WTB Dual Duty FR Wheelset - Outdoor Gear Review

A good mountain bike wheelset will stand up to abuse and remain reasonably true, free of flat spots, and will require only occasional maintenance. Now, there are riders out there who lack finesse, who land hucks (otherwise known as jumps) flat, and who generally abuse their equipment. Those riders will experience problems with many of their components. My advice to those riders, is to work on your technique, plan your line more effectively, and spend time developing your skills.

The WTB Dual Duty FR wheelset consists of front and rear 30mm WTB Dual Duty rims, with CNC sidewalls, and stainless steel eyelets. The rims are mounted to WTB’s flagship LaserDisc Lite hubset using 14/15g spokes. Off the shelf, these wheels are reasonably light weight, with wide rims. The hubs are stout, and feature WTB quality.

After multiple days of use at Whistler-Blackcomb’s Mountain Bike Park, Silver Star’s Bike Park, trips to the North Shore of Vancouver, and regular rides on the local cross country trails I feel ready to review these wheels. On the trail, performance varied by terrain.

For cross country (XC) use I ran 2.0” to 2.3” one-ply tires, these wheels were a little on the heavy side, but not enough additional rotational weight to be a major factor. I found these wheels to be light enough for daily use, yet plenty strong enough, never once showing any flex. The rotational weight was an issue on occasion, but that could just as easily be attributed to my lack of fitness.

For Freeride use I ran anything from 2.35” to 2.5” two-ply tires which these wheels accepted with ease. They have held up fine to regular hucks on the Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond trails at some world class bike parks. They are still as straight and true as the day I installed them, and there is not a flat spot to be found. Tracking with these was solid, thanks in part to torsionally stiff and strong product, with minimal if any flex despite the situation.

Service-ability has been an issue that other riders have reported, and I do agree that these are not the easiest wheels to work on due in part to a curiously designed hub adjustment. It’s not a show stopper, but it does make things very challenging when it’s time to adjust things.