Easton EA90 SLX Road Wheelset Tubeless

Despite what the industry hype machine might have you believe, aluminum is still perfectly viable for race wheels. Case in point: Easton's tubeless EA90 SLX Road Wheelset. As our aluminum is still perfectly viable disclaimer suggests, the wheels are defined by the rims. They're alloy, which means they're more equal than carbon to the abuse of everyday training across chipseal and in early spring conditions where damp roads leave your brake tracks covered in grit. At 17. 5mm, internally, the rims also bump up to a modern rim width that most safety guidelines recommend for use with the burgeoning trend of 25mm tires. They're tubeless ready, too, which is another staple of contemporary tech because it reduces the risk of punctures and allows for lower PSI. Lower PSI combined with 25mm tires creates such a net gain in air volume that the tires are able to roll through rather than bounce over small road imperfections and debris. The more your tires are connected to the tarmac, the more they can propel you forward, making for a more efficient not to mention more comfortable ride. All of that ignores the reason why alloy is still the most common material for rims: it's light. Easton weighs them at a paltry 1,400g, so they're actually lighter than your typical 40mm carbon hoops. We're not suggesting that there's no benefit to the aerodynamics afforded by deep rims, of course, just that low weight and durability are both key qualities to any self sponsored racer who rides for the love of the bike as much as the pursuit of a prize purse. The wheels' appeal extends to their universality. Easton made them to be the Honda of cycling wheels serviceable by virtually any mechanic the world over. There's only one piece of proprietary tech, the dual threaded nipples, but even those are designed to be tinkered with without requiring a special 60 tool. This serviceability, combined with alloy's longevity, mean that this wheelset will outlast entire generations of carbon hoops.