Halo has made super-durable wheels for decades and it's been working on the Vortex for two years, on UK tracks and the Enduro World Series circuit. The result is a max-strength gravity/big-rider wheelset that’s built to survive relentless abuse.
The rim has been designed around a 2.5in tyre, but the 33mm internal width will handle 2.8in rubber just fine, and they’re tubeless taped as standard, with a snug fit that blows up easily.
The walls are extra-thick to fend off dings and the 6061-T10 alloy was chosen for its impact resistance.
Spoking and rim construction are asymmetric for equalised stiffness, and the wheels are hand-built with traditional J-bend spokes. Micro-teethed pawls in the freehub give essentially instant three-degree pick-up.
A heat-treated chromoly steel axle adds more strength, and I’ve had zero issues even when using these wheels on a heavyweight e-bike.
They’re easy to strip too, and Boost and Torque Cap kits are available.
While they’re overkill for average trail use, the rapid pick-up and serious build stiffness help offset their hefty 2,190g weight (990g/1,200g) when accelerating.
It’s the way I’ve been hitting everything I can at full throttle, day in, day out since I got them, without a single issue, even running teen tyre pressures, that makes these great hardcore wheels, though.
The price is good too, considering how long they’re likely to last.
