Another wheel day (etc.).
A customer entrusted me with front and rear rims from a brand called Reserve.
The 42┃49TA model.
Reserve is the wheel brand of Santa Cruz,
an MTB frame and complete bike manufacturer.
SANTA CRUZ was called Santa Cruz for a long time,
but since the current distributor uses the Santa Cruz notation,
I'll follow that.
Santa Cruz's current lineup of
frames and complete bikes has plenty of MTBs,
two gravel bike models, and zero pure road bikes.
However, Reserve wheels have abundant road bike wheel options
in addition to MTB and gravel-specific wheels.
In cases like this, it's often because a wheel brand with no original connection to Santa Cruz was acquired,
but Reserve was actually started by engineers within Santa Cruz.
For road bike complete wheels,
aside from disc wheels (which doesn't mean for disc brakes),
all have different rim heights for front and rear,
with the front and rear rim heights separated by ┃ rather than /,
divided into a basic model and a TA model.
TA is an acronym for Turbulent Aero—
turbulent refers to turbulent flow,
and the rim has a shape developed through wind tunnel testing.
The road wheel lineup includes
34┃37, 40┃44,
34┃37TA, 42┃49TA, 52┃63TA,
57┃64TA, 77┃88TA in
tubeless-ready clincher,
plus there's a 36┃39 tubular option.
Today's rims are the 42┃49TA rim sold individually.
For complete wheels, you can choose the hub from DT's 180, 240, or 350,
but the 36┃39 tubular and 57┃64TA don't have individual rim sales.
For the others, the non-TA rims have a manufacturer suggested retail price of ¥126,500 including tax,
while TA rims are ¥137,500 including tax.
The price difference between TA and non-TA is small,
and the fact that 34mm and 88mm rim heights cost the same
is a pricing strategy rarely seen from other manufacturers.
I'm worried about whether they can pay back the mold costs with such a wide range of rim heights.
For example, with this 42┃49TA,
couldn't they just consolidate to a 45mm rim height for both front and rear?
That's what I thought, but surprisingly,
it's not just the rim height that's different.
The 42TA rim has an internal width of 25.4mm,
while the 49TA rim has an internal width of 24.8mm—
like the old ENVE, the front rim is slightly wider,
and what's more,
the 49TA rear rim is an offset rim.
The warranty coverage is also excellent.
For the first owner of wheels and rims,
they come with a lifetime warranty as generous as ZIPP's
(in Japan, limited to those purchased through authorized dealers).
On the opposite phase of the valve hole
is a RESERVE sticker.
Like rims from Shimano or Easton, there are
air release holes from molding
only on the outer circumference side.
↑This is the sticker on the valve hole side.
This side shows the rim internal diameter, and
the rear rim also shows the offset amount.
By the way, my actual measurement of the rim internal diameter
differed from the manufacturer specification by about 0.5mm in diameter,
but that's not a real problem.
Some manufacturers differ by 2mm or more from their specs,
so I'm actually reassured thinking,
"Oh, Reserve and I are measuring the same definition of the part."
The rim comes with nipple washers,
but the 0.5mm difference didn't occur from accounting for their correction value.
These stickers extend all the way to the rim's outer circumference,
so building wheels is difficult.
Also, on the opposite side of the valve hole sticker,
it says ETRTO.
The manufacturer's stated internal width is 24.8mm,
but here it shows 24.
The rear rim is an offset rim,
and the outer side holes are shifted to one side.
When the wheel is built, looking from the right side,
if I align both the front and rear rim valve hole stickers
to the internal rim diameter marking,
the air pressure marking on the rim's ridge
aligns on the side where it reads in the correct direction,
while the Turbulent Aero marking
ends up reversed on both.
This kind of consistency feels good.
I hate it when you align one thing and the other becomes misaligned...
The front rim orientation doesn't affect performance,
but the rear rim orientation is determined by the offset rim,
so I align the front rim orientation to match the rear.
Built.
The yellow fluttering bit is
a sticker with a serial number and QR code that says
"Remove before riding."
I didn't remove it, but it might be good to transfer it to the back of the rim's instruction booklet.
DT 350 hub, 24H, black semi-CX sprint
Reverse 64-spoke Italian lacing with black aluminum nipples.
Truing will be done later.
This rim has spoke tension specifications
but no weight restrictions for the rider.
