Crankbrothers Synthesis wheels, tuned for optimum performance
Softer front and snappy rear claimed to boost performance
Published:
Crankbrothers has released a new range of carbon wheels, named the Synthesis, which Crankbrothers claims are the first properly tuned wheels for mountain biking. Enduro riders are catered for from launch, while XC and DH riders will benefit from the wheels’ features a little later down the line.
The Selle Royal group, which owns the Crankbrothers brand, has an R&D group called SR56, based out of Utah in the US. This group is headed by Jason Schiers who, having worked at Reynolds on its carbon wheels, went on to found Enve (or Edge Composites as it was then).
Along with legendary Australian wheel builder Mello Bouwmeester, who was introduced to Shears by Cedric Gracia, Schiers and his SR56 group developed the Crankbrothers Synthesis wheels.
What’s Synthesis all about?
Carbon mountain bike wheels seem to follow one of two paths: either brutally stiff, but very accurate and efficient, or softer, giving compliance and comfort, but not that snap that many wish for from carbon hoops.
While Schiers’ earlier wheels at Enve had been built with a stiff box section design, the wheels from Bouwmeester used a single skin, giving a much softer ride feel.
Both have their advantages, but it was apparently difficult to get the best of both worlds out of a pair of wheels built the same way.
In testing, with a wide range of riders, Crankbrothers says that there was a complete split between riders who liked compliance (and generally talked about comfort and grip in their feedback — born from the front wheel) and those who liked stiffer wheels (they mentioned the direct feeling of acceleration out of corners — attributed to the rear wheel).
SR56 therefore designed these Synthesis wheels, with a softer, more compliant front wheel and a stiff rear, aiming to get the best of both worlds.
The front wheel has a width of 31.5 mm and is built with 28 spokes. The rear is 29.5mm wide and has 32 spokes. While both share the same cross section, there are slight differences in rim material to aid stiffness, or compliance, and different spoke tensions will be used.