Syntace W35 MX Wheels Review
Syntace may revolutionize the cross-country/all-mountain wheel with its super-wide W-Series rims and wheelsets. The German component maker's brain-trust has developed a lightweight aluminum rim profile that challenges the status quo with four widths, beginning at a paltry, 25-millimeters and ending with a whopping, 40-millimeter-wide rim. In this review, we put the flame to Syntace's 35-millimeter-wide W35 MX wheelset, which could be a trail rider's dream come true, as it promises the precise cornering and stability of downhill wheels at a weight which is competitive with many elite cross-country/trailbike hoops.
![Syntace W35 MX wheels with Specialized Ground Control 2.3 inch tires]()
Impossible? We threw the W35 MX wheels on the scale and verified Syntace's claimed weight of 1680 grams for the pair. You won't have to Google too far to discover that weight figure is impressive.Syntace sells all the wheels in the W-series for the same price - about $1200 USD and you can mix and match rim widths, choose between 28 or 32-spoke wheels, and pick your favorite axle strategy for no extra charge. Syntace sells the W-series wheels in all three diameters (26-inch, 650b and 29-inch), offers a three-year replacement warranty and extends that cushion with a seven-year, 50-percent price reduction.
![W35 MX wheelset lead photo]()
Syntace W35 MX Specs:
• Rim width (outer): 35 mm
• Rim width (inner): 28,5 mm
• Disc standard: 6 hole
• Spokes: 28 or 32 x Sapim CX-Ray, black
• Nipples: Sapim Alu double square, black
• Spoke pattern: 3 cross
• Rim material: Custom Alu
• Max. rider weight: 120 kg
• Hub material: 7075 alloy, custom heat treatment
• Color: Raceblack with laser logo
• MSRP: 1200 USD
Why Wider Rims?
Syntace claims that substantially wider rims better support the tire and help the carcass to maintain its shape while cornering, braking and accelerating. The wider rim is also credited for preventing the tire from collapsing or burping air, in the case of tubeless tires, as high volume tires often do when mounted on conventional-width rims. This news should come as no surprise to downhillers and free riders who have long been enjoying the stability and precise cornering which results from the added support of 35 to 40-millimeter-wide rims. Why that news did not reach the ears of cross-country wheel designers until now is not known, but you can bet that Syntace's W-Series wheels have caught their attention.
![W35 MX rim and tire distortion graphic]()
Syntace could not find a wheel maker who would listen to their wider-is-better logic - so they developed the wheels on their own. The W-Series is a wheel system that is keyed into the availability of tires with lighter weight casings. The idea is that by combining a lighter weight tire on a slightly heavier wheel which offers more support and stability, that the combination will perform better than, and in the most optimum combinations, weigh less than a lightweight tire on a wheel with a typical narrow XC rim. How much lighter? Syntace claims up to 600 grams can be saved, which is impressive. It is important to note that the tire is heavier than the rim and even the slightest efforts to enhance the stability of a tire by adding rubber and a stiffer casing results in a massive weight penalty. By contrast, Syntace managed to generously expand the width of its W-Series rims with a minimal weight penalty. The W35 MX rim weighs 500 grams in 26 inch, 530 grams in 650b and 560 grams in the 29er size. The bottom line is that at a given pressure, a wider rim makes a tire more stable, corner better, puts more tread on the ground for climbing and braking, and presents more of the tire's cornering edge to the ground when leaned over in a turn.
W35 MX Construction
Syntace gives no hint about the alloy with which the W35 rim profile is extruded from beyond that it is a 'custom alloy.' The design is a low 20.5-millimeter triangulated profile with short flanges like Stan's No-Tubes ZTR rims. The welded rim's inside width is 28.4-millimeters and they are available with either 28 or 32-spoke drilling. The idea is that a higher number of spokes will offer more support to the rim and give the wheel some survive-ability should a spoke break. Spokes are bladed Sapim CX-Ray laced three-cross for durability. For those who run tubeless, Syntace says that the W-Series rims are tubeless ready with most tape sealing systems. We proved that true when we converted the W35 MX wheels with tape and inflated the tires with a hand pump.
