Cross country, trail, “Downcountry,” BCXC, XC+, call it what you want. Maybe it’s just riding a mountain bike with as much emphasis on the up and across as the down. As short-travel bikes get more and more capable, and as XC race bikes get more and more travel (120mm seems to be the minimum these days), other components are adapting to the more demanding style of riding.
Here are five newer wheelsets that blur the line between pure cross country race speed and everyday riding toughness, mixing a good amount of fun in with the fast.
Five new XC+ Wheelsets
Shimano Deore XT 8200
When Shimano made its return to Di2 it also brought back its mountain bike wheels. Di2 was, as expected, quite expensive. Very good, but expensive. The Deore XT 8200 wheels, though, are refreshingly affordable at $750. Having spent quite a lot of time on the last generation of XT wheels, which is years ago now, I was quite happy to see Shimano revive that balance of quality and value. With alloy rim construction (modernized to 30mm internal width), simple j-bend spoke construction, hooked sidewalls and, finally, cartridge bearings in place of cup-and-cone, Shimano improves the design, too.
Hit the trails, and Shimano’s XT feel faster than their sub-$1,000 price tag would suggest. Front and rear-specific rim profiles make the most of the simple, but proven j-bend spoke design. It also adds confidence that, if you do manage to mangle a spoke or two, you’ll never be far from a shop that can do a quick fix. That, and all-round solid feel, make these an attractive option for those that would rather spend their budget getting out riding in exotic places than on acquiring exotic parts.
Being Shimano wheels, these use the Center Lock disc mount and Microspline freehub standards, only, but are available in 27.5″ and 29″ diameters. The 1,983g weight (29″) may push these a little more towards the “trail” end of XC+, but with a solid balance of price and weight, they’ll be on the radar of many riders.
Hunt XC Wide 29
Leaning more towards the race side of XC+, but still with the value of alloy rims, is the XC Wide 29 wheelset from U.K. brand Hunt. Like the XTs, Hunt uses j-bend spokes and hooked rims for ease of repair and reliable tubeless mounting. But Hunt slims the internal rim diameter down to 28mm for the front rim and 26mm for the rear. Hunt claims that’s optimized for 2.2″-2.4″ tires, which is the bulk of XC tires out there right now. It also helps shave some weight off the wheelset, tipping the scales at 1,693g.
On the trail, Hunt delivers what it promises: a no-nonsense wheelset that is well-suited to its task of going fast. 26mm might seem narrow for a wheelset called “Wide,” but, if you’re not planning on running anything meatier than a 2.4″ tire, it is enough. With reasonably quick 5-degree engagement, these alloy wheels are are ready to jump off the line, or out of every switchback, without breaking the bank.
Hunt only offers the XC Wide in 29″ diameter and 6-bolt disc brake mounts, but you get your choice of SRAM XD, Shimano Microspline and HG freehubs. There’s also the option of Boost (148/110mm) or Non-Boost (142/100mm) spacing, making the XC Wides one of a dwindling number of options for those looking to keep their older, or forever, frame rolling fast. Hunt offers the XC Wide for $1,050, but are currently on sale for $682 in Canada.
FSA KFX i28
Full Speed Ahead is busy revamping its high-end wheel offerings. First came the KFX. Then the new Gradient line. Both rely on a variable-height rim profile to achieve a balance of strength and weight tuned to how those differing wheelsets will be used. Running from a slim 22mm to, at the spoke holes, 24mm, the KFX’s carbon fibre rims aims to suit high-level cross country racing and trail riding. FSA keeps an internal width of 28mm, covering the range of XC and, reasonably, trail-width tires up to 2.4″. Gesturing to FSA’s desire to make these wheels work as everyday workhorses as well as high-end race hoops, the 24-spoke KFX hit a 1,556-gram weight, even with brass spoke nipples that will help these last through a few wet races.
Out in the world, the KFX are capable well beyond their cross country race purpose. The lateral flex allowed by the variable rim-height allows the rims to move with the trail as you traverse sketchy off-cambres and hunt for traction across roots and rocks without feeling vague or uncontrolled during hard cornering. Put a solid set of tires on, and the KFX still feel predictable, fast and fun. Lateral compliance is a newer realm for wheel design and FSA strikes a solid balance here. There isn’t any unwanted spring-back out of corners, but also don’t feel dead or boring to ride.
FSA offers the KFX with XD or Microspline freehubs, but only in a 6-bolt rotor mount and 29″ only. They carry a solid price, at USD 1,800 for a pair.
Race face Era SL
Pushing near the fore of compliance is Race Face’s new Era line. While some, like Zipp, are more extreme, the Vancouver brand is leaning into the benefits of lateral compliance. The 385-gram (per rim) Era SL is the lightest ever offered by Race Face. It’s also the most compliant, building on the foundation laid by the Era wheels, which we quite liked riding. The ERA SL slims down the hookless carbon fibre rim to a 22mm-depth, held together by 28 straight-pull spokes, but with a 29-mm internal width that suits up to 2.5″ or, at the limit, 2.6″ tires. With Vault hubs and a snappy three-degree engagement, the Era SL’s hit a 1,530-gram weight (for a set, no tape or valves) that suit its intended purpose of blurring XC race and more aggressive trail riding. Offering a lifetime warranty, crashes included, adds some confidence that Race Face has made these tough enough for that purpose, or at least has your back if you do manage to push them too far.
Race Face offers the Ere SL in Boost (148mm/110mm) or Superboost (157mm/110mm) axle standards. Three freehub bodies, SRAM XD, Shimano Microspline or HG, are easy to swap between. They’re 29″ and 6-bolt only and run for $2,200 for a pair. 
NOBL custom TR35 Berd
Tapping into the wild, cutting-edge of cross country racing is Vancouver Island’s NOBL wheels. While the brand offers its own rims in many custom builds, it is becoming known for a niche skill with the Olympic gold medal-winning Berd spokes. These polymer “rope” spokes carried Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot to victory at the Paris Games, though laced to different hubs and rims. NOBL adds its own twist with the sine-wave profile of its TR35 carbon fiber rims. With front- and rear-specific rim profiles, tuning compliance and durability, and an internal width of 30.5mm up front and 29.5mm out back, these rims are almost as distinctive as the radical spoke design tying them together. Rim weights are 395g for the front and 435g for the rear, with overall weight depending on what hubs you anchor the 28-spoke rims to. The Berd spokes themselves weigh just 2.5 grams each.
We put this set of XC wheels through testing last summer and came away impressed. While they’re certainly light enough for racing and forgiving in a way that no other wheelset can claim, they are also surprisingly tough. Another test set of NOBL gravel hoops with Berd spokes has survived a full year of testing without so much as a ruffled feather.
The bleeding edge of mountain bike technology doesn’t come cheap, of course. NOBL offers Berd builds of its TR35s (and other rims) in prices ranging from $2,300 to $3,253 depending on hubs and other options. But you can get a wide range of hubs, weights, freehub standards, disc-mount options and even your choice of branding, spoke and valve colour for that price. And you’ll have a wheelset that truly stands out at the trail head as well as on the trail.