AR 41 X

I waited until I had some miles on these to review them. First, my setup: I put the rim brake AR41X wheels on my 2017 Allez Sprint which is my backup, travel, training and bad weather bike. I bought these wheels in hopes of having the elusive "one wheel to do it all" knowing I'd ride on bad weather, up climbs, in crosswinds and on flats. They are setup tubeless with 26mm tires.

I read a review which put me off about buying these saying they flex excessively. It appears to be only a single review but it's in both video and online blog formats, other reviews appear sparse. Due to the price I took the plunge anyway, as with the sale on these you won't find any new warrantied wheels that will come close.

I'm a big rider. I weigh between 230 and 235 and the Sprint adds another 18lbs to the mix. I'm a former crit sprinter and still push near 1300 watts in a dig. I look for wheels without rider weight limits, which puts my focus on Reynolds, Reserve, and maybe a handful of others that are robust wheels. I flex every wheelI ride on, without fail.

First things first, I don't know if the reviewer claiming these wheels flex excessively had a bad set, or Reynolds fixed the issue, but they don't flex any more than any other rim brake wheelset I've used. If I really hammer on them they will contact the rim brake, otherwise they don't. That includes longer seated climbs at 300-400 watts lugging all my weight on them. Carbon doesn't like to change shape, and the spokes take the brunt of flex. It's pretty common knowledge that on rim brake carbon wheels you need to set the brake gap a little wider to compensate. I'm also on a dropped stay Allez Sprint which is known to be stiff, so I probably have less noodling in the rear of this bike than some will. I'll go on record saying that a lot of wheel flex can be dialed out with technique. If you hammer any rim laterally it will bend (and break) and in the end that force could be used to propel you forward not just wildly flail the bike around. Not saying this is the case in every instance, but if you know how to use body english, I don't see you flexing these rims excessively.

These wheels behave like 50mm wheels in the wind but don't have the surprises in steering that strong crosswinds provide. Overall, the shape and behavior of this rim in the wind is excellent. They're comfortable and fast. They spin up well and hold speed. Setup was a breeze and the tubeless tires sealed with no drama.

Lastly, I'll point out an often ignored facet of rim brake carbon wheels... These actually stop. Reynolds and the cryo blue brake compound are known for stopping power and these deliver confident performance well beyond what most carbon wheels provide in rim brake format.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with these wheels for my use, which is as a do it all solution for road riding. I'm heavy, I ride on rough roads and these leave me wanting for nothing. They're not the fastest or lightest but I don't think they're supposed to be. With Reynolds warranty backing them I'm sure if anything goes wrong they'll fix it without issue. I cannot recommend giving these a shot on your training bike highly enough.

One of my RZR wheels broke and I got a discount for a new pair of wheels. The customer service was super helpful and super responsive. Dan Johnson was awesome and helped me a lot with all my questions during the whole process. I'm super happy of the new pair of wheels is great. It's my first pair of tubeless and I love the comfort it adds.

I have been riding the wheels with 25 mm clinchers for about a month, 800 miles. The ride is smooth and responsive, no flex in or out of the saddle what so ever. Fast on the flats and descents. No lag on the climbs. Handles well in the wind. Great all around race or training wheel set.

Love these wheels. Super fast and rolls forever. Only thing I don't like is the swooshing sound when I'm out of the saddle. It sounds like the tire is rubbing the brakes, but I can clearly see the front wheel does not. Not sure if it's the hubs. I would give a 5 star review, but the since I can't identify where the noise comes from and I don't get the same noise from my Bontragers, a solid 4 is how I rate them.

Have rode on the wheels 2 times and the rear brakes rub all time.If you grab wheel you can more wheel back and forth as if spike are not tensioned properly.