![W35 MX Rear hub Spur Gear ratchet mechanism]()
![Syntace HiTorque hubs]()
The W-Series HiTorque hubs were also designed by Syntace - with pull-off endcaps to make it easy to convert from through-axle to quick-release. Two front hubs are offered: a 99-gram, 28-spoke model that accepts only quick-release or 15QR through-axles; and a 32-spoke 150-gram hub that can be switched out from quick release to 15QR, or to a 20-millimeter axle. The rear hub uses a 'Spur-gear' ratchet system, much similar to the DT Swiss 'Star Ratchet' design, but instead of a single coil spring, Syntace employs four small coil springs around the circumference of the spur-gear ring, which seem to impart more force on the ratchet mech. Syntace claims that the 36-point ratchet has out-performed the best made in both cross-country and observed trials competition. Syntace sweats the deatails, with angled hub flanges to reduce stress on the spokes and offset rim profiles to ensure that the angle of the spokes is as symmetrical as possible.
![W35 MX offset rim II]()
Riding Syntace's W35 MX wheels
We set the W35 MX wheels up on an Ibis Mojo HD that we were previously running 28-millimeter Stans ZTR Flow rims with Specialized 2.3-inch Ground Control tires. The Ibis wheels weighed 1830 grams a pair, compared to 1680 for the Syntace pair. ZTR Flow rims measure 22.6 millimeters inside to inside, while the W35s measured 28.4 - a difference of only 5.8 millimeters, but the same tires seemed monster sized when mounted to the wider rims (they measured six millimeters wider). After experimenting with various air pressures, the magic number for the high-volume combination of a 2.3-inch tire and the 35-millimeter rim seemed to hover around 20 psi. for fast-paced all-mountain riding and slightly lower, in the range of 18 psi on trail.
![W35 MX with Specialized Ground Control 2.3 tire]()
The first surprise was how fast the larger-profile rolled on pavement and hard pack. The expectation was that, with more of the crown of the Ground Control tires exposed to the surface, that rolling resistance would be greater. The reverse seemed true, although the tracks left by the tires were distinctly wider than the stock setup, the Ibis carried its speed and felt easy at the pedals. Where the fun began, however, was technical climbing. With soft air pressure, a big tire and the laterally-stable feel under power, the Ibis crawled up rocks and railroad ties on climbs that normally reduced us to pushing. The feel under power was firm, but the tires deflected enough to ease the bike over the edges of rocks and water bars. At first, we passed off the feeling of efficiency to 'new parts syndrome,' but as time and testing went on there was no question that the wheels were working magic on the technical sections.
![Syntace HiTorque Front and Rear hubs]()
Descending, or anywhere we were carrying a lot of speed became a lot more enjoyable as well. Braking distances were shorter, as the front tire could be trusted to stick better, but rear braking was enhanced as well. The tail end was harder to lock up and more trustworthy in sketchy traction. The Ground Control tire is a pretty consistent tread design as it is being leaned into a turn, but the modified profile - a more gradual arch with more of the tread facing the crown of the tire - made the transition to the tire's edging tread feel absolutely seamless. It was as if the Ground Control was a different tire in many ways - and the bike responded by feeling smoother and more decisive when cornering and executing a line through the rocks.
Technical Report
Prepare for a little noise, as the Syntace Spur Gear ratchet is loud - made louder still by the fact that Syntace uses oil, not grease, to lubricate the ratchet mech. The lighter lubricant ensures faster, smoother engagement, and better cold-weather performance, but the byproduct is a noticeable clatter when coasting. While we never suffered a pinch flat or sidewall puncture, we did manage to get the rear wheel slightly out of true. A quick tune up brought the wheel back to true and it has remained so to date. Syntace recommends a touch up after the first few hours of riding, which is relatively unheard of now, but was common practice when rims were lighter and spoke-counts were higher.
Pinkbike's take:
Find out more about Syntace W-Series Wheels
As wide as DH wheels and as lightweight as a top-drawer XC/trail hoops, Syntace's W35 MX wheelset is destined to be a game changer.
Impossible? We threw the W35 MX wheels on the scale and verified Syntace's claimed weight of 1680 grams for the pair. You won't have to Google too far to discover that weight figure is impressive.Syntace sells all the wheels in the W-series for the same price - about $1200 USD and you can mix and match rim widths, choose between 28 or 32-spoke wheels, and pick your favorite axle strategy for no extra charge. Syntace sells the W-series wheels in all three diameters (26-inch, 650b and 29-inch), offers a three-year replacement warranty and extends that cushion with a seven-year, 50-percent price reduction.
