Easton Haven AM Wheels - Preview

Inside we'll take a closer look at Easton's dazzling Haven wheelset. Built using only 24 spokes per wheel and weighing in at a svelte 1650 grams, the Havens look to be a top contender for the all-mountain dream wheelset crown. In this preview we'll take a look at the Haven and some of the details that set them apart.

Read on...
Easton's striking Haven wheelset is aimed squarely at the trail and all-mountain crowd who like to be able to do everything and anything on their machines. Bikes and components designed for this sort of riding used to have to strike a compromise between stiffness, strength, and weight, much more so than parts that are constructed to excel at a single task. But as the all-mountain and trail bike ideals continue to grow we've started to see a lot more emphasis on these sorts of components. Parts like the Haven wheels are the result.

Impressively light at 1650 grams, the Havens have a wide 21 mm internal rim width that is designed to take advantage of today's high volume 2.3"-2.5" tires. The rim's width keeps the wider tire's casing roll in check and allows you to take advantage of lower pressures than you would comfortably run with a skinnier bead seat. If you've ridden a set of wide and tacky tires at low pressure then you know how much of a blast it can be. The Havens are laced with 24 double butted DT spokes per wheel and use alloy nipple to keep rotating mass at the outer edge low. Spoke tension is quite high and Easton actually uses acoustics to determine the correct amount.


Easton Haven Details

• Intended for all-mountain riding
• Available in both 26" and 29" sizes
• 1650 gram total weight (26" wheel weight)
• Tubeless rim - no rim strip needed!
• 24 straight pull spokes per wheel (front and rear)
• 21 mm internal rim width (great for 2.3 - 2.5" tires)
• Front wheel can use both 9 mm QR or the newer 15 mm thru-axle
• Rear wheel 10/135 QR
• MSRP $850 USD


A big plus to the Haven wheels is the lack of any drilled holes in the rim bed that would need to be covered with either a standard rim strip for a tubed setup, or some sort of tubeless rim tape if you chose to go that route. The UST compatible rim should make for pain free tubeless conversions. Easton is able to do this by employing a nipple that is threaded both internally (for the spoke) and externally to thread into an insert within the rim.


Included with the Haven wheels is a set of adapters that make it possible to easily convert the front wheel from a standard 9 mm QR to accept the latest 15 mm trail bike fork options. This is a nice touch as at some point down the road we'll start to see a lot less of the traditional quick release on proper trail bikes. A few common tools are needed to make the swap but I much prefer this system to a simple set of O-rings holding in the axle caps. If you've ever had one drop out and roll away while your wheel is out of the fork then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The Havens spin on sealed bearings but also use an adjustable ring that allows you to adjust bearing tension on both the front and rear wheels if play develops down the road. Very small adjustments are all that should ever be needed as it wouldn't take much to over tighten the bearings and causing premature wear. When the time does come to perform some maintenance, two 5 mm allen keys in each axle cap will allow access to the freehub mechanism for cleaning and lubing, no need to even remove the cassette.


It is still early days for the Haven wheels as I only have a handful of hard rides on them, but they do look quite promising. There is more to a wheelset than numbers and looks though, so I'll withhold any judgments until further down the road. In the future you'll be able to read about how the Havens held up to a hard Spring season as they get used and abused on a number of all-mountain test machines.

Are you a fan of Easton's Haven wheelset? If you already have some trail time on these stunning wheels then tell us about it below!

Visit Eastonbike.com to see their entire lineup of parts and accessories.