SANDY, Utah (BRAIN) — Reynolds has streamlined its carbon wheel line for 2019, offering good/better/best options in road, gravel and mountain, plus a new selection of e-MTB wheels. The company’s reps will begin rolling out the program in July, and Reynolds will debut the line at Eurobike.
“We now have products in all the segments — we have equal product presentations for road, gravel, mountain and e-bike,” Reynolds CEO Scott Montgomery told BRAIN. “And to be at the table with products in all those segments was crucial, because there was a time when Reynolds was really road-centric, and we have worked our tails off this year to make sure we’re in all the segments.
“We’ve consolidated the line so that there are fewer total offerings, but we’re very strong in each segment,” he added.
The Black Label name from Reynolds’ premium mountain offering is now used for top-end products in road and gravel as well (MSRP: $2,099 across all styles).“That will always be our premium product. And that features the best rim, the best spoke, and the best hub, which at the moment is all exclusively Industry Nine,” Montgomery said.
“Then we have a midprice at $1,549, and those products generally move down one degree of quality of hub and spoke, and sometimes some slight changes in the rim. Then we have an entry-level price point at $1,299, which goes to a round spoke generally and a slightly heavier hub.”
The new TRE Series (for trail rated e-bike) is being introduced exclusively at the $1,549 midrange price point in an asymmetrical rim profile with a 30-millimeter internal rim width in 27.5-inch and 29er sizes and a 36-millimeter internal width for 27.5-inch only. All are built around a five-bearing hub designed to spread out greater loads from e-MTB motors.
“For this year we’re only introducing them in the mountain area because that’s where we see the highest volume. We definitely feel there is going to be much more e-bike activity in all segments in the coming year, but in the U.S. the charge is being led by mountain,” Montgomery said. “I think that’s clear and away the category that’s really opening up. Dealers are selling lots of transportation bikes too, but we don’t see transportation bikes going with carbon wheels.” (Reynolds stopped making aluminum wheels in 2016.)
Road wheels will be available for rim and disc brakes in rim depths up to 80 millimeters for the Black Label premium aero offering. Gravel wheels (Black Label ATR, ATR X and ATR, in descending price) are tubeless ready, have a 23-millimeter internal width, and will be available in both 700c and 650b versions at all price points.
Mountain wheels all feature a tubeless-ready hookless, asymmetrical rim profile. Black Label Mountain wheels span 29er XC, enduro and trail models and 27.5-inch trail, plus, enduro and DH versions. TRS midrange and TR entry-level trail wheels will come in 24- and 30-miillimeter internal widths for 29er and 30- and 36-millimeter widths for 27.5.
Wheelsets will begin shipping to retailers between July and early October.
Reynolds is also introducing a new lifetime warranty that contains no rider weight limits and “covers all crashes and abuse.”
“It basically says that if you have a problem with your wheel we’re willing to fix it, and that gives people a lot of confidence. We’ll replace it pretty much no questions asked,” Montgomery said.
Starting in July, Reynolds will also launch an aggressive EP program to build grass-roots support for the line.
“It’s not going to be a profit center for Reynolds, but getting people riding the wheels is the best way to really push it through. If you get three or four key people in the store riding Reynolds wheels, they’re going to sell a lot of them,” Montgomery said.
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Aero 80 road wheels will come in both rim- and disc-brake versions. MSRP: $2,099. -
Reynolds’ TR 309 trail wheels weigh 1,755 grams per set and will retail for $1,299.
