Easton EA70 wheel set review

The EA70s have been totally redesigned for the new Easton line-up. The hubs are now compatible with Shimano 11 speed cassettes (although they don’t do Campagnolo hubs as far as we can see). The rim has also been updated with a wider, deeper profile.

Seeing these wheels for the first time we were definitely impressed with the finish and quality. They look great, even though they’re the cheapest set on test (£500 group test – Cyclist Issue 5). The EA70s are bang on trend with the push towards wider rims with this model having a 22mm external diameter (and 17mm internal). A wider rim allows an increased in tyre footprint without adding extra weight.

On the road, this makes a big difference and we felt confident leaning the bike over in the corners. The increased tyre volume also means you can get away with reducing your tyre pressure a bit to generally make the whole ride more comfortable. You can also fit larger tyres safe in the knowledge that they won’t roll off – we’d happily fit 34mm cyclocross tyres on them.

It’s also very nice to see traditional J-bend spokes, so if you do snap one, any good bike shop should be able to replace it. The hubs are well sealed so they should last for ages and when they do go the cartridge bearings will be an easy replacement.

The one disappointment was that the rear wheel we were sent had a slight wobble out of the box, although it was easily fixed. We can’t really mark them down for that though, as it could have happened in shipping, and the place you buy them should sort that out without much hassle.

A great all-round training wheel that, due to the wider rim, wouldn’t be out of place on a cyclocross bike.