Disclaimer: I am not an ambassador for CB. I spent my hard-earned money on these wheels. That being said, I did purchase them at heavily discounted rates due to being a member of a specific mountain biking organization and the use of a 'professional sales' website.
I was in the market for high end carbon wheels for my bike(s) with a lifetime warranty. I narrowed it down to We Are One or SC Reserves. But after some reading, I came across the seemingly forgotten Crank Brothers Synthesis Wheelset. Reviews only had great things to say about them. Compliant front end. Stiff rear end. People have been doing this for years! But they're from pubs and were from the initial release last October. Very few recent reviews. Which meant that buying these is taking a HUGE chance with my money. I'm glad I took the chance.
Synthesis E11s. 1880g with XD driver, tubeless tape, and valves.
The enduro wheelset. With I9 Hydra hubs. I don't need to say much about Hydra. They're awesome and a worthy successor to the Torch. Everyone wanting high end hubs will have them soon enough. The E11s went on my Slash. To replace a set of Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon wheels, now out of its 2 year warranty period(seriously Trek? get with the times). Now you may think, 'Oh you're going from carbon to carbon? Blah blah blah, all carbon is the same, all made in Taiwan, aLuMiNuMz f0r tEH wINz!', but you couldn't be more wrong. The Bontrager carbon wheels are a great wheelset. They were lightweight, stiff, and pretty damn sturdy! Why the hell would I even 'upgrade'? And why would I take a weight penalty of 150g? The Line Pros weighed 1700-ish grams with normal tubeless tape and valves.
Because the Synthesis wheels are that good. I've used the same exact tires and same exact tire pressures between the 2 wheelsets. 2.5 WTB Vigs front and rear, 24f/27r pressures. No stupid tire inserts. Absolutely no changes to suspension were made. First thing I noticed on the trail was how 'quiet' they were. I'm not talking about the sound of the hubs. It's hard to explain. The Line Pros were really 'chattery' I guess? Maybe vibrated more? The E11s felt... more peaceful to ride. Anyway, the rear wheel of the E11 has 32 spokes. It's pretty stiff. Stiffer than the Line Pros. The front E11 has 28 holes, and not as stiff as the Line Pros. Just pedaling along, you're not going to notice much difference. They are wheels after all. But cornering is where the E11s shine.
See, with the combination for the compliant front, and stiff rear, I was able to take flat and off camber corners faster and more confidently. The front end digs in while the rear tracks. At the limit of grip, the rear gives out first, which initiates a controllable, mellow drift and the front stays tracking in its original line. It's engineered oversteer, which can take a little getting used to. The front end doesn't get knocked off line by bumps mid corner. It somehow absorbs these bumps and keeps me tracking where I want to go. The rear end feels like it's constantly gripping and losing said grip, but in a manner that is mostly unnoticeable and works together with the front end to keep the intended line. It's 'floating' so to speak.
With the Line Pro 30s, I had a tendency to run wide. The stiff front offered incredibly quick steering. But it's easily knocked off line by a bump mid corner forcing me to adjust or run wider than intended.
In berms or supported corners, the E11s were superb. I initially thought there wasn't going to be much difference in berms because you're generally not exclusively on your cornering knobs while taking berms. Again, the front end digs in, while the rear wheel tracks. It's a very similar feeling to flat cornering except that the rear is planted just like the front. Again, it's hard to explain the feeling. I can only make a comparison. The Line Pros likes to run high on berms so I have to make mid corner corrections if I don't want to launch off of the side of the hill. The E11s maintain its line the entire way through a berm. Braking bumps aren't nearly as noticeable on the E11s. They go through them as if they weren't even there.
I can't comment on durability yet as I haven't had them for a long time. But they have a lifetime warranty, so that has to mean something. Aesthetically, I think they look great. No stupid 'look at me' logos. Just nice, understated branding. Very classy design we've come to love/hate from CB.
So I liked these so much that I bought a second set for my SB100.
The XCT11s. XD, Hydra, and 1590g with tape and valves.
