Last September at Interbike 2014, we got a First Look at the limited Reynolds Cycling ATR wheelset, which was given out to every dealer ready to stock Reynolds' products as a promotional piece. As we predicted, the company took note of the popularity of the ATR tubeless wheelset practically designed with cyclocross and adventure racing in mind, and will now be offering them for sale in their standard lineup.
At NAHBS, we took a closer look at the now-official ATR wheelset, and we noticed that Reynolds decided to go with their in-house hubs, which were able to make these wheels more affordable at $1550, which could be rightly compared to the BLACKLABEL 29 TR tubeless mountain wheel, which runs at $2400 (the latter uses DT Swiss 240s hubs, which we saw at Winter Press Camp last year). The affordability comes with a marginal increase of weight, from the BLACKLABEL's 1500g to the ATR's 1535g. You can also see these wheels built at NAHBS on the award-winning No.22 Broken Arrow.
With the use of different end caps, the ATR wheelset converts from quick release to a 15mm thru axle front and a 12mm (x142mm) thru axle rear. Currently, there is no conversion available for the 12mm thru axle front wheel. As we saw with the new Zipp offerings, the Reynolds ATR will also be able to take an XD cassette driver body, which can take a SRAM 10-42 11-speed cassette.
Just as with the Assault SLG Disc wheelset, Reynolds now offers the wheel in Centerlock rotor-compatible hubs. Spoke count is 24, instead of the mountain bike-oriented Black Lablel TR's 28, but Reynolds opts for its own hubs instead of the DT Swiss 240S hubset. Weight bumps up just 35g to 1535g.
The biggest story is the width and tubeless nature of these rims. Reynolds took the opposite approach that Zipp took in the re-release of the 202 and 303 Firecrest Disc wheels, in that Reynolds seems to be catering to rougher terrain riders, with the generous 21mm internal width (29mm external) and tubeless compatibility.
We’ve had a good results with the Reynolds Assault SLG Disc tubular wheelset first seen last winter and then in July (and be sure to see our long-term review in our next print mag), but tubulars aren't for everyone, especially for the more adventurous gravel racer. We’re really excited about the tubeless nature and width of the ATR wheels, and are looking forward to testing a pair.
See the Reynolds ATR disc wheelset in photos below.
More info:
ReynoldsCycling.com
The external width sits at 29mm with an internal width at 21mm and features a lip (under the tape) to keep the bead in place. © Cyclocross Magazine