• Rim width (outer): 35 mm
• Rim width (inner): 28,5 mm
• Disc standard: 6 hole
• Spokes: 28 or 32 x Sapim CX-Ray, black
• Nipples: Sapim Alu double square, black
• Spoke pattern: 3 cross
• Rim material: Custom Alu
• Max. rider weight: 120 kg
• Hub material: 7075 alloy, custom heat treatment
• Color: Raceblack with laser logo
• MSRP: 1200 USD
Why Wider Rims?
Syntace claims that substantially wider rims better support the tire and help the carcass to maintain its shape while cornering, braking and accelerating. The wider rim is also credited for preventing the tire from collapsing or burping air, in the case of tubeless tires, as high volume tires often do when mounted on conventional-width rims. This news should come as no surprise to downhillers and free riders who have long been enjoying the stability and precise cornering which results from the added support of 35 to 40-millimeter-wide rims. Why that news did not reach the ears of cross-country wheel designers until now is not known, but you can bet that Syntace's W-Series wheels have caught their attention.
This Syntace graphic depicts the drawbacks of using modern tires with high-volume casings, mounted to narrow rims. Is wider better? Initial testing indicates a resounding yes.
Syntace could not find a wheel maker who would listen to their wider-is-better logic - so they developed the wheels on their own. The W-Series is a wheel system that is keyed into the availability of tires with lighter weight casings. The idea is that by combining a lighter weight tire on a slightly heavier wheel which offers more support and stability, that the combination will perform better than, and in the most optimum combinations, weigh less than a lightweight tire on a wheel with a typical narrow XC rim. How much lighter? Syntace claims up to 600 grams can be saved, which is impressive. It is important to note that the tire is heavier than the rim and even the slightest efforts to enhance the stability of a tire by adding rubber and a stiffer casing results in a massive weight penalty. By contrast, Syntace managed to generously expand the width of its W-Series rims with a minimal weight penalty. The W35 MX rim weighs 500 grams in 26 inch, 530 grams in 650b and 560 grams in the 29er size. The bottom line is that at a given pressure, a wider rim makes a tire more stable, corner better, puts more tread on the ground for climbing and braking, and presents more of the tire's cornering edge to the ground when leaned over in a turn.
W35 MX Construction
Syntace gives no hint about the alloy with which the W35 rim profile is extruded from beyond that it is a 'custom alloy.' The design is a low 20.5-millimeter triangulated profile with short flanges like Stan's No-Tubes ZTR rims. The welded rim's inside width is 28.4-millimeters and they are available with either 28 or 32-spoke drilling. The idea is that a higher number of spokes will offer more support to the rim and give the wheel some survive-ability should a spoke break. Spokes are bladed Sapim CX-Ray laced three-cross for durability. For those who run tubeless, Syntace says that the W-Series rims are tubeless ready with most tape sealing systems. We proved that true when we converted the W35 MX wheels with tape and inflated the tires with a hand pump.
A cutaway Syntace HiTorque rear hub shows the Spur-Gear ratchet mechanism. One of the four coil springs can be seen left and center of the spur gear.
Syntace offers a larger front hub which can be converted to all axle standards (like our test wheels), as well as a lighter weight design which only accommodates quick-release or 15QR through-axles. HiTorque hubs are machined from 7075 aluminum and made in Germany.
The W-Series HiTorque hubs were also designed by Syntace - with pull-off endcaps to make it easy to convert from through-axle to quick-release. Two front hubs are offered: a 99-gram, 28-spoke model that accepts only quick-release or 15QR through-axles; and a 32-spoke 150-gram hub that can be switched out from quick release to 15QR, or to a 20-millimeter axle. The rear hub uses a 'Spur-gear' ratchet system, much similar to the DT Swiss 'Star Ratchet' design, but instead of a single coil spring, Syntace employs four small coil springs around the circumference of the spur-gear ring, which seem to impart more force on the ratchet mech. Syntace claims that the 36-point ratchet has out-performed the best made in both cross-country and observed trials competition. Syntace sweats the deatails, with angled hub flanges to reduce stress on the spokes and offset rim profiles to ensure that the angle of the spokes is as symmetrical as possible.
W-Series rims are offset to eliminate as much spoke dish as possible to compensate for the lateral displacement of the front brake rotor and of the rear hub's cassette.
Riding Syntace's W35 MX wheels
We set the W35 MX wheels up on an Ibis Mojo HD that we were previously running 28-millimeter Stans ZTR Flow rims with Specialized 2.3-inch Ground Control tires. The Ibis wheels weighed 1830 grams a pair, compared to 1680 for the Syntace pair. ZTR Flow rims measure 22.6 millimeters inside to inside, while the W35s measured 28.4 - a difference of only 5.8 millimeters, but the same tires seemed monster sized when mounted to the wider rims (they measured six millimeters wider). After experimenting with various air pressures, the magic number for the high-volume combination of a 2.3-inch tire and the 35-millimeter rim seemed to hover around 20 psi. for fast-paced all-mountain riding and slightly lower, in the range of 18 psi on trail.
