Road racers and triathletes looking for speed and stability on a medium-range rim brake wheel budget would do well to look at the Reynolds AR80X. You can spend twice as much money, but you likely won't get any more than a modest performance gain. Reynolds offers value and performance, with durable construction and a Lifetime Warranty program when you register your wheels through a company with 70 years of carbon fiber manufacturing experience. The sleek 80mm tubeless ready rim profile matches well with higher volume tires and the geometry offers outstanding aerodynamics and great crosswind stability, outperforming a standard box rim in aero speed and performance, as well as many pricier competitors.

The AR80X rim itself has been developed with Reynolds 6-point evaluation and design program. Within the 6 focus points, each rim lay-up has been driven by the crucial properties of the specific wheel purpose. In these PR3 rims, the overall rim profile, rim bead and brake track areas are called out with unique fiber and resin schedules to create the optimal performance combination, and the other areas carry more general, but deeply proven Reynolds design technologies. With a 19mm internal rim width, offset to a max 29.5mm width at the widest point, the AR80X rim maintains speed and stability and has a tire width sweetspot of 25-30mm, but can also be ridden on the road effectively up to 34mm, and has full range to 40mm if desired. The shape and structure of the rim delivers great balance and effective aero benefit from the rim to tire in the 28mm tire width (as measured) when installed at pressure.

Reynolds has had great success with their carbon rim brake track technology. CTg2 is a second generation, patented carbon fiber rim and brake pad combination that allows for 30% higher resistance to heat than the respected 1st gen CTg braking system. Cryogenic Glass Transition is comprised of very specific carbon and resin combinations to help dissipate heat at the exterior of the rim surface to enhance braking performance. Proprietary Cryo-Blue Power brake pads are included with the wheelset and work in conjunction with the brake track to deliver the powerful, consistent braking while keeping things cool. This added durability ensures smooth, predictable braking performance, enhanced safety and industry-leading dependability.

The hubset is the Reynolds Allroad model for rim braking. Lightweight, stout, and fast rolling, this hubset features oversized alloy axles and smooth steel cartridge bearings. The Sapim CX-Sprint spokes allow for high tension and a consistent ride quality. The 20-hole front wheel is laced in a radial pattern, while the 24-hole rear wheel is laced 2x/2x. The spoke nipples are external for simple access and are sheltered by the rim shape from interaction with airflow. Reynolds does consider these wheels to be part of their Allroad series, but for road cyclists, the tire size limitation of rim brake equipped framesets is perhaps 30mm max, more likely 28mm. However, cyclocross or gravel riders using a cantilever brake system, such as those found on most cyclocross and touring frames until a few years ago have the ability to run up to a 40mm tire. That is due to the strength of the rims, as well as the quality build with these hubs and spokes.

Pre-taped for tubular tire use, the AR80X wheelset also comes with two 75mm tubeless valves. Strong and resilient steel-axle quick release skewers for front 100mm and rear 130mm hub spacing are supplied. Reynolds also applies a premium waterslide graphics package that looks fast and clean in a gloss black over the carbon rim finish. Overall, this is a sharp looking, fast riding, and easily controlled deep section wheelset unmatched at this price point.