FSA’s Afterburner Wider wheelset is a respectably lightweight and versatile choice for trail riding that’s put up well with some heavy usage. They’re stiff without being harsh, the hubs have run smooth and the rims have stayed true. The only downside is that the 27mm internal width is a touch slender for the latest higher-volume rubber.
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The Afterburner wheelset is available in both 27.5″ (tested) and 29″ as well as Boost and standard hub width and Shimano or SRAM XD freehub options. With a width of 27mm internal (31mm external) they’re spot on for tyres up to around 2.4″, though stuff like the latest 2.6″ or 2.5″ wide trail rubber might feel a bit pinched. The 1,813g weight (832g front, 981g rear), is decent enough at this money too.
The rims come with tapes and valves to be converted to tubeless, which was a simple and quick process and fitting tyres isn’t a faff either. The rim itself is non-eyeletted and asymmetrically shaped, with 24 straight pull spokes at either end.
I found them to be stiff enough to be accurate without pinging you off line on off camber sections and despite the odd spoke twanging harsh compression (they were tested on a Cotic Soul hardtail for maximum brutality points) they’ve stayed true despite the relatively low spoke count.
Elsewhere, the neat hubs get stainless steel bearings, with the rear sitting on a double row of them for extra durability. It’s possible to adjust the tension to take up any slop should it appear, but they ran smooth and true in well over ten months of testing.
The six-pawl freehub has a nice and quick engagement speed, though there was some marking from where the steel teeth of the cassette sprockets had dug into the softer freehub body – one to look out for if you’re using a cheap cassette with fewer carriers to spread the load.
All in all, this is a wheelset that’s at a decent weight and price. It’s possible to find lighter, wider and cheaper options but the FSA Afterburner Wider 148 wheelset is plenty tough and reliable and rides well to boot.
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