We’ve had a great week of sunshine in England and have been lucky enough to have spent it rolling around on a pair of Reynolds carbon clinchers. Gracing the office PBK Ti bike they have a 66mm full carbon rim which can take regular clincher tyres and weigh in at a claimed 1705g per set. On an aesthetic basis the wheels looks great and give the bike, along with its Ti colour a mean look. At races we certainly felt it looked the part.
Reynolds Strike Wheels
On picking them up with tyres and tubes fitted the claimed weight seems more than accurate, they don’t really seem to weigh an awful lot more than a tubular wheel and tyre! (We have to apologise for not getting the time/chance to weight them properly on our scales – we’re very busy at the minute)
In combination with the 25mm Michelin the Strikes roll brilliantly with that typical hollow carbon hum – a delight in a tailwind. On the flats and gentle rises the aero advantage keeps your speed up and ensures you are still flying at the brow. On steep ascents they flex no more than any other wheel and the power transfer is direct with seemingly little wasted.
The hubs are Reynolds’ own which have been updated and are serviceable for a long life. The upside of having own brand hubs is the reduced cost to you and they tend to be bomb-proof/over engineered so that the manufacturer isn’t dealing with hundreds of returns.
At around £900 they seem to be a good wheelset for the money. In fact a carbon clincher wheelset from such a trusted and renowned brand complete with brake blocks, valve extensions and skewers looks like a great buy.
Nothing improves a bike, its handling and your performance like a set of nice light aero wheels. Unless you live in a particularly hilly area with lots of steep, tough ramps then these will have you racing around with the added advantage of still being on clincher tyres – easy to fix punctures at the roadside and we didn’t struggle to get tyres onto the rim – no tyre levers in sight!
Aerodynamic, lightweight and stiff enough even for the mashers – all at a great price
Strike Wheels
