Reserve 36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim
The Reserve 36|TA tubular is the front rim of Reserve's cyclocross racing pair, the 36|39, built for the riders who still glue their tires on because nothing else runs at 20 psi through a muddy corner without burping or pinch-flatting. It has Reserve's Turbulent Aero profile, a wide, rounded shape that suits a 33mm tubular, and the Reserve lifetime warranty. Disc only.
This page covers the Reserve 36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim. Reserve pairs a 36mm front with a 39mm rear; we build the pair as a set or singly, and we glue tires on request. The 36 TA is built to order here. Choose the hub, spokes and nipples in the configurator; the wheel leaves Georgia laced, tensioned and trued.
Design and construction
Reserve molds the 36 TA tubular with a concave tire bed shaped for a glued 33mm cyclocross tubular and a wide, rounded outer profile carried over from its road rims. Because a tubular rim has no bead hooks the layup can be lighter and stiffer than a clincher of the same depth, which is the point of a tubular for racing. External nipples, standard J-bend spokes.
Reserve designs and tests its rims in Santa Cruz, California, and covers them for life.
How it rides
A 36 TA tubular wheel with a good cross tubular is the racing setup: 20 to 25 psi for grip in mud and sand with no risk of pinch flats, light enough to shoulder and remount all day, and stiff enough to sprint out of a corner. On the road with a 25mm tubular it makes a very light climbing wheel.
If you would rather run tubeless clinchers, the Reserve 25|GR is the equivalent clincher rim.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c |
|---|---|
| ERD | 570 (29in) |
| Inner width | 28 mm |
| Depth | 36 mm |
| Drillings | 24h |
| Weight | 430g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Spoke bed | Offset 3 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the 36 TA tubular in 700c with 24h drilling, about 430g, 28mm inside, 36mm deep, disc. If you need it in another size or for the other brake type, it is listed separately.
The disc version of the 36 TA tubular 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 36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim comes in the drillings listed on this page. It is a disc-brake tubular rim for glued tires. We build the 36 TA on DT Swiss 240 and 180, Industry Nine 1/1, White Industries CLD and Chris King R45 hubs, usually with Sapim CX-Ray or Laser spokes or DT Aerolite, and brass or alloy nipples.
It takes 700c tubular tires from 25 to 35mm. Pick cyclocross or road as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build it into a wheel
This rim is live in our Custom Wheel Program for gravel and road disc builds. Start a build with the Reserve 36 Ta Front Carbon Fiber Tubular 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.
Reserve's testing and certifications
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)
Reserve publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the rim into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Reserve makes the 36 TA tubular; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. The build is the same every time: measured ERD, spokes cut to the half millimeter, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief, a final true, and tubeless tape and a valve on request.
The configurator shows only hubs and spokes that match the 36 TA tubular drilling, strikes through combinations that are not made, and prices the wheel 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.
36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 28mm 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.
Is the 36 TA a clincher?
No. It is a tubular rim for glued-on tires. For clinchers or tubeless choose the Reserve 25 GR or the 34 TA.
Can you glue my tires?
Yes. Send them with the order or buy them here and we glue and cure them before the wheel ships.
Why is the front 36mm and the rear 39mm?
A shallower front is lighter and calmer in crosswinds; a slightly deeper rear adds stiffness. Reserve pairs them deliberately.
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 ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Reserve 36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim?
We are not. Reserve manufactures the rim; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Reserve lists the 36 TA Front Carbon Fiber Tubular Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
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.
