Santa Cruz Bicycles

Reserve 25 29in DT 350 Boost Wheelset

Historically, we've been taught to view wagon wheels as unwieldy, floppy, and soft. Santa Cruz Bicycles' Reserve 25 29in DT 350 Boost Wheelset proves those lessons wrong. The wider hubs and reinforced carbon rims eliminate those negatives while preserving the thing that made us fall in love with 29ers to begin with: the high angle of attack native to larger wheels. The rims also provide space for mid-sized tires, letting 29in tires bounce out to 2.4in for traction, cushion, and reduced rolling resistance. Santa Cruz was also careful in designing these carbon wheels to be the strongest on the market, totally reimagining the impact testing methods used on other carbon rims in order to ensure true all-mountain durability.

Replicating pothole-like impact test is fine for road wheels, but Santa Cruz goes a step further, developing a testing procedure that simulates the one-sided impacts that can occur when pinballing through a rock garden. As SC tested other carbon wheels, it became readily apparent that most carbon not only broke on the affected bead hook, they also failed at the nipple/rim interface, which was caused by drastic changes in spoke tension as the wheel flexed on impact.

To mitigate these breakage issues, Santa Cruz beefed up the bead hook, increasing the thickness by 1mm along each side for improved resiliency. The engineers then fortified the spoke holes with square-shaped reinforcements you can see externally on the spoke face, protecting the nipples from suddenly pulling through on hard impact. Santa Cruz is so confident in the strength of these wheels, it offers up a lifetime warranty.

These wheels are laced to DT Swiss 350 Hubs, which are known for their outstanding reliability and durability. The star ratchet is upgraded to a 36t version for quicker engagement that preserves the signature DT hum while freewheeling. J-bend spokes and mechanical lock nipples make for easier replacement and sourcing in the field, should you break a spoke or nipple while traveling, and you don’t have to pull the tire, sealent, and rim strip to true a wheel.