ridethecliche

I found a deal on a set of Reynolds assault wheels from like 09-10 for what I think is a decent deal. They were used for less than 1500 miles and appear to be in very good condition.

Are these something that deserve any sort of consideration or should I avoid?

I'll be using them from time to time on a weekend bike. Not currently racing and likely won't be for a while if ever. I weigh about 165.

Otherwise, I'm likely going to get another set of psimet wheels because he's the man.

Anyone have any experience with them? How are they holding up over time?

Bah Humbug

Relevant? Sure... but those are old, with an old shape, narrow bed, 10-speed hubs, and so on. I'd need a lot more than a "decent deal" to take them, and might find them to be just clutter. It depends on what your other options are, though.

ridethecliche

Oh oops. The hub is 11 speed compatible. They were swapped out.

LAJ

Mine are horrible in crosswinds, and have been relegated to training wheels. They're a robust wheelset, and easy to maintain, but certainly not even as good as a mid-grade alloy, at this point.

datlas 

I have a pair. They are fine. If in good shape and good price, why not? They may not be “optimized” for wider 28mm tires, but so what?

ridethecliche

They're a good price with brake pads, tires, tubes, and 2 spare tubes.

I'd be running 25s on them. The frame they're going on can't go wider. Mayyybe 28s.

ridethecliche

Womp.

That kinda blows. Robust would be great but bad in crosswinds is not really ideal.

The alternative is another set of low profile Al wheels. Light, stiff, reliable.

datlas 

I am only 140ish pounds and they are ok in medium crosswinds. I purposefully will NOT ride them on very windy days.

It’s a tough call but for the price you state I think they are a reasonable choice.

smashndash

What’s the point in having 2 sets of alloy wheels?

I would recommend saving up until you can afford a deep carbon rim that has a reputation for good crosswind handling. I’ve ridden my Light Bicycle WR56s in all sorts of crosswinds and never had an issue at 135lbs. The #1 feature you’re looking for is width. The wider the rim, the better in crosswinds. Not always the case, obviously. But that is your best hope as a layman.

If you end up with a narrow rim, use a 23mm tire for best results.

LAJ

One thing I will say... We have the NREL Wind Lab here for a reason, so take that into consideration. We have wind all the time. That said, I have Rails that are 52 with the optimal yaw shape that are head and shoulders above those in the wind, so I do know well behaved. The price is right, and you won't be unhappy with them as long as you go in eyes wide open.

ridethecliche

One for each of my two bikes so I'm not constantly swapping back and forth?

I can make do for a bit but I want to demote the wheels that came with my bike to the trainer. I'm also pretty committed to running 25s now. So the width issue is definitely one to think about I guess.


I don't expect them to be the best wheels ever made after all a lot has changed since 2009 in the cycling world. That said, my shoes and pedals are older than that and I'm pretty content with those.

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smashndash

Ah ok. Didn’t know the trainer part.

I’m personally a fan of alloy, especially for non-racers. I have a deep carbon wheelset and an alloy wheelset. The braking, the occasional chips from rocks, the harsher ride and the slightly less “springy” nature of them really puts me off the carbon wheels despite them being objectively faster.

Since you have rim brakes, imo, this is easy. Go with a light alloy rim like the boyd altamont lite. Maybe some nice stiff spokes in the rear like the CX-Sprint. 20mm is pretty much the perfect width for 25mm tires.

Ofc this is just my opinion.

dr_max

That’s what I used to ride until my wife burned the carbon rims descending the Rocacorba on a hot day in the Pyrenees

ridethecliche

Oh boy, what happened? How could you tell they were burned?

NoWhammies

Mrs. NoWhammies has a set of Assaults on her bike and is quite happy with them. She has no trouble riding in crosswinds. If the price is right and works for you, I say go for it.

ridethecliche

I bought them!

There's a bit of discoloration on the rims but the reynolds blue pads were used on them. I saw a reynolds document saying that this should be treated with acetone and grey scotch brite. I emailed them to check what they'd recommend. I'm honestly not worried about it because it looks nothing like delamination. Maybe a tiny bit of glazing but it's nothing that I can feel and the rims are dead straight.

I'm pretty stoked. College me from 12 years ago is very excited haha.

dr_max

when she came back from the ride and I tried to brake it was making a terrible sound on every wheel turn and she told me the wheels smell burn after she used the bike.

every wheel rotation it was braking sundenly where the rims melted and delaminated

I descended the Tourmal, aspen and Luz ardiden with those delaminated rims

dr_max

if you wanna see delamination, I’ve got a full wheel set for you

lol

ridethecliche

Oh boy! Wow!

Is the rim yellowing in places it's overheated a bit?
Mine have a tiny bit of that but it looks entirely superficial. Reynolds has a document saying to use acetone to clean them and a grey scotch brite with a light hand and water on areas that have any discolouration.

I'm not really concerned about it but I guess inspecting these wheels often is something that should happen!
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