tested - Reynolds Cycling

road
tested
r i d d e n & r at e d
Rim construction
Spokes and lacing
Cup & cone bearings
Aero wheels at this level
1
are either full carbon or
an aluminium rim mated to a
carbon fairing section that in
some cases is structural. The
latter type tend to be heavier,
but even the best carbon
braking surfaces aren’t quite as
good as conventional
machined aluminium.
Virtually all good quality
3
wheels use stainless
steel, butted spokes that in
some cases are flattened for a
small aerodynamic gain. The
lacing patterns will affect a
wheel’s strength and stiffness,
but a great variety of
configurations produce a
reliable wheel.
Traditionally constructed
bearings that will last
indefinitely but require regular
servicing, these are usually
somewhat heavier than
cartridges. Factory-built
wheels often can’t be rebuilt
economically when the rim
wears out so hub longevity is
something of a moot point.
Rim shape
Nipples
Cartridge bearings
Narrow, pointy V-shaped
2
sections were long
assumed to be fastest, despite
the terror they produced in
crosswinds. Aerodynamic
research has led to a new
understanding that fat, blunt
aerofoil shapes are faster,
handle better and produce
more optimal tyre profiles.
Nipples anchor the
4
spokes to the rim.
Traditionally they were made of
plated brass but aluminium is
often used instead to save
weight. In comparison to brass,
though, aluminium is more
susceptible to corrosion, which
can make truing problematic
and even cause failures.
These are sealed units
containing balls and
races, which are replaced as a
whole when they wear out.
They’re lighter than traditional
bearings and can be treated as
fit-and-forget. But some
manufacturers push the limits
and use ones that are simply
too small to be durable.
5
Aero
wheels
6
Go faster, look faster, and maybe even
sound faster with a set of aero wheels
t is a truth universally
acknowledged that a roadie in
possession of a good fortune
should probably buy new wheels.
Be it for posing or performance,
deeper section rims can represent
a real upgrade. You can literally buy a
little extra speed, but doing so can be
painfully expensive, and naturally there
are pitfalls. The old ‘cheap/light/strong’
adage applies, though we’ll substitute
‘aero’ for ‘strong’. As you’ll see, you can
have any two, but all three is pushing it.
The last couple of years have seen
great progress in wheel designers’
understanding of aerodynamics as well
as efforts to address some of the heat
and braking issues associated with
carbon rims. Some have tackled the
challenges head on while others
sidestep them, preferring to stick with
proven hybrid designs.
We tested 16 pairs of wheels with
rims from 35-62.5mm deep, from £700
to just under £1800 – a typical outlay for
a serious club rider looking to take on a
152 || September
September2014
2014 || CYCLING
CYCLINGPLUS
PLUS
time trial or crit series, achieve a
sportive PB or simply save a few watts
on the way to the cake stop. You could
certainly spend more, but we’re not
convinced you need to.
To keep things fair, we fitted all the
wheels (except the Mavics, which are
sold as a wheel-tyre system) with the
same 25mm Vredestein Fortezza Senso
All Weather tyres. We used standard
Shimano brake pads for wheels with
aluminium brake tracks, and matched
manufacturer-supplied pads to the
carbon rims, except where noted.
Our weights include rim tape where
needed, and we’ve included skewer
weights because we know you love that
sort of thing. We checked every wheel in
a truing stand before testing and
compared spoke tensions to assess
build quality, then checked them after
testing to see how they held up. To wring
out these wheels, we rode our training
loops back-to-back in all weathers,
hitting potholes with abandon and
dragging brakes to check for issues.
2
1
road
tested
r i d d e n & r at e d
best
on
test
Reynolds Assault
SLG/Strike SLG
the verdict
winner › Reynolds Assault SLG/Strike SLG Fast, light, great handling
O
ver the course of testing, some distinct
themes have emerged. Braking on
carbon has long been a source of
angst, and in our price range there’s
a considerable disparity between the best
and worst stopping wheels, with the least
impressive feeling like a throwback to a bygone
era, and the best being very nearly as good as
an aluminium rim. With the exception of the
Mavics, there’s little to differentiate the braking
of any of the metal-rimmed wheels.
On the aerodynamic front, we’ve reached a
point where buying a V-style rim doesn’t make
a lot of sense if speed is the ultimate goal, and
that rules out half of the wheels on test. There’s
nothing fundamentally wrong with these sets,
but for a meaningful performance upgrade that
doesn’t compromise handling, more advanced
rim sections are in another league.
158 | September 2014 | CYCLING PLUS
Value for money is the decision maker for
are stocked by every good bike shop.
many of us and Swissside’s Hadrons
For a complete package that combines
blow the competition out of the water here.
performance, quality and reasonable value,
They’re big and brash and stupidly loud, and
there’s stiff competition. Specialized’s Roval
we have doubts about bearing longevity, but
CLX40 is a strong contender, with class-leading
on the road they outperform wheels that cost
braking and impressively low weight, but the
more than twice as much. They
high price and questions over
aren’t light, but an aluminium
build quality are hard to ignore.
Up-to-date
braking track means no drama,
Profile’s 38/TwentyFours
aerodynamics, solid
whatever the weather.
came close to taking the
handling and good
From the home mechanic’s
crown too, with excellent
perspective, serviceability is
build quality and an all-round
braking, at a more
key, and while we weren’t
performance that’s hard to
than fair price
avowed fans from a
fault, but it’s Reynolds’
performance point of view, in
Assault SLG/Strike SLG
the workshop Dymag’s 50mm carbon
pair that win the day. These combine up-to-date
clinchers shine: Hope hubs are durable and
aerodynamics with solid handling and good
easy to maintain with readily available parts,
braking, all at a respectably low weight and a
brass nipples won’t seize, and standard spokes
price that’s more than fair.