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There are some virtues to the five inch tires on fat bikes, including traction, plushness, the joy of riding not only off road but off trail. Unfortunately, those virtues come with the vice of a ride that feels plodding compared to a jittery, low travel XC bike. Mercury Wheels' X3 27. 5 Plus Boost Wheelset goes some way toward bridging the gap between those two extremes, combining an extra wide footprint with Boost axles to complement today's breed of high clearance, all mountain framesets. These bikes tend to have aggressively proportioned rear triangles with slacked out front ends, and the X3 27. 5 Plus Boost wheels max out that dynamism with equal parts torsional stiffness and plus sized traction. The only limit is a given frame's tire clearance. The rims consist of all mountain inspired, lightweight, stiff aluminum that lives up to the trail furniture be damned attitude that their efficient ride quality inspires. While alloy wheels aren't as stiff as carbon, a 40mm external width and the improved spoke bracing angle of Boost axles conspire to reduce flex while climbing and barreling through lines. This is a full 5mm wider than the standard X3 rim, and the internal width of 35mm means the Plus rims can just about swallow their skinnier counterparts. That width also lets plus sized tires plump out to their preferred girth, allowing for a larger contact patch and lower PSI.
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