Welcome to the Reserve Wheels technical documentation and help page. Below you will find all of the technical information related to building and maintaining your Reserve wheels.

Tech Docs

Have you been searching for detailed specifications for Reserve mountain and road wheels? Well, you’ve come to the right spot. We now have all of the technical information for all current and archived wheel consolidated into a few handy documents.

Road Wheel Spoke Lengths

Road wheel building specifications including spoke lengths, nipple spec and other technical information.

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Mountain Wheel Spoke Lengths

Mountain bike wheel building specifications including spoke lengths, nipple spec and other technical information.

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Reserve Wheels Tech Info

Information related to use classifications, max tire pressures, ERD, and spoke counts.

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Wheels Safety Instructions

Different materials and components may react to wear or stress fatigue in different ways. Learn more about the safety considerations specific to Reserve Wheels.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get more information on the warranty policy on aluminum rims and wheels?

The lifetime warranty is for the original owner. We ship out complete wheels as a first option, with rims and a service credit provided as a second options. Crash replacements for either a rim or wheel are provided at a reduced price from retail costs.

  • Dented rim, no paint chipping, holding air: crash replacement Dented rim, paint chipping, holding or not holding air: warranty
  • Dented rim, not holding air: warranty
  • Seam separation: warranty
  • Crack at spoke hole: warranty

Are Reserve road rims hooked or hookless?

Currently, the limiting factor for hookless rims is tire compatibility and a limit on tire pressure. Full hooked rims on the other hand are typically heavier and harder to install tubeless tires. Reserve road rims as a result are semi-hooked, which means there are reasonable limits on tire pressure, no tire incompatibility issues and tires are easy to install.

What is the maximum pressure allowed on the road rims?

The maximum pressure for the road rims is 100 psi or 6.9 bar and we do not recommend riding with pressures above 80 psi or 5.5 bar. This applies whether you are running a tubeless or tubed set up.

What's with the raised square-shaped area around the spokes on the carbon mountain bike wheels?

That's material right where you need it. With information from testing in our carbon lab in hand, we set about determining how to build the strongest rim possible, and part of the result is the square-shaped reinforcements you can see around the spoke holes.

Can individual front and/or rear wheels be purchased separately?

Unfortunately, we no longer sell individual wheels.

Can you build me a wheelset if I send you my hubs? Do you sell rim-only?

We do not currently offer wheelbuilding services, but we do offer rim-only options so you can have your dream wheels built by an experienced wheelsmith.

Are all Reserve wheelsets Ebike compatible? 

Only five rims meet the requirements for use on Ebikes: the Reserve 30, the Reserve 30|HD, the Reserve 30|HD AL and 30|SL AL, and the Reserve 31|DH.

How does the Lifetime Warranty work?

We'll repair or replace at our option any Reserve rim that is damaged or destroyed by riding. The warranty will be in effect for the lifetime of the rim and is available only to the original owner.

If you need to replace your rim, you can make a warranty claim here and our warranty team will take care of you.

For a hub specific warranty issue you would want to work with the hub manufacturer (I9, Chris King, or DT Swiss) for warranty assistance.

How do I find the serial number for my rims?

On carbon wheels, the serial numbers are printed on the bed of the rim, a few inches from the valve hole, under your rim tape. For aluminum rims, the serial numbers are only printed on the sticker on the outside of the rim.

Will there be non-boost Reserve wheel options for older or non compatible bike models?

Currently we only have Boost hub options (110x15mm Front & 148x12mm Rear). However, we do offer a Reserve rim-only option for custom build ups on older/different hub options.

Do you offer wheels for my 135mm QR bike or 100x15mm through-axle fork?

We only offer Reserve road and gravel wheels with 142x12 rear and 100x12 front hubs. Both the Industry Nine and DT 350 endcaps that can be easily swapped to convert these to 100x15 or 135mm QR if you need that for your bike. Just speak with your dealer, and they will help you out!

Do you recommend or advise against using a tubeless aid system such as Schwalbe Pro Core with the Reserve wheels?

Totally up to you! They add weight, but they do also add some protection. We have seen good results with Pro-Core in our wheel test lab.

Where can I find an owner's manual for my Reserve Wheels?

All of our owner's manuals are kept freshright here.

Is there a weight limit for my wheels?

Reserve wheels do not have rider weight limits.

Do I need rim tape?

Yes, if you use tubes, you will need tape to cover the spoke holes to prevent the tube from being punctured. If you run a tubeless set up, you will need to install tubeless compatible rim tape.

Which valve length will I need for my wheels?

50mm Fillmore Valve - fits Rim Depths between 18mm to 28mm

70mm Fillmore Valve - fits Rim Depths between 30mm to 48mm


90mm Fillmore Valve - fits Rim Depths between 48mm to 68mm

How do I switch a driver on my wheels? 

This is depending on hub model and maker, and you should refer specifically to the hub manufacturer’s website for instructions.

