About a month ago I had the opportunity to try out a set of Reynolds Stike carbon wheels. On paper these appealed to me for several reasons. First – these retail for around $1500. Second – the rims are clincher which makes them much more user friendly. Finally – it’s no secret that I’m a big guy and company officials told me there is no weight limit on these wheels.
The following specifications are from the Reynolds website.
Rim Depth: 66mm
Spoke Patterns: 16/20
Weight: 1705 grams per set
Hubs: Reynolds-Specific Design
Front Spokes: (Radial) DT Revolution
Rear Spokes: (Radial, 2x Drive) DT Revolution and DT Competition
Brake Pads: Reynolds Carbon-Specific Design
The wheels are supplied with QR skewers, rim tape, valve extenders, carbon specific brake pads, plastic tires levers and a spoke wrench. This is a well thought out package. All you need to do is throw on a cassette and tires and you are ready to ride. Mounting my Vittoria Open Corsa Evo-CX tires took a little more effort than normal but it certainly wasn’t difficult.
With tires and cassette installed I put these on my Felt B16, installed the supplied carbon rim specific brake pads, and went for my first ride. The ride consisted of a 20 mile out on back on a mostly flat road with a short but steep descent/climb a few miles in. Rolling out on surface roads and down the first descent the wheels felt predictable for a deep section rim. If you have not ridden a deep section (+40mm) rim, there is a bit of “side pressure” felt at speed and in crosswinds. I’ve grown accustomed to it so it’s not an issure. Smaller riders may have other thoughts on this subject. I’ve ridden everything from 40-80mm carbon rims and have come to the conclusion for an everyday/race wheel-somewhere around 60mm is perfect for me. Braking was smooth and there was no squealing from the pads. Once on the flats and up to speed these wheels rolled. They offer plenty of lateral rigidity – there was no noticable flex while honking up the hill returning home.
Since then I have about 150 miles on this set up – I know not much, but I plan to mount these on my daily driver and put some consistent miles on under all conditions including PNW rain and perhaps a little cyclocross.
As an average/occasional triathlete I want a wheel that I can ride every day and will still perform come race day. I want the convenience of being able to easily switch tires and repair flats. The Reynolds Strike wheels deliver a very nice package with proven technology at an affordable price. A long term review will be posted in a few months.
These wheels are now available for demo under our services page. Please contact us for additional details.