARCH MK3
- Stan's No Tubes CREST CB7
- Syntace W28i Straight Alu
- Syntace C33i Straight Carbon
You can find this article in BIKE 7/2020. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
