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No race bike is complete without a set of fine wheels. Shimano has done a great job with these XTR hoops, a super upgrade from the 965, creating a set that will give a boost on race day, and can be ridden every day between races as well.

These wheels roll on the same internals that come with XTR hubs, so they are plenty smooth. The main differences are that the flanges have been altered to work with straight-pull spokes and the axles are a beefy 14mm 7075 T6 aluminum. 24 spokes in each wheel are set up two-cross and evenly spaced, which adds significant lateral strength without adding rim weight. The spokes no longer hook onto the side of the rim and get adjusted at the hub, which means a lighter, shallower rim can be employed. And that rim has been upgraded to Scandium from aluminum. As an added touch, the QR skewer has the forged X on the lever.

The WH-M975 Shimano XTR wheelset is designed to work with Centerlock rotors. The tires can be either tubes or tubeless. Over locknut distance is 100mm in the front, 135mm in the rear. Both the front and rear wheels have labyrinth and contact seals protecting the angular contact bearings. The rear wheel is compatible with nine-speed cassettes, with a 11t minimum cog. The cassette body is made of titanium. The hollow axles are aluminum and come with aluminum-shafted quick release skewers. The hub shell is aluminum and anodized. The rim is 26” in diameter (559x19) and the rim width is 23.3mm. Both front and rear wheels have 24 stainless spokes and are affixed to the rim with aluminum nipples. 695g (Front)/830g (Rear). MSRP $999.00.