[Tested] Reynolds TR 307 S
Since January we’ve been riding hard on the Reynolds TR 307 S wheel set. The wheels retail for $1,549.99 USD. All of Reynold’s products, feature two bold guarantees, one being that in the first 30 days of riding, if you’re dissatisfied or unimpressed with the ride quality for any reason, they’ll accept a return and give you a full refund. The other impressive thing is that the wheels are backed by a lifetime warranty, which to quote Reynolds, it means that; “if you manage to break your wheel while you’re riding your bike, we’ll repair or replace it for free.”
The company also has set up an assurance program that goes above and beyond the lifetime warranty. The program does cost some money, but ensures that if you forgot your bike on the roof rack, and sailed into the garage, you can still count on a new wheel set being sent your way. During our review, we actually encountered a situation that needed us to filter an issue though the warranty department, so we’ll touch on that a bit later.
Specs
- Rim Material: Carbon Fiber
- Rim Construction: Hookless tire bead, tubeless ready, Mountain Rim 5 (MR5) Construction Technology
- Rim Size: 27.5”
- Rim Width: Internal 30mm, External 36mm
- Rim Depth: 26mm
- Rim Weight: 443g
- Hub: Reynolds TR6 Mountain Hub, 100% CNC machined – 5 degree engagement, 6 pawl freehub
- Spoke Count: 28 Front, 28 Rear
- Brake Interface: Disc Only, Center Lock
- Front Axle Spacing: 15×100 or 15×110 (Boost)
- Rear Axle Spacing: 12×142 or 12×148 (Boost)
- Freehub: Shimano 9-11spd or SRAM XD
- Wheelset Weight: 1560g
The wheels come with 5 color options to match your bike, in the form of rim decals. The rims have a 30mm internal/36 external width, and are asymmetrical for strength. The rims are laced to the Reynolds TR6 Mountain Hub, that features 5 degrees of engagement, and a center lock rotor interface. The wheels ship with tubeless valves, and with center lock, to six bolt adapters. We were skeptical of the adapters, and it was for good reason, as we were never able to achieve the level of stiffness front to back that we’d encounter with a standard six bolt hub. The gripe we have with center lock, is that if things come loose on the trail, it’s unlikely there with be the proper tool present to tighten your rotor, whereas nearly anyone with a multi-tool has a T25 ready to tighten rotor bolts.
On the trail
We tested the TR 307 S wheel set on our Giant Reign. The wheels were an absolute dream on our first ride in comparison with the stock alloy wheel set. The low rotational weight of carbon wheels is a night and day difference, and a welcome addition to our typical 20 mile loop.
The stiffness of the wheel set is a happy medium between too rigid in the rough, and too flexible in the corners. We rode for a few months on the wheels without needing to touch spoke tension, it’s likely the asymmetrical rim profile helped with this.
One day while riding a small jump feature on a local trail, we landed hard in some roots, and heard a pop sound. After inspection we found a crack in the rear rim. The wheel stayed true, and the tire held pressure, allowing us to get back to our vehicles. At the time we had a Schwalbe Magic Mary on the rim, set up tubeless.
After finding the crack, we reached out to our contact, who forwarded all the info about the incident to the Reynolds warranty department. We weren’t asked to send the damaged rim in, and the new complete wheel showed up in 2 weeks. We happened to be overseas, so the timeline on replacement wasn’t crucial, and the new wheel was on our door upon our return, but we could see a consumer wanting a shorter timeframe in order to get back to riding as soon as possible. Overall the damage was relatively minimal, and since then, we’ve left the tire on the cracked rim, and it’s still holding air to this day, which is a testament to Reynolds hookless rim profile and overall strength.
Overall
For just over $1500 we’d say the Reynolds TR 307 S wheel set is a reasonable option to consider for all around trail riding. When it comes to carbon, anything can happen, and it’s good that these wheels are backed by a solid warranty, and a US based team. We rode the replacement wheel for a few weeks, and had no issues, but it’s a bit difficult to fully endorse them, after our given incident occurred on a fairly low consequence trail feature.
More info at: Reynolds
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