Crank Brothers

Synthesis E 11 Boost Wheelset - 27.5in

When the engineers at Crank Brothers sat down at the drawing board to design a new enduro-specific wheelset there was some serious butting of heads. On one side, the argument for stiff wheels held strong, boasting their undeniable ability to track lines, hold stability at speeds, and translate rider feedback to the trail quickly, but at the cost of trail chatter, and numb hands after just a couple of miles of rowdy rock-laced trails. On the contrary, there were compliant wheels, with grip and control in turns, and more comfortable handling. Fortunately for us, the two sides were able to compromise, landing on the Crank Brothers Synthesis E 11 Boost 27.5in Wheelset. This unique enduro-specific wheelset doesn't settle for just one concept, but instead puts both stiffness and compliance together with two different wheels — one rear specific, with elevated stiffness for exceptional tracking, and the other front specific, tuned for compliance, grip, handling, and a bit more vibration damping — lacing up neatly with Synthesis 11 hubs, with Project 321 internals in the back to serve up some snappy 2.5-degree engagement.

To start to understand the Synthesis E 11 Wheelset, we need to look at the differences between each rim. The front rim uses a wider profile, with an outer width of 37.5mm, and inner of 31.5mm — this translates to a wider platform to host beefier tires, allowing for soaking up vibrations, meanwhile amping up the traction to keep you locked into your line in loose and wily corners. This rim is laced up with 28 spokes — 4 fewer than the rear wheel, allowing just a little more compliance to elevate vibration damping. In the back, Crank Bro's opt for a slightly narrower rim with 29.5mm internal and 36.5 external width, laced up with a whopping 32 spokes for a stiffer feel that offers undeniable control, power, and tracking. But the differences don't stop at the rims — different spokes are employed on each wheel, with the front using Sapim's CX-ray for lightweight, aerodynamics, and strength, and the rear dialing in the stiffer, heavy-duty CX-sprint.

Since nobody wants to waste their efforts on a hub that doesn't react quickly, Crank Brothers implements the Synthesis 11 hub with Project 321 internals to offer 2.5-degrees of quiet engagement with 216 points of engagement. This snappy engagement is achieved using a unique magnetically-actuated ratchet drive system, with 6-pawls for precise control. This magnetic system works a bit differently than the mechanical or magnetic push-spring systems you may have seen in the past, instead opting for a pull-spring to move pawls into the drive ring, which claims to achieve less drag and less noise than its counterparts.