Testing the Reserve 40/44 wheels

Among the new wheels that we see performing at the highest level, the Reserve have held a special place since the start of the 2023 season, since they are the wheels used by the Jumbo-Visma team of the last Giro winner Primož Roglič . We were able to test over several hundred kilometers the most versatile proposal among five models at Reserve, with the 40/44, wheels with differentiated height and wide rims that promote stability and comfort.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr

The Reserve 40/44 wheels are high-end carbon wheels manufactured by the American brand Santa Cruz Bicycles, which belongs to the Pon Bike group in the same way as the Cervélo brand.. This explains why the Reserve wheels have been fitted to the Cervélo bikes of the Jumbo-Visma team since this season, and why they are found on all the machines in the range from the Sram Force or Shimano Ultegra mounts.

Five combinations of rim heights are offered, with each time a front wheel that is lower and slightly wider than the rear wheel. The range is first made up of the 77/Disc couple with a front wheel whose rim is 77 mm high and a solid rear wheel, for time trials or triathlons. A 77/88 combination (with an 88mm rear wheel) is also available, for slightly rougher time trials. Then come the 52/63, mounted on the standard Cervélo S5, high wheels suitable for road use on rolling courses. Then are offered the 40/44 which are the subject of this test, a versatile model which will undoubtedly interest many practitioners who are looking for a single pair of wheels to do everything. Finally, the 34/37 are more specifically dedicated to the mountain, with particularly light and easy-to-handle rims.

Each combination is offered in three different versions depending on the hubs chosen. For the 40/44, prices range from €1799 with DT 350 hubs to €2799 with DT 180s (our test version), passing through €2299 with DT 240s. saves 92g on the wheelset compared to the first price, still with 24 spokes front and rear.

Ever wider

The two rims of the test wheels have specific dimensions, with therefore a height of 40 mm at the front and 44 mm for the rear wheel. But the differences do not stop there, since the front rim has an internal width of 25.5 mm for an external width of 33 mm, while the rear rim is satisfied 25 mm internally for 31 mm externally. It’s very wide for road wheels, but it serves a dual purpose: first optimize wheel stability with crosswinds despite the height of the rim (with a “U” shaped rim more favorable to the flow of air than a “V” shaped one), and on the other hand promote comfort by mounting wider tires, and therefore with less inflation pressure, without altering performance, at least to some extent. Without counting of course cornering grip advantageswhether in the dry or in the wet.

The Reserve 40/44 wheels (like the other wheels in the range) are designed to accommodate tubeless tires (or with inner tube if applicable) with a section of 28 to 40 mm. The test wheels here are ridden with Vittoria Corsa Graphene 2.0 Tubeless Ready in 700×28 that are actually 31.5mm wide on the rims. The sidewalls of the tires are therefore ideally in line with the sidewalls of the rim, which theoretically favors aerodynamics. By accepting 40mm section tyres, Reserve wheels with this rim size are also perfectly suited for Gravel use, especially since they are deemed strong enough by the manufacturer to be lifetime warranties (for the first owner).

DT 180 hubs come in at 94g front and 193g rear, with ceramic bearings and a high performance cassette body engagement system. They make it possible to carry the weight of the wheels to 1370g (without valve and rim tape). It’s efficient, but this light weight is counterbalanced by the greater weight of the tubeless tires in 28 section (announced at 310 g per unit) to which must be added the weight of the preventive liquid. Finally, the assembly is not excessively lightsince we are very close to a pair of Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels mounted with 26 tires and inner tubes.

Comfort and performance

Thanks to the tubeless tires measured at 31.5 mm wide and at a pressure of 5 bar (compared to 6.5 to 7 bar with 25s), the Reserve 40/44 are distinguished from the outset by their comfort on the damaged asphalt of the small streets taken to escape traffic. It’s still a bit hard to admit for an old steed who started the bike with 20mm tires, but such a rather wide cross section delivers astonishing output. Not only do you not feel braked (at least when driving at the train), but the gain in comfort linked to lower pressure greatly limits the small unpleasant rebounds on a bad surface, which in the end cause you to lose traction. As for the benefit in terms of adhesion, it is royal. You feel really safe when leaning the bike sharply in turns, and you go through roundabouts with barely a lift, even on a wet road.

The choice of such a tire width here is of course correlated to that of the rim width. A fat tire on a narrower rim causes ballooning that is detrimental to aerodynamics and the level of control of the bike. With the Reserve wheels and these Vittoria tires, changes of direction always remain straightforward, and you don’t feel the flanks sag when you go into force as a dancer. You have to get used to the shape though. round on the top of the tire, which offers very gradual changes in support when swinging the bike from right to left, unlike 25 tires for example, with a shape that looks more like a warhead.

In use, the Reserve 40/44 are quite nervous, but the sensations are however less sharp than with very inflated 25 tires. But we are only talking about sensations here, because the difference is insensitive at the level of the chronometer. The wheels are finally quite neutral in terms of rigidity, and do not fundamentally modify the behavior of the usual bicycle in terms of performance.. On the other hand, they score many points when facing the wind, offering stability and control of the trajectories, even under strong cross gusts.

Our opinion on the Reserve 40/44 wheels

The 40/44 are the most versatile model in the Reserve range, thanks to low weight and a rim height for the front and for the rear which offers an excellent compromise between aerodynamics and stability. The width of the rims makes it necessary to fit fairly wide tyres, which modify quite a bit the perception that one can have of the road. This system provides comfort and safety when cornering, without affecting overall performance. On varied courses, composed of bumps, false flats, stretches exposed to the wind and several crossings of towns with many reminders, the Reserve 40/44 are very well made with a mat bike, because it make it even easier to live with and able to face many situations. They somehow amplify the neutral behavior of the bike. With a more specific bike for riding fast on the flat, they bring a little more in terms of ease and maneuverability, and the machine even becomes a little less demanding in the end.

Still, among the three versions of Reserve 40/44 wheels, this version is not necessarily the most interesting in terms of quality/price ratio. The hubs are the lightest in the DT range, but they are expensive and not as smooth as expected. We therefore prefer the DT 240 version on paper, at a price of 2299 €.

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