Syntace's 35-millimeter rim expands the volume of the 2.3-inch Specialized Ground Control tire to fill most of the space in the Fox 36 fork. We liked the wider arc of the tread's profile for cornering.
The first surprise was how fast the larger-profile rolled on pavement and hard pack. The expectation was that, with more of the crown of the Ground Control tires exposed to the surface, that rolling resistance would be greater. The reverse seemed true, although the tracks left by the tires were distinctly wider than the stock setup, the Ibis carried its speed and felt easy at the pedals. Where the fun began, however, was technical climbing. With soft air pressure, a big tire and the laterally-stable feel under power, the Ibis crawled up rocks and railroad ties on climbs that normally reduced us to pushing. The feel under power was firm, but the tires deflected enough to ease the bike over the edges of rocks and water bars. At first, we passed off the feeling of efficiency to 'new parts syndrome,' but as time and testing went on there was no question that the wheels were working magic on the technical sections.
Conservative wheel design and substantial spoke counts keep the Syntace W-Series wheels serviceable and reliable. Both front and rear hubs feature quick-change, tool-less axle ends and internal components.
Descending, or anywhere we were carrying a lot of speed became a lot more enjoyable as well. Braking distances were shorter, as the front tire could be trusted to stick better, but rear braking was enhanced as well. The tail end was harder to lock up and more trustworthy in sketchy traction. The Ground Control tire is a pretty consistent tread design as it is being leaned into a turn, but the modified profile - a more gradual arch with more of the tread facing the crown of the tire - made the transition to the tire's edging tread feel absolutely seamless. It was as if the Ground Control was a different tire in many ways - and the bike responded by feeling smoother and more decisive when cornering and executing a line through the rocks.
Technical Report
Prepare for a little noise, as the Syntace Spur Gear ratchet is loud - made louder still by the fact that Syntace uses oil, not grease, to lubricate the ratchet mech. The lighter lubricant ensures faster, smoother engagement, and better cold-weather performance, but the byproduct is a noticeable clatter when coasting. While we never suffered a pinch flat or sidewall puncture, we did manage to get the rear wheel slightly out of true. A quick tune up brought the wheel back to true and it has remained so to date. Syntace recommends a touch up after the first few hours of riding, which is relatively unheard of now, but was common practice when rims were lighter and spoke-counts were higher.
Pinkbike's take:
 | Syntace's W35 MX wheelset made a noticeable improvement in the performance of an already great performing bike. Switching back to wheels that are considered to be all-mountain-width, like the WTB i-23 or Stans ZTR Flow, felt like we were riding skinny XC-racing hoops. Time will tell, but all who rode the Syntace W35s had only good things to say about the predictable feel and how the tires felt so securely attached to the ground by comparison. That, and the fact that the Syntace wheels carry a lot of speed, gave us the distinct impression that wider is better - and had us wondering how great the even wider, W40 MX wheels would be. The plan now is trying the W35 MX wheels back to back with narrow rims and with smaller-casing tires like the 2.0 Specialized Purgatory Control and Schwalbe Nobby Nic to see if we can beat the performance of a big tire on a narrow rim with a smaller tire on a wider rim. So far, the results of Syntace's bold experiment with super-wide-rim XC/trail wheels are golden. - RC |
Find out more about Syntace W-Series Wheels
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I myself know all about wider rims supporting tires on XC/Trail riding better already though. I run Velocity Blunts (28mm width) with NeoMoto 2.3s on my Haro Beasley. I think a lot of other tire and wheel makers know this also, and Syntace is lying when they claim they couldn't find any wheel makers to agree with them (given how Velocity USA had Kirk Pacenti design them a wider rim for just such a market segment over a year earlier). Oh sure, even just 10 years ago when practically every tire maker did wider tread/narrower casing tires still as the norm, the typical XC rim was 22mm wide. A "wide" XC rim was anything around 25mm width and overkill were things like the 32mm width Sun Rhynolites and only seen on aggressive trail bikes. Now with more and more makers doing tires where the casing is as wide as the tread width, the usual standard width for an XC rim is 24mm but an important consideration is what the actual inside width is more than the outside width. Take Notubes rims for example... the older 355 and Arch models are 24.4mm Outside and 19mm inside width. The newer Crest and Arch EX models that replaced them are the same outside width but are now 21mm inside width.