My SB100 came with the DT Swiss XM1501 25mm IW. Already a phenomenal aluminum wheelset. Probably some of the best completes you can get out there. But retails for almost as much as I got the XCT 11s for. I shaved about 150g by going to the XCTs. Definitely a nice bit of weight saved. Again, tires, air pressures, and suspension setup was identical as when I had on the DTs.
Now going from aluminum to these carbon wheels specifically had the biggest difference. The traits were identical as the E11s. So I'm not going to re-iterate what was said already. I will say that the jump from aluminum wheels to the XCT11s transformed an already phenomenal bike in to a perfect(to me) lightweight trail bike. The XCT11s are stiffer than the DTs front and rear. And I definitely notice it. It's much more willing and quicker to turn than the DTs. But it's not overly stiff that it's uncomfortable. Pair that with the 'wheelset tuning' and I have the same cornering traits as the E11s, in a lighter weight package.
My SB100 is now a rip-roaring cornering machine, but still maintains the comfort I had with the aluminum DT wheels. It's frickin fast. Crank Brothers literally 'downsized' the E11s in to an XC/trail package. A lot of XC carbon wheelsets are usually just stiffened up, lighter versions of the enduro version. Or the enduro version is a beefier version of the XC wheelset. With different ride characteristics even from the same brand. Like say the enduro wheelset may be more compliant. While the XC version is stiff as a board. The Synthesis wheels feels the same from each category, so long as you use the wheels for its specific purpose.
Overall, I'm very, very impressed. I spent a lot of money on these 2 wheelsets. But not as much as buying one CK ENVE wheelset brand new for retail. I got each Synthesis wheelset for less than a WAO or SC Reserve with the I9 Hydra hubs at retail. There will always be naysayers and armchair engineers that will say, 'There's no difference! It's all in your head!', having never ridden these wheels. And that's fine. Live in your cave for all I care. But with first experience with these wheels, I think I'm qualified to say that Crank Brothers' claims certainly hold true. Can you make a 'tuned' wheelset of your own? Abso-****ing-lutely! People have been doing it for years. Aluminum front, carbon rear. 28h front, 32h rear. Or any combination thereof. I suggest you do it too if you don't want to spend money on these. But for those with a bit of money to spare, and want a lifetime warranty, and one of the best wheels money can buy, I highly recommend these.
I was in the market for high end carbon wheels for my bike(s) with a lifetime warranty. I narrowed it down to We Are One or SC Reserves. But after some reading, I came across the seemingly forgotten Crank Brothers Synthesis Wheelset. Reviews only had great things to say about them. Compliant front end. Stiff rear end. People have been doing this for years! But they're from pubs and were from the initial release last October. Very few recent reviews. Which meant that buying these is taking a HUGE chance with my money. I'm glad I took the chance.
Synthesis E11s. 1880g with XD driver, tubeless tape, and valves.
The enduro wheelset. With I9 Hydra hubs. I don't need to say much about Hydra. They're awesome and a worthy successor to the Torch. Everyone wanting high end hubs will have them soon enough. The E11s went on my Slash. To replace a set of Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon wheels, now out of its 2 year warranty period(seriously Trek? get with the times). Now you may think, 'Oh you're going from carbon to carbon? Blah blah blah, all carbon is the same, all made in Taiwan, aLuMiNuMz f0r tEH wINz!', but you couldn't be more wrong. The Bontrager carbon wheels are a great wheelset. They were lightweight, stiff, and pretty damn sturdy! Why the hell would I even 'upgrade'? And why would I take a weight penalty of 150g? The Line Pros weighed 1700-ish grams with normal tubeless tape and valves.
Because the Synthesis wheels are that good. I've used the same exact tires and same exact tire pressures between the 2 wheelsets. 2.5 WTB Vigs front and rear, 24f/27r pressures. No stupid tire inserts. Absolutely no changes to suspension were made. First thing I noticed on the trail was how 'quiet' they were. I'm not talking about the sound of the hubs. It's hard to explain. The Line Pros were really 'chattery' I guess? Maybe vibrated more? The E11s felt... more peaceful to ride. Anyway, the rear wheel of the E11 has 32 spokes. It's pretty stiff. Stiffer than the Line Pros. The front E11 has 28 holes, and not as stiff as the Line Pros. Just pedaling along, you're not going to notice much difference. They are wheels after all. But cornering is where the E11s shine.
