Santa Cruz Reserve Wheels goes all in
07-05-20, 06:09 PM
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Santa Cruz Reserve Wheels goes all in
I guess they got Enve envy, judging by their new pricepoint.
https://www.reservewheels.com
Still, if I were to get plastic wheels, these look tempting.
https://www.reservewheels.com
Still, if I were to get plastic wheels, these look tempting.
07-07-20, 10:23 AM
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I’m not sold. There doesn’t seem to be anything unique about these wheels.
$1800 for somewhat generic rims laced to DT 350 hubs? If you believe yourself likely to demolish your rims, then I could see these being more attractive.
I hate to bring up the tired “china carbon is cheaper” trope. But a replacement rim from Light Bicycle is about $300. If you pay $900 for the wheelset, you’d have to break 3 rims to start losing money. MTB? Sure. Road? Eh.
I’d say the peace of mind is the biggest selling point of these wheels.
$1800 for somewhat generic rims laced to DT 350 hubs? If you believe yourself likely to demolish your rims, then I could see these being more attractive.
I hate to bring up the tired “china carbon is cheaper” trope. But a replacement rim from Light Bicycle is about $300. If you pay $900 for the wheelset, you’d have to break 3 rims to start losing money. MTB? Sure. Road? Eh.
I’d say the peace of mind is the biggest selling point of these wheels.
07-07-20, 10:40 AM
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They started making mountain rims, with the pricepoints being $1500 for DT Swiss hubs and $1800 for I9 (and then a Chris King version that I think Chris King makes in Portland for $2100), and included one 700C hooked rim version for their Stigmata. The rims (and King hubs) have a lifetime warranty, so with Enve being the only other significant competitor, these were a pretty good deal. (They also sell the rims for $600 each.) These are non-areo rims, and from what I have been able to see, are extremely well-constructed. I tried to take a peak at the Santa Cruz plant yesterday while on a ride, to see what the road rims looked like (assuming they had them on display), but there were a bunch of people there and I was feeling a bit virus-paranoid.
Now it looks like they have expanded to road in collaboration with Cervelo. (Cervelo is owned by the same parent company, and they assemble Cervelo bikes in their same Santa Cruz plant.) They seem to have expanded the pricetag, too, so that they are only marginally less expensive than their main competitor.
Now it looks like they have expanded to road in collaboration with Cervelo. (Cervelo is owned by the same parent company, and they assemble Cervelo bikes in their same Santa Cruz plant.) They seem to have expanded the pricetag, too, so that they are only marginally less expensive than their main competitor.