Roval rim is measured at 490 grammes per rim including eyelets, which these Syntace rims lack
in my experience as a pro wheel builder, the lack of eyelets combined with alloy nipples tends to cause issues with initial wheel build and long term wheel maintenance as the alloy nipples get "grabby" against the un-eyeletted spoke drillings in the aluminium rim
which is why we quickly stopped building ZTR Flows with alloy nipples! and only used brass nipples, and then lubricated the nipple / rim interface with Finish Line wet chain lube during building
my wheels came stock with DT Swiss plain gauge spokes and DT Swiss alloy nipples which seized within 2 months of wet weather, we always have problems with alloy nipples here in the UK with our constant wet weather, mud and salt put onto roads in cold conditions
rebuilt the wheels myself using Sapim double-butted and Sapim brass nipples and dropped only 40 grammes per wheel due to the heavier brass nipples, but no doubts about durability and much more "energetic" feeling wheelset with the butted spokes and hand built care
always suspicious of high end wheels using Sapim X-Rays and alloy nipples, an easy way to "drop weight" but a hassle to maintain and broken spokes are not cheap (X-Rays) compared to DT or Sapim double-butted
Keep in mind an MSRP of $1200 is more like a street price of $950 ...
The price on CRC is for each wheel for the carbon havens, so about $1400.00 for a pair, and they have known hub issues, which is why they are clearing them out. The newer wheels with the updated hub are full price.
Also wouldn't the wider rim actually give you less extreme cornering edge if it makes the top footprint wider?
paid my own money for the bike and wheels, after years of running Stan's ZTR Flows and Mavic rims
actually had some very negative experiences with high end Roval wheels running proprietary rims, hubs and spokes, which have be found to be fragile by my customers, and hard to obtain replacement parts
the Roval Traversee rim uses regular J-Bend spokes and nipples, its probably made by Alex rims for SBC but they have found a good compromise in width, strength and toughness with the particular rim
www.i-mtb.com/max-schumann-650b-all-mountain-bike-check
liking these wheels though.
So no, running 20psi is fine. I think I'm even lower than that on my tubeless hardtail, with Xmax SX, Conti rubber queen 2.2 front, Conti xking 2.2 rear.
I am about 240 lb anyone else run this high?
www.mtbonline.co.za/downloads/Rolling_Resistance_Eng_illustrated.pdf
big tyres, low pressure, the way forward
Now I need to translate that to convince a friend to stop running his 1.9 semi-slick tyres at 3-3.5bar on his Spe Enduro ..... and get him back to a Muddy Mary 2.5 front, Hans Dampf 2.35 rear at 2bar max... Knowing him, it seems impossible to do
Pre-building wheels as a complete system gets the most potential out of it. There's a reason that DT started doing its own wheels, as they can ensure good quality, carefully tune the performance to get a predictable wheelset that performs well and is reliable, at a good price.
Have you ridden on $3 spokes? CX Ray and Aerolites are amazing and don't see why there's so much fuss over whether they're DH worthy or not. In this age of wheels with 28 or more spokes, are you really that worried about breaking a few spokes if something gets caught in the wheel and jammed? The wheel's more likely to lock-up and skid before that.
Noticed your post - yeah, our fault since they are on the German site but not yet up on the English Syntace site!
For now you can see more info on the wheels at the Syntace USA website at syntace-us.com/wheels.html
Kenny Roberts
Syntace USA / Liteville USA
kenny@syntace-us.com
www.syntace-us.com
The Syntace W series wheels are aimed at anything from XC through to aggressive trail / AM. I use Spank Spike 35 rims on my DH rig, and I'd give the Syntace W40's a go to see how they hold up, but would initially not expect them to hold up the same as the heavier Spank rims! However, I would expect them to be a better performing rim/wheel on any of my AM/trail bikes, whether on my 5.5" or 7" trail bike! I mostly use Muddy Mary 2.5 tyres, sometimes Fat Albert 2.4's for AM, so I would welcome a wide and light wheelset for trail riding such as the W35 and would love to try them ;-)
is that or > than tubeless - ready?