Can DT Swiss Ratchet EXP drivers be used on non-EXP hubs?

No, they are not compatible.

Do the wheels use brass or aluminum nipples? 

Our complete wheelsets are built with aluminum nipples.

Does the lifetime warranty apply to rims?

Yes. If you purchased a rim only option, we will provide a lifetime warranty on the rim.

Do you offer Superboost 157 hub options? 

We only offer models with this hub spacing in DH and MX wheel hubs. Please check the individual wheelset pages for more detail.

What is the recommended spoke tension? 

The recommended spoke tension for Reserve Carbon Wheels is 100-120 kgf (9.8- 11.8 Nm). The tight side needs to be within 1000-1300N and the wheel should be dished. These two factors decide the tension on the loose side. Each wheel configuration results in different tension on the loose side. What is important is that the loose side tension must be balanced so that none of the spokes are too tight or too loose in relation to the other spokes.

Do you replace the rim or complete wheel? 

On occasion, as a means to expedite support, we may provide a rim and a service credit instead of a complete wheel. We will only be doing this in cases where we are unable to provide a complete wheel within 30 days of claim submission

Do you warranty the hub if I have an issue?

Hub warranty support is provided by the hub manufacturer directly.

Where can I find information for older Reserve Wheels

Click here to see the product archive.

What side is the "tight side" as mentioned in your wheel building documents?

The tight side of a front wheel is the left (disc) and for the rear, it is the right (cassette) side. For the loose side, there is no specified tension. The tight side needs to be within 1000-1300N and the wheel should be dished. These two factors decide the tension on the loose side. Each wheel configuration results in different tension on the loose side. What is important is that the loose side tension must be balanced so that none of the spokes are too tight or too loose in relation to the other spokes.

Which brand spoke freeze do you recommend?

We recommend DT Swiss-brand Spoke Freeze.

Spoke Freeze – Colle adhésive pour écrous de rayon appliquée sur roues montées et vérifiées

Appliquez une goutte de DT spoke freeze sur la liaison écrou-rayon (voir illustration):

sur un filetage dégraissé: sur un filetage graissé:

l‘écrou ext fixé fermement – pas de dessarrage

l‘écrou est fixé, mais peut être desserré vigoureusement avec un tendeur à écrous. Recentrage possible plus tard.

La résistance définitive maximale est atteinte après 12 heures (à une température ambitante), mais la roue peut déjà être utilisée après quatre heures. Le collage reste permanente à des températures ambiantes entre -50°C et +150°C.

DT spoke freeze – développé par DT Swiss et Loctite – est une colle adhésive anaérobique qui ne durcit seulement au contact de deux surfaces métalliques à l‘exclusion d‘air. Livraison das des bouteilles à moitié remplies (contenue net 10 ml). Un remplissage suffit pour env. 350 raddorde- ments.

Spoke Freeze – Nipple locking system for wheelbuilding – on the built wheel

Apply one drop of DT spoke freeze to each nipple-spoke joint (see picture):

on a degrease spoke thread: on an oiled spoke thread:

nipple is firmly fixed – no loosening

nipple is fixed – but still can be turned forcefully with a nipple wrench for retruing

Full stability after 12 hours at room temperature; the wheel can already be used after four hours. The adhesive stays stable at temperatures between -50°C and +150°C.

DT spoke freeze – developed by DT Swiss and Loctite – is an anaerobic adhesive which only hardens under hermetic contact of two metal sufraces. It is therefore supplied in half-filled bottles (net content 10 ml). One filling lasts for approx. 350 joints.

 

What do the labels on the rims that say HT and LT mean?

LT = loose tension and HT = high tension. On all wheels, the tight side of a front wheel is the disc side and the tight side of a rear wheel is the driver side. The decals have an arrow next to the letters, and that arrow has always pointed to the tight side, regardless of the letters.

What's up with the lacing pattern on the 28|XCs? Some of the spokes do not appear to be touching.

This non-interlaced pattern is unique to the 28|XCs and is used because straight-pull spokes can occasionally creak under load. We have lab tested both interlaced and non-interlaced versions of the 28|XC and there is no perceptible lateral or vertical stiffness difference.

Can I use another brand nipple than the Sapim Secure Lock nipple which is standard on my Reserve wheelset?

Reserve uses Sapim Secure Lock nipples on all wheel builds, but alternative brand and model nipples of the same size and material may be used, but we recommend applying DT Swiss Spoke Freeze to the nipples during assembly.

My spoke has a P stamped on the end of it. What is the spoke brand and what is the spoke spec?

Spokes with a P stamped on the end are Pillar PSR Wing 20 J-Bend black spokes and should be combined with the Pillar Alloy DSN 16mm nipple black.

Looking for Older Wheels?

Our wheels are meant to keep on spinning for as long as possible. Find all of the info to keep maintained and relevant info to the wheelset you own.

See Archive