Understanding the Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy Wheels
Enduro wheel shopping has gotten complicated with all the marketing buzzwords flying around. Every brand’s claiming their wheelset is “the one,” and honestly, it’s enough to make your eyes glaze over. So let me break down what Crankbrothers is actually doing with their Synthesis Enduro Alloy wheels — because I think there’s some genuinely smart thinking behind these, even if they don’t get the hype some flashier carbon options do.
Design Philosophy
Here’s where Crankbrothers does something that a lot of riders overlook at first glance: they don’t treat the front and rear wheel the same. The Synthesis line splits the difference between compliance and stability, but it does it in a specific way for each wheel. The front is tuned for control — think better traction when you’re threading through gnarly rock gardens. The rear is stiffer and focused on power transfer, so you’re not losing energy when you’re hammering uphill or sprinting out of a corner.
The front rim runs a bit wider to let your tire spread out and grab the trail better. You’ll notice the difference on loose, off-camber stuff where every bit of grip counts. The rear wheel is slightly narrower, which helps it spin up faster and handle the load of your pedaling forces without flexing all over the place. It’s a small detail, but once you feel it, you get it.
Material and Build
Probably should have led with this — these are alloy wheels, and that’s actually a selling point, not a compromise. Alloy takes hits differently than carbon. It dents instead of cracking, which means a rough day on the trail doesn’t automatically mean a trash can sentence for your wheelset. And let’s be real, if you’re riding enduro, you’re going to bash into things. That’s the whole point.
The alloy Crankbrothers uses here offers a solid strength-to-weight ratio. Yeah, carbon can be lighter, but these wheels cost noticeably less and they’ll survive abuse that would have you shopping for replacements with a carbon hoop. The manufacturing process is tight — Crankbrothers isn’t cutting corners on quality control here.
- Alloy rims for better strength-to-weight ratio
- Specific width differences for front and rear wheels
- Strategic design to enhance compliance and power transfer
Hub and Spoke Technology
The hubs on the Synthesis Enduro Alloy are Crankbrothers’ own design, and they roll smooth. Good bearings make a real difference — you can feel it when you spin the wheel by hand and it just keeps going. On the trail, that translates to maintaining speed better through flat sections and choppy terrain where lesser hubs would bog down from friction.
Spokes are where a lot of the ride quality comes from, and Crankbrothers uses a blend of spoke tensions to dial in the feel. They went with J-bend spokes, which are the industry workhorse for a reason — they’re easy to replace trailside if something goes wrong, and they hold up well when things get rough. The varying tension setup adds some lateral stiffness where you need it while keeping a bit of vertical give for comfort.
Compatibility and Sizing
These wheels play nice with a wide range of mountain bikes, which is a plus if you’re thinking about swapping between frames down the road. They support multiple tire sizes, and they’re tubeless-ready out of the box. Running tubeless means you can drop your tire pressure lower for better grip without worrying as much about pinch flats — and if you haven’t made the tubeless switch yet, honestly, what are you waiting for?
You’ve also got different wheel size options to choose from, so you can match the setup to your riding style and your local terrain. Whether you’re on 27.5 or 29, there’s a build that works.
Performance on Trails
Out on actual trails, these wheels do exactly what they promise. The compliance soaks up chatter from roots and small rocks without feeling vague or wallowy. On loose surfaces, the wider front rim keeps your tire planted, and the stiffer rear wheel means you can lay down power confidently even when the trail surface is falling apart underneath you.
That’s what makes the Synthesis Enduro Alloy endearing to riders who actually push their equipment hard. You pick up speed on descents and the wheelset just tracks. Jumps, rock drops, sketchy off-camber — these wheels handle the punishment without drama. The alloy construction absorbs vibration in a way that’s subtly different from carbon; it’s a bit more damped, a bit more forgiving on longer rides.
Maintenance and Durability
If you’re the type of rider who’d rather ride than wrench, good news — these don’t need much babysitting. Check your spoke tension every now and then (I do it about once a month during riding season), keep dirt and water out of the hub bearings, and you’re pretty much set. A quick wipe-down after muddy rides goes a long way too.
The alloy construction is forgiving when it comes to minor impacts. You might pick up a small ding or dent over time, but the wheel keeps rolling true. Compare that to a carbon rim where a hard hit can mean invisible structural damage, and you start to see why alloy makes so much sense for enduro riding specifically.
Market Position and User Feedback
Price-wise, the Synthesis Enduro Alloy sits in a sweet spot. It’s not the cheapest wheelset you can buy, but it’s far from the most expensive, and you’re getting legitimate performance engineering — not just a sticker and a marketing campaign. For riders who want something better than stock but aren’t ready to drop carbon-wheel money, these are a really strong option.
Riders who’ve put time on these wheels tend to highlight the handling improvement and the confidence they feel on technical terrain. The front/rear specific tuning is something people notice once they ride it back-to-back with a traditional one-size-fits-both setup. The mix of fair pricing, genuine durability, and smart engineering is what keeps these wheels popular in the enduro crowd. They’re not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focused approach works in their favor.