A customer entrusted me with front and rear rims from a brand called Reserve.
The 42┃49TA model.
Reserve is the wheel brand of Santa Cruz,
an MTB frame and complete bike manufacturer.
SANTA CRUZ was called Santa Cruz for a long time,
but since the current distributor uses the Santa Cruz notation,
I'll follow that.
Santa Cruz's current lineup of
frames and complete bikes has plenty of MTBs,
two gravel bike models, and zero pure road bikes.
However, Reserve wheels have abundant road bike wheel options
in addition to MTB and gravel-specific wheels.
In cases like this, it's often because a wheel brand with no original connection to Santa Cruz was acquired,
but Reserve was actually started by engineers within Santa Cruz.
For road bike complete wheels,
aside from disc wheels (which doesn't mean for disc brakes),
all have different rim heights for front and rear,
with the front and rear rim heights separated by ┃ rather than /,
divided into a basic model and a TA model.
TA is an acronym for Turbulent Aero—
turbulent refers to turbulent flow,
and the rim has a shape developed through wind tunnel testing.
The road wheel lineup includes
34┃37, 40┃44,
34┃37TA, 42┃49TA, 52┃63TA,
57┃64TA, 77┃88TA in
tubeless-ready clincher,
plus there's a 36┃39 tubular option.
Today's rims are the 42┃49TA rim sold individually.
For complete wheels, you can choose the hub from DT's 180, 240, or 350,
but the 36┃39 tubular and 57┃64TA don't have individual rim sales.
For the others, the non-TA rims have a manufacturer suggested retail price of ¥126,500 including tax,
while TA rims are ¥137,500 including tax.
The price difference between TA and non-TA is small,
and the fact that 34mm and 88mm rim heights cost the same
is a pricing strategy rarely seen from other manufacturers.
I'm worried about whether they can pay back the mold costs with such a wide range of rim heights.
For example, with this 42┃49TA,
couldn't they just consolidate to a 45mm rim height for both front and rear?
That's what I thought, but surprisingly,
it's not just the rim height that's different.
The 42TA rim has an internal width of 25.4mm,
while the 49TA rim has an internal width of 24.8mm—
like the old ENVE, the front rim is slightly wider,
and what's more,
the 49TA rear rim is an offset rim.
The warranty coverage is also excellent.
For the first owner of wheels and rims,
they come with a lifetime warranty as generous as ZIPP's
(in Japan, limited to those purchased through authorized dealers).
On the opposite phase of the valve hole
is a RESERVE sticker.
Like rims from Shimano or Easton, there are
air release holes from molding
only on the outer circumference side.
↑This is the sticker on the valve hole side.
This side shows the rim internal diameter, and
the rear rim also shows the offset amount.
By the way, my actual measurement of the rim internal diameter
differed from the manufacturer specification by about 0.5mm in diameter,
but that's not a real problem.
Some manufacturers differ by 2mm or more from their specs,
so I'm actually reassured thinking,
"Oh, Reserve and I are measuring the same definition of the part."
The rim comes with nipple washers,
but the 0.5mm difference didn't occur from accounting for their correction value.
These stickers extend all the way to the rim's outer circumference,
so building wheels is difficult.
Also, on the opposite side of the valve hole sticker,
it says ETRTO.
The manufacturer's stated internal width is 24.8mm,
but here it shows 24.
The rear rim is an offset rim,
and the outer side holes are shifted to one side.
When the wheel is built, looking from the right side,
if I align both the front and rear rim valve hole stickers
to the internal rim diameter marking,
the air pressure marking on the rim's ridge
aligns on the side where it reads in the correct direction,
while the Turbulent Aero marking
ends up reversed on both.
This kind of consistency feels good.
I hate it when you align one thing and the other becomes misaligned...
The front rim orientation doesn't affect performance,
but the rear rim orientation is determined by the offset rim,
so I align the front rim orientation to match the rear.
Built.
The yellow fluttering bit is
a sticker with a serial number and QR code that says
"Remove before riding."
I didn't remove it, but it might be good to transfer it to the back of the rim's instruction booklet.
DT 350 hub, 24H, black semi-CX sprint
Reverse 64-spoke Italian lacing with black aluminum nipples.
Truing will be done later.
This rim has spoke tension specifications
but no weight restrictions for the rider.