Trail riding means many things to many people. For some, that could be a rowdy cross-country jaunt, and for others, it could mean more demanding trails, but building one wheelset to appease the demands of all trail riders is no mean feat. With that, Boyd’s latest Bracken wheels are built for those whose trail riding gets playful and dynamic, so they’re crafted to balance strength and ‘flickability’.
In a bid to hit that goal, the Bracken wheelset is almost a trail rim laced to a beefy hubset. Present here is the Sixtus hub that uses a heat-treated 6061 construction with a reverse hook at the leading edge, which Boyd says delivers higher impact resistance. In fact, the freehub is where things get rather interesting, as the brand claims to have achieved a zero-point-five-degree engagement with 612 points of engagement, while promising low drag.
Additionally, the Sixtus hub comes with adapters to work with 15 and 20mm thru axles, perfect if your style of trail means running a Fox Podium fork.
Attention has been paid to the spokes, too. They’re new for this wheelset, and their elbows are reinforced, which apparently boosts tensile strength by 30%. Each wheel features 32 spokes each in a three-cross pattern, and the spokes are joined to the rim via Pillar DSN double square brass nipples.
As for the 6061-T6 aluminium rims, they feature a 30mm internal width with a 35mm external measurement, and they’re 18.8mm in depth. Tyre sizes of 2.2 inches up to 2.6 inches are recommended, too.
At the moment, the Boyd Bracken wheels are only available in 29″, but I’m told that 650b, or 27.5-in options are on the way. They’re also available with HG, Microspline and XD freehub bodies.
If you’re keen for a fresh set of hoops, these will set you back £700.
