Review: Reserve HD & SL Alloy Wheels

Reserve are probably best known for their Carbon wheelsets, which at the time were among the first ever to offer a no questions asked lifetime warranty, giving much needed peace of mind to a buyer committing to a high end set of wheels. Over the subsequent years, they have cemented that reputation for quality and product support with their wheels still very much one among the benchmark carbon sets leaving other brands still trying to catch up. 

Mark Scott riding the Reserve HD30 Carbon aboard his Megatower

With a variety of options spanning everything from DH to XC and gravel riding they have a set for almost every rider and if anything the ride quality has only improved even further over the years as they’ve refined their shapes and carbon layups. As good as they are however, they’re still an expensive option and with prices for a carbon wheelset starting from £1600 not everyone is lucky enough to be able to justify the cost of having a set on their bike. 

Still the go to material for good affordable wheels, aluminium rims can also work very well when done right. Naturally more compliant and slightly less stiff than carbon, they give a comfortable ride, helping to mute out trail buzz slightly better which can be especially good for smaller riders. 

Reserve HD30 Alloy Wheelset on Neil's Santa Cruz Megatower

The other key difference is in the way the two materials react to impact. While a good carbon rim will simply shrug off a hit that might dent a regular aluminium one, when a carbon rim does finally take a hit hard enough to get through its defences, they generally crack and fail completely, whereas a tough aluminium option might be terminally damaged but still rideable. That might not seem like much of a distinction as you’ll be replacing the rim either way, but if you‘re halfway through a big enduro race or a holiday with no shops around then it could make the difference between finishing your riding or not. It’s for that reason you’ll see so many alloy rims on the bikes of pro enduro racers. They might ultimately last less long than a carbon one would, but having a ‘limp mode’ available can save a race or big day out.

For an amateur rider however, replacing alloy rims can start to get expensive over time for someone hard on their wheels, with rear rims becoming just another bike consumable part that needs replacing every so often after they inevitably take a terminal hit and up until recently, warranty on Alloy rims simply didn’t exist. 

Enter Reserve. Having already reset the expectation on carbon wheel warranty, it now seems they are set to do the same thing to the aluminium wheel market with their HD and SL 30 alloy wheelsets. 

In what looks to be a move set to disrupt existing expectations, they've once again stepped up and are offering their aluminium wheels with a lifetime warranty on the rim. It’s not quite clear cut as the carbon warranty with minor dings and flat spots not covered, but should you either crack or dent your rim enough that it won’t hold air on a tubeless setup any more, then Reserve will replace it free of charge. For ever. That’s an unprecedented level of support that goes far beyond the norm for an alloy wheelset, so with that established, what are the wheels actually like? 

Elegant and simple wheelsets, the two HD and SL options combine a Reserve 30mm internal width rim with the low maintenance  DT Swiss 350 hub, J-Bend spokes and corrosion resisting brass nipples. That creates near perfect sets of aluminium wheels, which balance weight and durability, using only parts that will stand the test of time and be easy to replace should spares ever be needed. Both come with Reserve rim tape (the best rim tape on the market in our opinion) included and also feature their brilliant high flow and clog proof Fillmore tubeless valves, which is a nice touch on the ‘basic’ option in their range. 

Cosmetically near identical, the SL wheelset uses a slightly lighter rim than the HD version, and also drops the spoke count from 32 to 28 to save a little more weight. Both are reasonably competitive in overall wheel weight, with the trail focused SL set weighing 1840 grams, while the tougher HD comes in at 2000 grams which is still pretty respectable for a pair of tough 32 spoke wheels. At £650 pricing is competitive too, even without factoring in the lifetime rim warranty, so for someone looking for a solid wheelset with good backup on a budget they present a compelling argument. 

Riding the AL wheels.

We've spent a decent amount of time on both the SL and HD Reserve wheels with Neil running them for a year aboard his Santa Cruz Megatower, while Fi from Dirt School has a set of the SL version as a second set for her Juliana Wilder when she’s riding it in ‘trail bike’ mode. 

Unsurprisingly both sets were completely trouble free. The DT 350 hubs have an excellent and well deserved reputation for bearing longevity, with both our wheelsets happily completing over a year of sustained use on a single set of hub bearings. Neither Neil or Fi managed to test the warranty with both sets remaining completely unscathed beyond minor scratches despite racking up substantial mileage under both of them. Both have also held spoke tension well, with Neil’s needing no more than a single tune up and Fi’s surviving with no maintenance at all. 

Beyond just simple reliability, both sets also have a good balanced ride quality. The 32 spoke HD set is a stout aluminium wheel, so well suited to use on a longer travel bike like Neil's Megatower. Decently stiff, they still have a touch more give than a robust carbon wheel would, muting out small vibration and sharp edges just a little better while also standing up to hard riding without flinching. They could do duty anywhere, but are ideally suited to longer travel bikes, E-Bikes or bigger riders who’ll appreciate the solid feel and increased durability offered by the higher spoke count.

Fi’s SL set has been similarly robust for her use on her Wilder (a light 115mm travel bike), but for any lighter or more weight conscious riders, the SL version could quite happily also work on a longer travel frame, giving just a touch more give and comfort than the HD with their lighter rim and lower spoke count. 

Looking for a super reliable wheelset that won’t break the bank? We’ve 29’ Reserve HD wheelsets in stock now, and most of the other options can be got on short lead times so let us know and pick up a set for the long haul. 

https://tweedvalleybikes.co.uk/products/reserve-30-hd-alloy-wheelset