Syncros FL carbon wheelset

Owning and having ridden a number of mtbs/components made of out the black stuff, it soon became apparent what can be effectively and safely achieved with the material.  That scepticism has again appeared with the introduction of carbon mtb rims onto the market. Granted, it’s been around for a good number of years on the road, but off road, that’s a whole other demand on a rim. Any concerns I might have had have rapidly evaporated over the past 3 months, however, as I have put in a few hundred trail miles on a pair of Syncros carbon wheels, including a couple of 12 hour solo races on my Santa Cruz Blur carbon.

The first thing you notice is the weight, and as we are well aware, reducing rotating mass can transform a bike’s ride. Some wheels are super light, but at the expense of stiffness. Here’s where the Syncros carbon wheels come in. You get the light weight AND the stiffness.  With a light weight set of tyres the weight difference is immediately apparent on the trail. The wheels track well on hard cornering through singletrack, with front wheel precision noticeably improved over previous race wheelsets I have used.

As a wheelbuilder, I’m pedantic about wheel trueness and spoke tension. Out of the box, these were spot on. The website lists them as hand built and I’m inclined to believe that. A re-tension after the first few rides is the norm as the spokes bed in, but these just havn’t needed it and have stayed true, despite a couple of offs. 

The rims are not tubeless, but can be easily converted with Stan’s conversion kits. One thing which contributes to the ride of these wheels is the full compliment of 28 spokes, built up 3x. Some manufacturers opt for radial on the non disc side, but I just prefer 3x as it makes for a stronger and better riding wheel.  Sure, a few extra spokes (and longer, being non radial) adds to the weight, but it’s a good compromise between weight and performance. Nipples are alloy, so attention is needed when truing. 

Pick up on the freehub body is on a par with other wheel manufacturers and the bearings run smoothly, using Syncros’s proprietary  double row angular contact bearing system to improve durability. The hubs are manufactured in house and are all fully serviceable.

Graphics on the rim may be a little too bold for some, but they let the world know that you are riding Syncros carbon wheels! Rims are full width at 25mm.

Overall, a great wheelset, light, stiff and fully serviceable. The price is at a premium, although comparable to some carbon road wheels (where this type of pricing seems to be accepted), but as carbon becomes more accepted as a rim material, maybe this will be seen as the norm.  As alloy reaches its limits for rim application, in terms of weight and stiffness, it does make sense to turn to carbon as technology advances. 

Front:

690g - 15mm/9mm - option

£679 

Rear: 

798g

£749

Contact  the folks at jungleproducts for more information and availability.