Team Tested: Reynolds 27.5 AM Tubeless Carbon Wheelset

Quite simply the new material offers the best weight/strength ratio of all currently available materials, it is possible to build a very strong wheel from aluminium, but it will be heavier! To put it into perspective, the classic 27.5 Hope ProII / Stans ZTR Flow pairing weights in at a respectable 1900g, while the Reynolds 27.5 AM wheels tip the scales at 1620g, only 10g heavier than the class leading ENVE wheels! But that 300g comes with a hefty price penalty of nearly £1000. So is it worth it?

First off, lets consider the weight, many studies have looked at the effect of reduced rotational weight on the wheel, and most agree that a saving on the rim is worth around 4 times as much as weight saved on a frame. As we are looking at difference of only 300g maximum between a super light carbon wheel set and an affordable classic, fitting the high end set should result in a perceived saving of around 1200g to the rider. It does not sound a lot, and indeed many studies have shown on road bikes that once the wheel is spinning, there is little benefit to reduced wheel weight. However, we have to remember that when we mountain bike on tough terrain we are constantly decelerating and accelerating, each time we have to spin the wheels back up to speed, that reduced rotational mass is working for us!

There is no question that it takes more energy to accelerate the same amount of mass if it is located out on the rim as if it is located at the center of the wheel (or on the frame). Under high acceleration from a slow speed to a high speed the 27.5AM’s spin up to speed rapidly and have a distinctly sprightly feeling, they want to skip and dance down the trail. In fact, I cannot think of a bigger off-the-shelf performance improvement than these super light wheels, coming out of corners the bike snaps back up to speed with eagerness and urgency! Acceleration is instant and it feels like the power is spinning straight from the crank into the ground, it is hard for your legs to keep up! If I could see where I was going I would happily wear a blindfold, and bet my bike on being able to tell if these wheels were fitted.

But that is only half the story as to the benefits of carbon. The next factor in the ratio we talked about earlier is strength, and these wheels are strong. With a 31mm rim width they look substantial and confidence inspiring, holding a wide tyre well and giving a massive contact patch. Beading tubeless tyres is very easy, so far I have easily fitted Magic Marys, Hans Dampfs and WTB Vengeances with nothing more that a track pump, and there has been no burping even at low pressures! with 28 straight pull spokes front and rear it is a solid setup, if you pop the wheel between your legs and try and twist it, the torsional rigidity is impressive, almost zero observed flex.

This massive strength really comes through on the trail, the wheels are sensitive and accurate, you find they instantly snap onto a new line and hold it tenaciously! Even when all is getting rowdy and out of control, the wheels track on regardless, sticking to the line that you want them too. In corners there is no flex or squirm, just direct forward motion and drive. It can feel a little harsh when you first ride them as they are very firm in the turns compared to a conventional set, but you will soon be hammering them into ruts and loving the feeling of limitless strength

Servicing

Often overlooked by manufactures of very high end products is servicing. There is nothing more frustrating than blowing a freehub on a factory wheel-set to find that you need a special tool to do this, or a custom bearing for that, often resulting in long phone calls to distributers! After a winter of hard riding the free hub on the rear had started to drag a little so it was time to strip it down and see what evils lurked inside. Well I could not have been more surprised, simply unscrew the axle end cap with a pair of 17mm spanners and that was it. The freehub popped out and all the cartridge bearings were easily accessible and standard sizes, full marks to Reynolds. The springs and pawls were easy to access and with a quick clean down and replacement of two 6902 bearings, the job was done, 20 minutes tops! The hub is well sealed and with 6 good sized pawls with 12 teeth, the pickup is very fast!

Bottom Line

OK, so do you need carbon wheels on your bike, of course not! Will it allow you to beat your mates down the local hill, probably not! But if you want a bombproof setup that feels lively, accurate and accelerates like a scalded cat, and that WILL give you a performance advantage for racing then the Reynolds are well worth a look. Reliability wise they cannot be faulted, after a winter of abuse they are running true, not just true, if you pop them on a wheel-jig they spin without the slightest hint of a wobble, and I have not touched the spokes since they came out of the box! On one memorable occasion an object became jammed in the rear wheel at speed resulting in a noisy, grinding lock up! Picking myself up I looked to the wheel expecting it to be totaled, but the only evidence was a tiny bend in one of the spokes, tough wheels indeed! There are now many cheaper offerings in the carbon rimmed market, but we have seen within our team that not all carbon wheels are created equal!

It cannot be overlooked that Carbon Wheels are a frightening expensive upgrade and if you think that is a crazy price, they are probably not for you! But if you have deep pockets and want to make the most of your high-end bike, I cannot think of any other product that offer such a improvement in feel, giving your bike a new zest for speed, the Reynolds 27.5AM Carbon Wheelset has certainly impressed us!

For more information on the Reynolds 27.5AM Carbon Wheelset, check out their website.

Words and Photos: Trev Worsey

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