Reserve 30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim
The Reserve 30|SL is the trail rim in Santa Cruz's Reserve range: a 30mm inner width in a lighter layup than the 30|HD, asymmetric, tubeless, and built to be the everyday 29in trail wheel that climbs well and still survives real riding. This page covers the Reserve 30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim; Reserve makes the 30 SL in carbon, with the lifetime warranty that made the brand's name, and in an aluminum version that brings the same profile to a lower price.
The 30 SL is not sold bare. You choose the hub and the rest of the build in the configurator, and it ships from our shop in Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
The carbon 30 SL uses a profile Reserve developed after the original 30 and 30|HD: a 30mm inner width, a hookless-style tubeless bead, and an asymmetric spoke bed that brings drive-side and non-drive-side tension closer together on a Boost rear so the wheel stays true. The layup is lighter than the 30 HD with a compliance tuned for trail riding rather than bike park, and the nipples are external so the wheel is trued with ordinary tools.
The aluminum 30 SL keeps the width and the asymmetric bed in a welded alloy extrusion. It weighs more than the carbon rim and less than most alloy enduro rims, and it is the version we suggest when a customer wants the Reserve profile without the carbon price. Both take standard J-bend spokes.
How it rides
A 30 SL wheel feels quick and precise. The carbon version has the damped, direct feel that makes a good carbon trail wheel worth the money: it holds a line through rough corners without the buzz of a very stiff rim. The alloy version is a little softer and a little heavier and rides like a very good alloy trail rim, which it is.
For enduro and park the 30 HD is tougher; for cross-country racing the 28|XC is lighter. For everyday trail riding on 2.3 to 2.5in tires, the 30 SL is the Reserve rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in, 27.5in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 599 (29in), 561 (27.5in) |
| Inner width | 30 mm |
| Depth | 20 mm |
| Drillings | 28h |
| Weight | 500g (700c/29in), 460g (650b/27.5in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Spoke bed | Offset 3.6 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
This listing
This is the 29in, 27.5in listing of the 30 SL, 28h, about 500g, 30mm inside, 20mm deep, disc. Pick the size that matches your frame; the profile and construction are the same across the range.
The disc version of the 30 SL has no brake track, so the sidewall is a plain extrusion that saves a little weight and never wears; it is the one to choose for any disc-brake frame. The rim-brake version, listed separately, has a machined sidewall.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Reserve 30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim comes in 29in, 27.5in and 28h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the 30 SL on Industry Nine Hydra and 1/1, DT Swiss 350 and 240, Hope Pro 5, Onyx Vesper and Chris King MTB hubs, usually with Sapim Race, D-Light or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition, and brass nipples.
Tire range on the 30 SL is 2.3 to 2.5in. Give the configurator your bike type and weight; it picks a sensible spoke count and lacing pattern, which you can override.
Build it into a wheel
This rim is live in our Custom Wheel Program for mountain bike, MTB single-speed and fat bike builds. Start a build with the Reserve 30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim and the configurator opens with this exact rim pinned at the top of the Reserve list — you choose the rest of the parts and it validates every combination as you go.
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.
What Reserve says about testing
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.
Reserve's tech document assigns each rim an ASTM use classification: Condition 1 for road rims, 2 for gravel, 3 for the 28|XC and 30|XC, 4 for the 30|SL and carbon 30|HD, and 5 for the aluminum 30|HD, 30|DH and 31|DH. Maximum pressures are 100 psi (6.9 bar) road, 80 psi (5.5 bar) gravel and 50 psi (3.4 bar) mountain, or the tire's limit if lower; spoke tension 100-120 kgf. Road rims are semi-hooked. Reserve states its wheels "do not have rider weight limits"; the 30|HD and 30|DH are e-bike approved.
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 30 SL; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer, and Reserve's warranty rides with the rim. Every 30 SL wheel we build gets spokes cut from the rim's measured ERD and offset, is tensioned in stages with a gauge, stress-relieved and trued before it ships. Tubeless tape and a valve are fitted on request.
In the configurator you will only see parts that fit this drilling; combinations that are not made are struck through, and the price updates as you pick.
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. Our one-year wheel warranty applies to any wheel we build around this part, alongside whatever the manufacturer offers. Inside that year, broken spokes are replaced no matter how they broke, and the wheel labor is ours - truing, re-tensioning or a full rebuild. A rim or hub failure that the maker covers, we claim for you and see through; one the maker declines, we answer with an eligible replacement at 25% off current retail. Shipping both ways is yours, and components you supply yourself fall outside this cover.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 30mm inside this is a trail width, sized around 2.1 to 2.4in tires. That is wide enough to stop a modern trail casing rolling under you in a corner without pushing the tread so flat that it wears down the middle.
Carbon or aluminum 30 SL?
Carbon for the lightest, most damped trail wheel with a lifetime warranty; aluminum for the same profile and offset at a lower price and a little more weight.
What is the difference between the 30 SL and the 30 HD?
Same width and offset. The 30 SL is lighter for trail; the 30 HD has a heavier layup for enduro and park.
Is the 30 SL tubeless?
Yes. Both versions are tubeless-ready; we tape and fit a valve on request.
Does the lifetime warranty cover the aluminum 30 SL?
Reserve's lifetime warranty is on its carbon rims; the aluminum rim carries Reserve's standard warranty.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Reserve lists the 30 SL Aluminum 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.
