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All-new Easton Heist mountain bike wheels – choose width & size for one low price

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Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels first impressions ride review

It started with the Arc rims, offering three widths to suit everything from cross country to all mountain riding. Now, they’ve taken those rims and built them into very affordable wheels that are built to take full advantage of bigger, meatier tires and the more aggressive riding those tires allow.

The new Easton Heist wheels come in 29er and 27.5″ sizes, with internal rim widths of 24, 27 and 30 millimeters. They’re laced 3-cross to new X5 hubs, with 28 double butted spokes per wheel and silver brass nipples holding them in place. All of the spokes -front and rear, drive and non-drive side- are the same length, too, and the wheels come with five spares to make repairs quick and easy.

But you’ll have to earn those repairs with some hard ridin’…

EASTON HEIST WHEEL DETAILS

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels rim details

The rim profile is rounded with a slightly pointed section at the center.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels rim details

They’re drilled, unlike the solid rim channel of the Haven and Havoc, so rim tape is required, but they ship with it and tubeless valve stems preinstalled.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels rim details

There’s a slight bump before the bead seat flattens out, and the bead hook is present but minimal. The rims are welded alloy with an upscale brushed metal finish and no visible seam.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels hub details

The new X5 hubs get a sleeker look than the X4 used on some of their other MTB wheels, but still roll on a standard sealed cartridge bearing setup over a full width axle. The end caps slide over the axles, so they’re supported by more than just flanges sticking into the hubs.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels hub details

They use 6-bolt rotor mounts and ship with thru axle end caps installed. Front axle caps fit very snug but can be removed without tools if you have a hulk-like grip.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels hub details

The rear’s non-drive axle cap pulls off by hand, then you’ll need an oversized allen wrench and cone wrench to remove the drive side cap. There’s no preload adjustment available or necessary.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels hub details

Inside are three pawls making a connection with 21 teeth (~17º of engagement).

The wheels are aimed at XC to all-mountain, so axle options are QR or 15mm front / 12×142 rear. No 20mm front is offered for the Heist line.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels hub details

The XD Driver Body equipped wheels are a standalone SKU for them, so your shop can order it ready to go rather than having to add the XD piece on at additional expense.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels spare parts

The wheels ship with five extra spokes and QR, thru axle and XD Driver Body end caps.

Retail is $700 (€650 / £449.98) regardless of wheel size or width, which includes everything you need to mount them up and hit the trail. Available in July.

ACTUAL WEIGHTS & WIDTHS

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths

As claimed, the inside width of our Heist 27 test wheelset measured out at exactly 27mm if not a hair over.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths

Outside width is 31mm, and height is 20mm.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths

For comparison, the Haven 29er measures 21mm inside. Their DH proven Havoc only measures 23mm wide inside, making the Heist their widest wheels yet.

I used this to compare mounted tire widths for a Continental Mountain King Protection 29×2.2 and 29×2.4, here’s the results:

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths and tire widths

The 2.2″ tire measured 51mm (2.0″) on the Haven and 54.5mm (2.15″) on the Heist.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths and tire widths

The tire takes on a slightly rounder shape on the narrower rim and slightly flatter shape on the Heist. Just slightly, though, and well within what I’d consider normal and safe.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths and tire widths

The 2.4″ tire measures 55.5mm (2.17″) on the Haven and 58mm (2.28″) on the Heist. Not quite the 2.4 I was hoping for, but certainly closer.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual widths and tire widths

About the same visual roundness difference here, too. On ultra wide rims, we’ve seem serious flattening of the tread section, leading to weird, square looking tire profiles that change the handling substantially. Tailor your tire’s width to the right rim and you’ll be able to hit that sweet spot of perfectly rounded knob coverage, which is one of the benefits of Easton’s three-width lineup. For tires that run true to size or wider, I’d opt for the 30mm for a 2.3″ or larger tire. (I’ll be testing other tires on these wheels, too)

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels actual weights

Weights with rim tape and valve stems are 866g front and 1006g rear (1,872g total with 15mm thru axle front, 12×142 rear and XD Driver Body). Claimed weights for the line are:

  • 27.5″ – 1,650g (24) / 1,750g (27) / 1,790g (30)
  • 29er – 1,730g (24) / 1,840g (27) / 1,880g (30)
  • Hubs – 135g (front) and 285g (rear), claimed with thru axles
  • Rims – see Arc post for more rim details, these are the same

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels first impressions ride review

My review wheels (29er Heist 27) were set up with a Continental X-King 2.4 on the rear and Mountain King 2.4 up front, both with Orange Seal sealant inside. One seated itself using only a Lezyne Alloy Dirt Floor Drive, a high volume mountain bike specific floor pump. The other required a compressor, but popped into place instantly.

The first thing I noticed were the looks. Other than the nipples, they’re blacked out. Mostly, anyway. The logos are a subtle gray that don’t grab undue attention.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels first impressions ride review

The decals are just that, standard decals. Unlike the water slide graphics on some of Easton’s other wheels, these appear to be removable if you wanted to go really stealth.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels first impressions ride review

I initially ran the tires with around 18-19psi, which is very low pressure for my riding weight of about 195-200 pounds. But Conti’s Protection casings are stout, so it felt right at the trail head. At that pressure, they squirmed slightly but never slipped or burped. And that’s one of the benefits Easton claims comes from wider rims – the ability to run lower pressures without adverse effects. Even so, I pushed it up to about 22-23psi and it felt better without losing traction.

