Yodel-Ay-Hee-Freeride

By Dain Zaffke

WHAT: Magura Freeride Disc HOW MUCH: $580 WHERE: www.magurausa.com

Magura has spent years making a name for itself as the “Brake People.” So when the company started building wheels, they turned to the world’s most respected wheel manufacturers for help.

It seems a smart move. The company’s Freeride wheels are built by hand in Germany, but use 32 double-butted DT spokes and DT Hugi FR hubs from Switzerland and Mavic’s XM321 rims from France. The front wheels come in quick release or 20-millimeter through-axle versions while the rear hub is a standard quick release with 135-millimeter spacing.

The multi-national parts combination results in a wheel that can be thrown on a bike and forgotten. At 2,160-grams, including a front through-axle, the wheels are nimble enough for long climbs, yet can handle more abuse than a narc at a Hell’s Angels rally. On the trail, they were beat-up, thrashed and left for dead. But through it all, the wheels remained surprisingly round and snappy. With minimal repair, the 28-millimeter-wide rims stayed straight and the bearings remained buttery smooth. And the standard three-cross spokes, brass nipples and eyeleted rims made truing a snap.

The Freeride Discs did have one potential flaw, though—there’s no adjustment for the bearings or freehub. We didn’t have any issues with either one, but if something did happen, the wheels would have to be returned to Magura.

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