Prototype Reynolds ATR “All Terrain Road” Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels Spotted

Written by Tyler Benedict Sep 12, 2014 10:15 p.m. ET

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Hiding behind the table at Reynolds’ Interbike booth were these new ATR concept wheels, and we got the scoop.

Referring to their preferred moniker for gravel/adventure/offroad, these “All Terrain Road” wheels are built up with their carbon fiber 29er rims and upper end Centerlock disc brake road bike hubs with 24 spokes.

So, how do you get them?

The story is if you were an independent bike shop and placed an order to stock wheels in 2015, you’ll be getting a set. So, apologies if not every dealer is getting these, we don’t know all the official details (MOQs, payment, etc.), but that’s the only way you’ll be getting them. That said, word is dealers are free to do whatever they want with them – ride them, sell them, etc. So, we’re sayin’ there’s a chance.

Actually, there’s more of a chance. The whole scheme is to see what the response is. If it’s good, it could be something they move into production in some form or another.

Interested? Let ’em know in the comments.

ReynoldsCycling.com

Tyler Benedict

11,200 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter.

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SPG

9 years ago

Beautiful. Tough enough for CX?

Michael

9 years ago

24 spokes! Wow! The adventure will come to a complete stop if a spoke breaks out in the middle of nowhere. Looks nice, but not really practical. Maybe 28, or even 32.

stu

9 years ago

24 spokes is heaps micheal! I run shimano XT trail wheels on my 6″ travel dually, and the are bomb proof. Have even broken a spokesman and managed to ride 25kms home..

Darryl

9 years ago

The rim has plenty of stiffness to be able to be ridden in the case of a single spoke breakage.
It is also unlikely to break a spoke with straight pull spokes.

craigsj

9 years ago

It’s for when you want a MTB wheel set, only worse.

Not certain why you want a carbon MTB rim for any kind of “road” riding since they have relatively low pressure ratings. Does gravel/adventure/offroad mean never wanting, say, 50 psi? I tried a Reynolds wheel in the past and they wouldn’t take that kind of pressure. Has that changed? I use an MTB wheel set on a CX bike and for road riding I use a 38mm tire at 50 psi. Those rims are aluminum for that reason.

I agree with Michael, the adventure is wondering if you’ll ever finish the ride.

muf

9 years ago

28 front 32 rear for gravel/atr wheels seems like a better choice for the average population of riders. heck on bunny hop pretty high on cyclocross for example.. and even jump small gaps.

i wouldn’t touch a 24 spokes unless i would be 50kg. turns out most of us are in the 70kg range.

Bog

9 years ago

Personally I’ve been using the Reynolds 29er wheels (with 24h rims) on my mtb for over two years and the rims are stellar. I’m 230 lbs and ride them hard on North Shore XC trails.

I’ve recently built some new mtb wheels and have relegated these to my CX racing wheelset because the cheap Reynolds hubs can’t handle the torque loads of mtbing and I get constant failures of the freehub body. They’ve been awesome used as tubeless CX wheels.

These should be bombproof for CX and gravel riding. I can’t find a pressure rating on a Reynolds website but in general, companies provide these max pressure ratings for mtb tires on mtb rims. The wide tires put a higher force on the rim bead than a narrower tire when run at the same pressure so I fully trust them with narrower tires at a higher pressure.

advcyclist

9 years ago

Make ’em tubeless and I’m in for a set.

craigsj

9 years ago

“The wide tires put a higher force on the rim bead than a narrower tire when run at the same pressure so I fully trust them with narrower tires at a higher pressure.”

Then you are making a mistake. I tried a 28mm tire on a Reynolds carbon rim and it started to fail visibly by 50 psi. Reynolds, at the time, didn’t publish pressure ratings for their rims.

Wayne Lee

9 years ago

Any rim that is subjected to pressures above 40 pounds connot be hookless. Hookless mtb rims are designed for pressures less than 30 pounds. Gravel road bikes will require much higher pressures and therefore requirea rim with a hook……

This is exactly why we developed our mod hook rim for am/enduro riding. We found through riders testing our rims …Thomas Vanderham and Rowann Sorrell, that they will increase the tire pressure to 40 pounds when they ride rocky trails or trails with a lot of jumps. 3.5mm wall hickness and 1mm deep hook is where its at…

His Highness Lord Wrinkletits

9 years ago

(deleted)

muddy

9 years ago

@Michael and Stu, 24 spokes is plenty for gravel, cross and light XC, after 1000+ off road miles my hoops are still true.

greg

9 years ago

24 is good for even trail riding, if the rim is stiff enough. stiff rims will spread loads out across a greater rim area. for instance, Roval Control SL carbon wheels are 24spokes for 2014. very tough. those same wheels (with hookless beads) will go to 45psi.
most narrow, cross-type tubeless tires have either carbon beads (hutchinson) or “high modulus kevlar” (bontrager?), allowing higher pressures, hookless or not.

wheelz

9 years ago

So far, only the new Stan’s Grail rims seem to have what many people are looking for: a road-tubeless compatible (can handle high road preassures) gravel/CX rim. I do many big adventure rides where I start out riding 60 or so miles on the road, then hit 60 miles of gravel. Would be nice start with high pressure and then let some air out for the dirt. Also, nice to have the flexibility to mount up normal road tires.

gabbia

9 years ago

@SPG, if Kabush can race their RZR for cross I’m sure this would be as well
@advcyclist, learn to look at all the photos, tubeless in 2nd to last one

Obviously Reynolds knows what they’re doing and is one of the industy leaders. Why do you think companies like I9 have them build their rims?
Can’t wait to try a pair.

Trevor H

9 years ago

Interestingly enough, i’ve been running a first gen set of mavic c29ssmax wheels as road tubeless for the past 3 months. Hutchinson Sector28 tires at around 80psi. They ride well, and I’ve had zero issues with them since the setup. AND I weigh 250lbs. I also purchased them used, and I’m not too worried about it.

And while those are aluminum and these are carbon, enve even released a tech note a while back for running road tires in their XC29 carbon rims. Surprise surprise, everything is kosher and they approve of running road tires AT PRESSURE! https://www.facebook.com/notes/enve-composites/29-xc-tire-pressure-tech-note/497826990261715

I am interested in a set of these myself, but definitely want to check with Reynolds to make sure that a similar pressure chart structure works for this specific rim. That and what the freehub body options are..

Trevor H

9 years ago

I can’t imagine it will be much of an issue. I run c29ssmax wheels with Sector28’s at around 80psi. not a single issue, and no i didn’t ask mavic if i could. A smaller volume tire actually puts less stress on the rim than a higher volume tire.

A while back Enve released a tech note about running road tires on their xc29 rims. They have done most of the leg work, and it looks like they approve of running road tires at pressure. It is one of the benefits of doing the hooked rims, and I am sure that Reynolds is trying to take advantage of the availability of the molds they already have to make a wheel some people already want.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/enve-composites/29-xc-tire-pressure-tech-note/497826990261715

I personally can’t wait to try a set for cross/road riding. They should be a great setup, but i’ll definitely confirm with them as to what the max pressures are going to be..