Easton EA70 AX Disc Wheels: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted
Easton has developed the AX line for adventure/gravel riders. We’ve been looking at the EA70 AX wheels in this review, specifically the 700c version, but we also have the 650B wheels as well. This post will address these wheels and then we will get to the final verdict. The last post on the EA70 AX wheels can be seen by clicking here.
EA70 AX 650B Wheels: Everything about the 650B versions of these wheels is pretty much like the 700c versions, well……except the obvious. The weights were slightly different as well, so here they are: 810gm Frt/ 960gm R. Again, these are not lightweight, but they do cost under $600.00 and are “Trail Rated”. That might give you some solace when you are loaded down with bike-packing gear, training on some remote single track, or 25 miles away from the car on some rough two-track you just had to explore. I say this because, so far, I see no reason to believe that these wheels aren’t up to the tasks.
I’ve been testing these 650B versions with the new Boken Plus tires on review. The nice inner rim width the EA70’s have means that the tires have a good foundation to work off of, and as far as tubeless performance goes, the EA70 AX 650B wheels have been nothing short of perfect. At least with these tires. I suspect other brands will also work well though, as I dry fit some WTB Road Plus tires I have around here that are well used and they gave me the impression that they also would set up all right on these Easton wheels.
These wheels do all the same things the 700c versions do well- roll fast and smooth, are tough, and just get out of your way and let you do what you need to do. I like that.
At The Finish: Well, in terms of wheels, what can you say if they stay true, roll fast and smooth, hold tubeless tires well, and don’t feel odd in corners or on uneven terrain. That’s pretty good, yes? I think that is what we all expect from our wheels. It is nice when they can be lightweight and look “cool”, but really, what the Easton EA70 AX wheels offer is a tough set of wheels that gets the job done at a fair price.
I envision these as training wheels for the racer, a good, starter set of wheels for bike packing, or just a decent set of wheels to upgrade a low end spec wheel set that may have come on a bike. But the way I see myself using these would be as a quick and easy way to go from a 700c wheeled set up to using these Easton EA70 AX 650B wheels as a way to get fatter rubber down when I needed or wanted that. All at a very affordable price. Many bikes are coming out as “dual wheel size” compatible rigs, and if you wanted the 650B wheels, (or the other way around if the new bike was set up with 650B), this option would be high on my list. It provides a solid performing package at a good value. Besides going around and holding up your tires, what more do we really need?
Note: Easton sent over the EA70 AX wheels for test and review at no charge to RidingGravel.com. We were not paid nor bribed for this review and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.