Reserve 25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim
The Reserve 25|GR is the carbon gravel rim from Santa Cruz's wheel brand for the tires most gravel bikes actually run: 35 to 45mm. It has a 25mm inner width, a hookless tubeless bead, a layup tuned for compliance on washboard and rough dirt, and the Reserve lifetime warranty. It is the gravel rim we build when a customer wants a light carbon wheel that is not fragile.
This page covers the Reserve 25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim in 700c. The 25 GR comes from us only as a finished wheel: pick the hub, spokes and nipples, and we lace, tension and true it by hand in Georgia before it ships.
Design and construction
Reserve shapes the 25 GR with a 25mm inner width and a hookless bead, which gives a 40mm gravel tire a rounder, faster profile than a wider rim and lets the rim be light. The layup is thinner than Reserve's mountain rims but reinforced at the bead where gravel rims take rock strikes, and the profile is tuned to flex vertically a little, which is where the comfort comes from. External nipples, standard J-bend spokes, tubeless from the box.
Hookless beads need tubeless-ready tires and the pressure limits printed on the rim; the configurator and the rim both say so.
How it rides
A 25 GR wheel is light, fast and comfortable on rough gravel. The compliance Reserve builds in takes the sting out of washboard, the 25mm bed keeps a 40mm tire stable at low pressure, and the rim accelerates like a road wheel. It is the wheel that makes a gravel race feel shorter.
For 45mm and wider tires and rougher bikepacking use, the Reserve 30|GR at 30mm is the better bed; the 25 GR is the rim for gravel racing and fast mixed-surface riding on 35 to 45mm tires.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c |
|---|---|
| ERD | 603 (29in) |
| Inner width | 25 mm |
| Depth | 18 mm |
| Drillings | 24h |
| Weight | 350g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Spoke bed | Offset 3 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
About this listing
Version notes. 700c, 24h, about 350g, 25mm inside, 18mm deep, disc. The other sizes and brake versions of the 25 GR have their own listings; this page is for this one.
This is the disc-brake 25 GR: plain sidewalls, no brake track to wear, a touch lighter. It fits any disc-brake bike and it is the version most of our customers now build; the rim-brake version is a separate listing.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Reserve 25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim comes in 700c and 24h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the 25 GR on DT Swiss 350, 240 and 180, Industry Nine 1/1 and Hydra, White Industries CLD, Hope RS4 and Chris King R45 hubs, usually with Sapim CX-Ray, Laser or D-Light spokes or DT Aerolite and Competition, and brass nipples.
Tire range on the 25 GR is 35 to 45mm with hookless-compatible tubeless tires. Pick your bike type and weight in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Reserve 25 Gr Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this rim pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed, tandem and e-bike and touring builds.
Spoke head is decided by the hub, not the rim: this rim builds equally well with J-bend or straight-pull spokes, and the configurator only offers the spokes that match the hub you pick.
Testing, standards and warranty at Reserve
Reserve Wheels, Santa Cruz Bicycles' wheel brand, designs and tests its rims in Santa Cruz, California. Reserve states its rim shapes were developed "with information from testing in our carbon lab" and that "each wheel goes through a thorough human and machine-aided inspection before it gets put in the box." Press coverage (NSMB, 2017) described the in-house impact test as one side of the rim landing on a square-edged rock from over 3 feet with a tire at 25 psi, unlike the UCI test that strikes both rim walls with a flat pad and no tire. Reserve publishes no joule or fatigue-cycle figures and does not state where the rims are molded.
Warranty: Reserve states a lifetime warranty for the original owner on any rim "damaged or destroyed by riding," with reduced-cost crash replacement for accidents. Aluminum rims are covered for dents that will not hold air, seam separation and spoke-hole cracks.
Reserve's videos
Certifications
- ASTM use classification — Dealer tech doc (7-10-26) lists ASTM Condition 1 (road), 2 (gravel), 3 (28|XC, 30|XC), 4 (30|SL, 30|HD carbon), 5 (30|HD AL, 30|DH, 31|DH) (source)
- E-bike approved — 30|HD and 30|DH product pages state E-Bike Approved: Yes (source)
- Lifetime warranty — Original owner, lifetime of the rim, registration required (Safety Instructions rev 12.19.2025) (source)
Sources on Reserve's site:
- Frequently Asked Questions – Reserve Wheels
- Our Promise To You – Reserve Wheels
- Reserve Engineering – Reserve Wheels
- Technical Documents – Reserve Wheels
- Reserve Wheels Safety Instructions (PDF, Dec 2025)
Everything in this section is published by Reserve. ProWheelBuilder is the wheel builder, not the tester, and the rim reaches us as the maker ships it.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Reserve makes the 25 GR; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer, and the Reserve lifetime warranty rides with the rim. We measure the rim before we cut a spoke, bring the wheel up in three or four rounds with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last, then tape it and fit a valve if you want it tubeless.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is live.
Warranty
Reserve's warranty. Reserve, made by Santa Cruz Bicycles, covers its rims for the lifetime of the rim to the original owner: a rim broken while riding is replaced, and damage from a non-riding incident is covered by a low-cost crash-replacement program.
ProWheelBuilder. Lace this into a wheel here and the finished wheel gets our own one-year warranty as well as the maker's. For twelve months we replace broken spokes however they broke, and the work on the wheel is on us - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild where it is needed. If the rim or hub is covered by its manufacturer we put the claim in and chase it; if it is not, we supply an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off the current retail price. Carriage both ways is the customer's, and this does not cover wheels built from parts you send in.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
25mm inside is the all-road and gravel width. Think 32 to 45mm tires: wide enough to support a gravel casing properly so it holds its shape at low pressure, narrow enough that a 30mm road tire still sits right if you swap wheels between bikes.
What is the difference between the 25 GR and the 30 GR?
Width. The 25 GR is 25mm internal for 35 to 45mm tires and gravel racing; the 30 GR is 30mm for 45mm and wider tires and rougher riding.
What does hookless mean for me?
Use tubeless-ready tires and stay under the maximum pressure printed on the rim, which is well above what a 40mm gravel tire needs anyway.
Is the 25 GR tubeless?
Yes. It is a hookless tubeless rim; we tape and fit a valve on request.
Does the lifetime warranty apply to a rim bought here?
Yes. Reserve's lifetime warranty covers the carbon rim regardless of who built the wheel; keep your order confirmation.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Reserve lists the 25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
Which spoke count should I choose?
It depends on your weight, terrain and the hub, not the rim alone. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, within the drillings this rim is made in.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
