Some weight weenies are rejoicing that the 27. 5" wheel size has hit the mainstream, allowing them to shave precious grams off of 29er rigs. If they're willing to go to extremes, and if you happen to be one of them, then you're going to love the tubeless-ready Xentis Squad 2. 5 MTB 27. 5" Carbon Clincher wheelset. And before you ask: no, these are not light-duty, XC-only wheels. They're easily tough enough for trail riding, and their 200-pound weight limit is high for a set this light. We're not saying you should go around hucking gaps like some Troy Brosnan wannabe, but you can certainly have some fun. So how do they dial in the Squad's impressive strength without a greater weight penalty? First, the wheels use a carbon fiber so dense that they don't need to use much of it to achieve great structural integrity, but that's only half the story. Look closely and you'll see the rest. Notice the radial orientation (straight out from the middle) of the carbon striations in the rim. In other words, the carbon's structure has been oriented in a circle. This is far more complicated and time-consuming to produce than the molding and gluing of carbon sheets into a wheel shape. The result is a more expensive, but also stronger and lighter, wheelset, with more control in the hands of the engineers over the wheels' ride quality in the layup process. A relatively high spoke count, wide rim bed, and Xentis's extraordinarily high quality standards ensure not only solid performance but an extremely precise and reliable product, as well. From the bearing seals in the proprietary hubs to the depth consistency of even its deepest rims, nothing leaves the factory if final measurements exceed even a tenth of a millimeter of tolerance, so you can be sure you're rolling on true Austrian-made masterpieces.
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