The Reserve wheels have not been available for several months, so perhaps someone who needs new wheels for this season?
I’m seeing several of the built options in stock on the reserve website as well as Mikes Bikes and Jenson. And bike tires direct has the ones with 350 hubs being available at the end of the month.
I should have been more clear, sorry. The Reserve wheels have been unavailable in the EU area.
1 Like
The Zipps or the 3Ts? Not clear who you’re replying to.
The Reserves are lovely wheels (I have a pair) but in the context of this conversation they’re relatively narrow at 25mm internal and 33mm external. The Zipps are similar weight but a lot wider, but with the downside of very limited tyre compatibility right now. The 3Ts are ~200g heavier but wide and hooked. So if you want a wide rim that you can run with whatever tyre you want the 3Ts offer that. 200g may not matter much in that context.
It applies to both (Zipp and 3T). The reserve wheels clock at 1380g with DT180.
As @kervelo mentions, the issue is to get one.
Hookless and very limited tyre compatibility makes this a huge nono for me. I wonder if/when Zipp is gonna drop de hookless nonsense for road/gravel just like DTSwiss did with their new wheelset.
As an alternative super wide, light aero rim for gravel I’d rather get the Nextie NXT45AGX. 29mm internal, 40mm external, 45mm deep and hooked. Available in good spec for around 1200 usd.
3 Likes
I tend to agree. I actually got the Reserve 40/44 GR on sale not long ago and compared to my Firecrest which I use as a road wheel now I was sold on the larger internal width. What’s interesting is they are like 27mm internal which seemed like an appropriate jump. Curious how Zipp got all the way to 32mm internal. Anyway aside from aesthetics I think the Reserve 40/44 are hard to beat. LMK if you have any questions on them!
1 Like
Hookless for gravel is a non-issue, and arguably a positive (see MTB wheels which have been hookless for awhile now).
I’m willing to bet that the “lack” of compatible tires is short-lived and primarily a marketing exercise. Goodyear was probably given a brief period of “exclusivity” for partnering with them on the launch of the wheels / tires. Within a short period of time (no more than 3 months I would guess) you will see a wave of tires that are suddenly “compatible”.
2 Likes
Do you have DT180 hubs?….where did you buy them?
There’s a big difference between a 25/30mm id rim with a 60mm mtb tyre vs a 32mm id rim with a 40mm tyre.
Zipp themselves say they have to test every single tyre because the tyre/rim combo does not conform to ISO standards which recommends tyres starting at 58mm for a 32mm id rim.
So for road/gravel I’d much prefer hooked.
Ofc there are benefits to hookless, but the jury is still out if those are for the customer or mainly to lower the production cost and increase profit margins.
Nah went with the tried and true 350 since these will see a lot of wear and tear. Mikes Bikes for like 30% off during a crazy sale
1 Like
Perhaps the combination is at fault.
You’d think wider with lower pressure would be more resilient.
The tire casing seems fragile to slice that easily for both reviewers.
Zipp say they are testing / certifying “every” gravel tire already in production. Compatibility table is at the link below. 303 SW/S table is at the bottom.
1 Like
Sweet, that list has been updated since yesterday! It was just the good years then!
1 Like
I for one would not buy these due to the hookless rims. I’ve been running the “Poertner Special” of 34mm GP5000s on 3T Discus rims (30mm inner width, hooked) and this is a great setup for crappy asphalt and lighter gravel. Any time the rim width is getting close to tire width, I want hooks.
I’m not sure I understand the assertion that vertical sidewalls created by these wide rims are more prone to flats. Personally I’ve ridden a lot of very gnarly gravel at speed on LB WG44s (30mm inner width) + 40-43mm (marked) tires, with no flat issues. [furiously knocks on wood]. I suppose you might expect that pinch flats would occur more on the fragile sidewall than on the tread with these tires, but given the super limited tire options with the XPLRs it’s hard to know if reported issues are just down to fragile tires.
The 101 XPLR are intended for gnarlier terrain. I have them and they 100% deliver for that, but they are overbuilt for smoother gravel and absolutely do not make up for lack of suspension. Their greatest attribute is enabling you to stay on your line easily when hitting objects on the trail. Their an ideal companion to a Stigmata with a suspension fork.
They are a great wheel, but the weight really rules them out vs the competition and the use case that justifies the weight is pretty narrow in the scheme of gravel. Still, I am very happy to pay the 160g odd weight penalty across two wheels. Kind of insignificant when there’s 1000g of tyres and sealant added on top of the wheel weight.
1 Like
Deeper and wider then reserve 40/44
I wish I had a hook up
I know the list of compatible tyres will be ever evolving, but on the face of things is there any reason the 2.2” race kings wouldn’t be compatible? I’ve got the 303FC at the moment and Zipp quote “upto 55mm compatible” for the 303FC.
MTB tyres are designed for wide, hookless rims and the race king are my current tyre (thanks Dylan)
2 Likes
Anecdotally, I saw a lot of 303 XPLR wheelsets with flats at SBT GRVL today. It seemed disproportionate.
1 Like
Do you know who?