After riding the British Columbia Bike Race (BCBR) in 2018, then seeing these wheels on top finishers in BCBR 2019, I had to get a set of the Next SL wheels for my "TrailCountry" build. What is that? Take a 2019 Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 with 140/140mm travel and swap in a set of Next SL wheels and a Next R 35mm riser bar and you have 20mm more travel than the average "DownCountry" set up. Trail Bike with XC capabilities, not a true XC race machine, but great for XC that I ride and can still take on the BC XC races that cross into trail / enduro territory up in Squamish BC or the North Shore BC.

The Next SL 26 internal rims set up by hand and sealed instantly with Maxxis Forekaster 29x2.35 EXO; easiest tubeless set up to date and I swap out tires all the time depending on the weather and ride location. Compared to the stock alloy RaceFace AR 27.5 internal stock rims (also a great set of trail wheels), the Next SL wheelset are around 1lb (454 grams) or more lighter and this definitely shows when riding as the rotation mass is less and the front end is easier to lift over terrain. The Vault hub engagement is instant and responsive with the pawl buzz noticeable but not too loud, sounds like a Murder Hornet tearing through the trails.

The 2 year warranty period is nice; however, some manufacturers have longer and even lifetime warranty. This might be the only thing to point out for review.

What's next? Will swap out the dropper post for a Next SL carbon post for a "TrailCountry XCO" summer XC setup.

Highly recommend the Next SL wheels and Next R 35 bars. Cheers and safe riding.

Excellent wheel. Extremely light.

Love using these for xc riding and light trail! Haven’t had any issues so far

Love using these for xc riding and light trail! Haven’t had any issues so far

Fast to spin up, confident in corners