Reynolds

Attack Wheelset - Clincher

Part of the fun of riding hard is putting the hurt on others, though the only way to do it is to put the hurt on yourself. Attacking never gets easier, but with the right tools, life can become harder on your friends and rivals. This is where climbing and the Reynolds Attack Carbon Clincher Wheelset meet up.

The Attack wheels have a 32mm full-carbon clincher rim that shares the same shape and brake track as Reynolds high end Thirty Two Wheelset, but at a price that's much easier to swallow. The difference is a simpler, slightly heavier lay-up, round spokes, and Asian-sourced KT hubs.

We mentioned the brake track. Reynolds calls it their CTg, Cryo for cold, Tg for glass transition temperature. Unless you've been paying attention to the rides of carbon clinchers, you probably don't know why we're emphasizing this. Heat build-up is an issue that dogs all carbon-fiber rims; in some cases, a poorly-designed rim has overheated, deforming the rim and literally exploding the tire off the rim. This is something no one ever wants to see happen. Reynolds has made a new laminate that can withstand more heat without breaking down. Along with the rim developments, Reynolds also designed their own brake pads. The result is a safer wheel that brakes more consistently and should leave you with no worries about the rim heating up on long descents.

All Reynolds wheel owners can buy themselves some extra peace of mind by purchasing Reynolds' three-year damage protection plan. It's called RAP, short for Reynolds Assurance Plan. The insurance means you should have little fear that a crash will ruin your wheel investment. Find out more about it on the Reynolds Cycling site.

Both wheels use DT Revolution spokes. There are 20 radial front spokes and 24 cross-2 drive and radial non-drive rear. The alloy nipples are hidden inside the rim for a sleeker profile to the wind. They can be adjusted with a Reynolds-specific internal spoke wrench included with the wheels.

The Reynolds Attack Carbon Clincher Wheelset comes with either a Campagnolo or Shimano/SRAM compatible freehub body, and they include a full set of Reynolds' Cryo Blue brake pads in versions to match each. Reynolds recommends only these pads as they were designed with the brake tracks; use of any other brake pads is not recommended and will void the warranty. The wheels come with Reynolds plastic tire levers; while you don't have to use these, Reynolds specifically discourages using anything but plastic tire levers with their carbon-fiber clincher rims. Both skewers are also included.