I am confused
Velocity P35 : 35mm, 535g
Velocity Blunt : 28mm, 409g
Velocity Blunt SL : 25mm, 385g
Pacenti CL25 : 25mm, 352g
Pacenti TL28 : 28mm, 390g
Pacenti DL31 : 31mm, 532g
Now the ironic bit there, is except for the original blunt, all those rims were designed by Kirk Pacenti (the P35 and Blunt SL, KP was hired by VelocityUSA to design them, the other three are wholly his own designs made for his own brand and sold thru his frame parts business, Bikelugs.com). Velocity doesn't list inner widths on their website but I happen to own a pair of Blunt SL's I haven't laced up yet and I just measured the inner bead width at 20mm, which is the same as the CL25s. The TL28 is 23mm and the DL31 is 26mm.
Now one caveat to the original review and the wider is better theory about tires growing in width (6mm for the test example I believe the article says)... is that this can vary from brand to brand and model to model. I have Kenda Kinetic Foldable 26 x 2.35 tires mounted on a 24mm and a 39mm width wheel, and neither measure out to 2.35 width... the closest either comes is 2.2" and that's the one on the 39mm rim. The casing width (and thus air volume) difference on the two rims was a mere 2mm (52 vs 50) from the larger to smaller rim. Meanwhile I've personally watched Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29 x 2.4 tires EXPAND in size after mounting and inflating to 40psi... as the casing stretches. Its quite amusing to sit there watching the tire (its like waiting for the toaster to pop sorta experience) and then take a set of calipers and find the tire has grown in width 5mm in the space of ten minutes.
In short with the purported better traction on the W35 i think i could get away with skinnier faster rolling rubber? Cheers!
Weight: only 495 gram / per rim (29") or 460 grams for a 650B rim.
Syntaces idea seems awesome, wide rims provide waaay better handling than narrow ones and even if the rolling resistance might be higher, it is well worth the fun and confidence you get in exchange (save proper racing off course). But just as with ZTR Flows I think the guys from Syntace are a bit optimistic regarding the ability of their rims to hold up to claimed abuse. 500g for AM/FR - mneaaaaah maybe if you're smooth. Still... thumbs up Syntace!
Big tire/small rim = high pressure to keep the tire on and maintain profile.
Big rim/ small or medium tire = low pressure to maintain profile.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Speedhub-schnitt.jpg
Wide rims make for a stiff wheel (proportionate to the rim's outer width), but I'm not buying this wide inner width + narrow tire marketing pitch. I highly doubt a 2.35 on a 28mm inner width rim, with stupid low pressure, will come close to the performance of a 2.5 tire, with a more reasonable tire pressure, on a 23mm inner width rim, under a rider that goes harder than the average amateur and actually leans their bike. Most AM guys are already riding 28mm+ rims (outer width).
Why not just run 2.5 tires if you want the benefits of its width, traction, volume, and stability? You may not come close to pushing your equipment to its limits in its more XC config, and may believe that 2.5 is overkill for your riding ability, but that's just a ignorant and scrub way of thinking and letting negative psychological effects of thinking that way hamper you. Going with a rim that widens the tire contact patch's shape and a lower pressure to increase the area of the tire contact patch just seems ass-backward to me. The rim is more for wheel stiffness--that tire looks silly, squared off like a car tire, with its sidewalls more vertical and its tread flatter. What are you trying to achieve, a rally car experience? Tires are designed around specific rim widths, and altering the tread profile gives it unintended performance characteristics, which you seem to be having fun discovering.
Spank makes rims in these widths as well. These are rather expensive and, in general, hubs are actually really simple. I'd rather have the precise qualities in DT and CK hubs; DT has 2 very large springs on each side and CK as one, with the driveshell driving the other side for secure engagement. If you're the type that's not afraid to pull off driveshells to service the internals, those springs in the Syntace hub look worrisome, as they could easily get lost.
Give us reports of what trails you're riding it on too, as that's very relative to your tests, especially your 2.0 Purgatory test. I don't want to facepalm when you say you ran it mostly on dry dusty buff SoCal hardpack.
BTW, what are the impressions so far regarding that 2.1 tire on wide rim test of yours? Ready to go back to fatter tires yet or will you be trying 1.9 next?
28.5mm inner width sounds good for that Surly Knard 29x3.0 tire, that weighs 820g. Now that's something I'd like to try. Promoting ideas like making a narrower tire "feel like a wider one", with a wider beat seat, seems like a narrow vision, compared to the vision of making wider tires more acceptable maybe by offering ones more suitable for trail riding, rather than just DH. Another vision that seems further down the road is wider front hub widths over the old 100mm standard.