See, with the combination for the compliant front, and stiff rear, I was able to take flat and off camber corners faster and more confidently. The front end digs in while the rear tracks. At the limit of grip, the rear gives out first, which initiates a controllable, mellow drift and the front stays tracking in its original line. It's engineered oversteer, which can take a little getting used to. The front end doesn't get knocked off line by bumps mid corner. It somehow absorbs these bumps and keeps me tracking where I want to go. The rear end feels like it's constantly gripping and losing said grip, but in a manner that is mostly unnoticeable and works together with the front end to keep the intended line. It's 'floating' so to speak.
With the Line Pro 30s, I had a tendency to run wide. The stiff front offered incredibly quick steering. But it's easily knocked off line by a bump mid corner forcing me to adjust or run wider than intended.
In berms or supported corners, the E11s were superb. I initially thought there wasn't going to be much difference in berms because you're generally not exclusively on your cornering knobs while taking berms. Again, the front end digs in, while the rear wheel tracks. It's a very similar feeling to flat cornering except that the rear is planted just like the front. Again, it's hard to explain the feeling. I can only make a comparison. The Line Pros likes to run high on berms so I have to make mid corner corrections if I don't want to launch off of the side of the hill. The E11s maintain its line the entire way through a berm. Braking bumps aren't nearly as noticeable on the E11s. They go through them as if they weren't even there.
I can't comment on durability yet as I haven't had them for a long time. But they have a lifetime warranty, so that has to mean something. Aesthetically, I think they look great. No stupid 'look at me' logos. Just nice, understated branding. Very classy design we've come to love/hate from CB.
So I liked these so much that I bought a second set for my SB100.
The XCT11s. XD, Hydra, and 1590g with tape and valves.
My SB100 came with the DT Swiss XM1501 25mm IW. Already a phenomenal aluminum wheelset. Probably some of the best completes you can get out there. But retails for almost as much as I got the XCT 11s for. I shaved about 150g by going to the XCTs. Definitely a nice bit of weight saved. Again, tires, air pressures, and suspension setup was identical as when I had on the DTs.
Now going from aluminum to these carbon wheels specifically had the biggest difference. The traits were identical as the E11s. So I'm not going to re-iterate what was said already. I will say that the jump from aluminum wheels to the XCT11s transformed an already phenomenal bike in to a perfect(to me) lightweight trail bike. The XCT11s are stiffer than the DTs front and rear. And I definitely notice it. It's much more willing and quicker to turn than the DTs. But it's not overly stiff that it's uncomfortable. Pair that with the 'wheelset tuning' and I have the same cornering traits as the E11s, in a lighter weight package.
My SB100 is now a rip-roaring cornering machine, but still maintains the comfort I had with the aluminum DT wheels. It's frickin fast. Crank Brothers literally 'downsized' the E11s in to an XC/trail package. A lot of XC carbon wheelsets are usually just stiffened up, lighter versions of the enduro version. Or the enduro version is a beefier version of the XC wheelset. With different ride characteristics even from the same brand. Like say the enduro wheelset may be more compliant. While the XC version is stiff as a board. The Synthesis wheels feels the same from each category, so long as you use the wheels for its specific purpose.
Overall, I'm very, very impressed. I spent a lot of money on these 2 wheelsets. But not as much as buying one CK ENVE wheelset brand new for retail. I got each Synthesis wheelset for less than a WAO or SC Reserve with the I9 Hydra hubs at retail. There will always be naysayers and armchair engineers that will say, 'There's no difference! It's all in your head!', having never ridden these wheels. And that's fine. Live in your cave for all I care. But with first experience with these wheels, I think I'm qualified to say that Crank Brothers' claims certainly hold true. Can you make a 'tuned' wheelset of your own? Abso-****ing-lutely! People have been doing it for years. Aluminum front, carbon rear. 28h front, 32h rear. Or any combination thereof. I suggest you do it too if you don't want to spend money on these. But for those with a bit of money to spare, and want a lifetime warranty, and one of the best wheels money can buy, I highly recommend these.
as mentioned above in rave reviews they have some sort of wizardry technology enabling one to ride faster through the tough stuff.