As expected from a 28-count, 3-cross build, the wheels are plenty stiff in the corners. Steering is predictable and acceleration snappy. So far they behave lighter than their weight (and the almost 1,700g of tires) should. They spin smooth…

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels first impressions ride review

…and quiet. Almost silent at first, with a bit more of the usual whir coming in near the end of my first ride. Still, much quieter than most.

No wheel slop or play was evident, but it was extremely difficult to get my rear Maxle through the hub. I’ve had some issues with that Maxle before, though, so it needs further inspection before blame is laid anywhere.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels tire clearance

I usually run 2.2 tires, so I was curious how 2.4 tires on wider rims would fit inside my Niner JET 9 RDO. It’s equipped with a Manitou Tower fork (which is dead simple and severely underrated, BTW). Granted these Conti’s still don’t measure out to a proper 2.4″ wide, but there’s room to spare.

Easton Heist wide mountain bike wheels tire clearance

Same in the rear, for both seatstays and chainstays.

First impressions are good. As soon as the standard freehub body arrives, I’ll swap that in and these wheels will move over to the more aggressive RIP 9 for some bigger trail days and a proper long term thrashing review.

EastonCycling.com

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archie
archie
8 years ago

Low price? Squuuze me, I’ve got a pair of fulcrums for 200 euros, now that’s low. And they’re rad! 26 though… Oh the days.
(Btw, I like how the headline says pick a size but there’s no 26)

gee
gee
8 years ago

Easton hubs. Ugh.

BDanz
BDanz
8 years ago

Orange Seal in Conti Tires? I know it’s a half-truth, but Conti says you can/should only use their Revo sealant in their tires, because it’s an ammonia-free liquid that plays well with their casings. Can you share a little about your experience using Orange Seal, and any other sealants you’ve tried, with the Contis? Thanks in Advance!

BDanz
BDanz
8 years ago

Thanks, Tyler. I appreciate the info and kudos on the quick feedback! I’m on a new set of MK2’s on Spank Oozy 295’s and using the Revo sealant. No issues so far after about 10 rides in rocky New England terrain. I’m thinking of going with a WTB or Vittoria pairing for my next set of tires, and I’ll look into the OS and Squirt sealants then.

Boobie
Boobie
8 years ago

the vast majority of riders are still on 26′ bikes – and you don’t even make wheels for them? keep trying to force the investment in a new $5k bike, thanks – riders appreciate that.

James S
James S
8 years ago

I’m confused. The new boost hub width is supposed to stiffen up wheels, yet some companies are building wheels with fewer spokes (28 instead of 32) on standard width hubs. This seems especially weird given that the wheels tested are 29er which we are told are just too darned noodly and need wider hubs. Hmmmmm.

BDanz
BDanz
8 years ago

@Boobie: “the vast majority of riders are still on 26′ bikes…” First off, let’s see the data backing up that statement. And let’s be sure to note that we’re talking about bikes on which someone would actually put a $700 wheelset on. Secondly, a HUGE # of bikes across the spectrum of prices are available in both 650b and 29er wheel sizes. You’re being dramatic about the $5K bikes.
Lastly, 26’=26 feet. Just sayin’…

Graham Mattingly
7 years ago
Reply to  BDanz

If you’ll check the article again, he mentioned that the spokes are all the same length, and Easton includes 5 spares, which seems much better than average.

Andre Jansen Van Vuuren
Andre Jansen Van Vuuren
8 years ago

If only Easton could supply spares for their wheels!!!!! Great wheels till you need to replace something.

Tater
Tater
8 years ago

I have no particular association with Easton except as a customer and have been riding their wheels for the last six years or so. Loved my 26-inch Havens and replaced them with the even better Haven carbons. The wheels did have a hub issue which they corrected for free and in short order. I think the Havens are the most underrated wheels ever–the seamless rims and turnbuckle nipples are genius. Light weight, adequately stiff and bombproof–by all rights they should have detonated on a couple gnarly runs in Moab, but they didn’t.

I got a chance to ride a pre-production set of the Heist 30mm-wide 27.5 wheels and could immediately feel the advantage of the wide stance with Maxxis Minion DHF/DHRIIs…and at $700, I’ll definitely be picking up a pair…I just hope they have carbon versions on the way with the sealed rim!

MissedThePoint
MissedThePoint
8 years ago

Product aside, this is an excellent article, showing side by side comparisons to well known products in use. These kind of comparisons are sooooo much more useful than all those superlatives other writers use to review products.

welt
welt
8 years ago

we exist, we want to put our money on new wheels, but the companies don’t want our money, at least, not only part of it, they want all of it forcing us to buy an entire new bike…. but hey! Easton doesn’t need to make us to buy a new bike…. so why don’t they produce what we want?
I am talking bout 26 wheels here. 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyrMdVdoht4

j
j
8 years ago

Please people stop griping about the lack of 26″ wheels. That industry is dead. Companies can’t make products just to be nostalgic, that’s a quick way to go out of business. 26″ just isn’t practical out on the trail and there’s no way around that. No one is saying you have to buy a new bike but companies can’t lose money on 26″ any longer.

D Bone
D Bone
6 years ago

Any long term update?

Daniel
Daniel
6 years ago

Hey! Did you replace the XD driver with the Shimano one? How did you get the freehub body off?

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