Only sold as pair; weight 2,058g
Contact: www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk

At first sight the XT All Mountain wheelset looks like the XC version, with a 20mm bolt-through front hub.
Taking a closer look at the specification, however, reveals that they have actually been designed with a different rider in mind. The UST compatible rim is 3.1mm wider than the standard XT and you get 24 plain-gauge 2.0mm straight-pull spokes instead of the lighter butted ones found on the XC wheels — making the AM wheels almost 400g heavier.
The genuine tubeless rims means that there is no faffing around with rim strips and it’s easy enough to get tyres on or off, providing you use the correct technique.
Shimano uses standard cup-and-cone bearings instead of cartridge units, and while the cro-mo freehub body adds weight, it doesn’t notch up like the aluminium ones on test.
Freehub pick-up has been improved across the board on Shimano hubs, making XT the fastest ones in our test with a 10-degree engagement angle.
If Shimano was to produce a set of the XT XC wheels with a bolt-through front hub it would definitely be on to a winner. As it stands the XT All Mountain wheels are better suited to freeride and downhill applications but don’t offer the necessary rear axle configurations.

MBR RATING: 7/10