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Reserve Rims Custom Hand Built Wheels

The ProWheelBuilder workshop

Custom Wheels on Reserve Rims, Built by Hand

Pick a Reserve rim, choose your hub, spokes and color, and we lace and true the wheel ourselves, one at a time, in our Georgia shop.

Why build your wheel around a Reserve rim:

  • 17 Reserve rims to start from, in carbon fiber and aluminum
  • Road TA fronts and rears, including the 34 TA, 37 TA and SL versions
  • Mountain choices from the 30 SL to the 30 HD and 31 HD
  • Laced, tensioned and trued by hand, one at a time, in our Georgia shop
Read more

Build your custom Reserve wheel for:

Road / Cross / Gravel→Touring / Brevet→Track / Road Single Geared→E-Bike / Clydesdale / Tandem→Mountain Bike→MTB Single Speed→Fat Tire / Plus Bike→

Start with the rim

The Reserve rims we build with

Each card opens the builder with that rim already chosen. Scroll for all 17.

Reserve 30 HD Aluminum Clincher Rim30 HD Aluminum Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim25 GR Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 30 SL Aluminum Clincher Rim30 SL Aluminum Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 34 TA Front Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim34 TA Front Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 37 TA Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim37 TA Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 30 GR Aluminum Clincher Rim30 GR Aluminum Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 30 HD Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim30 HD Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 30 SL Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim30 SL Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 31 HD Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim31 HD Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 34 TA SL Front Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim34 TA SL Front Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 37 TA SL Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim37 TA SL Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 40 GR Front Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim40 GR Front Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 42 TA SL Front Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim42 TA SL Front Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 44 GR Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim44 GR Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 49 TA SL Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim49 TA SL Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 77 TA Front Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim77 TA Front Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →Reserve 88 TA Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher Rim88 TA Rear Carbon Fiber Clincher RimBuild with this rim →

See all Reserve rims →

How it works

From parts bin to your doorstep

  1. Pick your parts1

    Pick your parts

    Choose a Reserve rim, then the hub, spokes and nipples. The builder only offers parts that fit together.

  2. We measure and prep2

    We measure and prep

    Rim and hub are measured here: real ERD, real flange geometry. Spokes are cut to the length your build needs.

  3. Laced by hand3

    Laced by hand

    One builder laces your wheel on the stand. No machine builds, ever.

  4. Tensioned and trued4

    Tensioned and trued

    Brought up to even tension, stress-relieved, trued round and true, and checked again after it settles.

More about Reserve custom wheels

Specs, pairings and FAQ

Custom hand built wheels with Reserve rims

Reserve rims are developed by Santa Cruz and carry a lifetime warranty, which makes them an easy rim to justify in a wheel you intend to keep.

We lace Reserve rims to the hub of your choice and build the wheel by hand in our Georgia shop - tensioned evenly, trued flat and round, and stress-relieved before it ships. You pick the hub, spoke gauge and color, nipple material and lacing pattern; we make sure the combination is one that can actually be built.

Why Reserve rims are different

  • A warranty that covers riding damage. Reserve repairs or replaces, at its option, any of its rims damaged or destroyed by riding, for the life of the rim and for the original owner. On aluminum rims it names a dent that stops the rim holding air, seam separation and a crack at a spoke hole as covered.
  • Wind measured on real roads. For what it calls Turbulent Aero, Reserve logged more than 1,500 miles of wind data across the USA and Europe with sensors on a scooter, then recreated those conditions in the wind tunnel. Earlier practice, it says, was mostly testing air from the front.
  • Different rims front and rear. Crosswind on the front wheel affects steering, so a front rim such as the 34 is slightly shorter, wider and rounder. The rear sits partly sheltered by the frame and rider, so a rear rim such as the 37 is taller and narrower to cut drag.
  • Semi-hooked road beads. Reserve says hookless rims limit tire choice and pressure, while full hooks add weight and make tubeless tires harder to fit. Its road rims sit between the two, with no tire incompatibility and a 100 psi limit.
  • Square reinforcements at the spoke holes. The raised squares on Reserve's carbon mountain rims came out of testing in its carbon lab. They add material right at the spoke hole as part of Reserve's aim to build as strong a rim as it can.
  • SL versions of the road rims. Reserve says its SL rims save 25 to 30 grams per rim while keeping the same strength. That weight comes off the outside of the wheel.

The Reserve rims we build with

We stock both carbon and aluminum Reserve rims, which is the first real fork in the decision: carbon buys stiffness and a lower rotating weight, aluminum buys a rim you can dent, straighten and keep riding, at roughly a third of the replacement cost.

Internal width is the number that decides your tire. The Reserve rims we carry sit mostly in the 22.8-30.0mm band, and that band is what determines the tire sizes that will take a sensible shape on the rim - too narrow and a big tire rolls on the sidewall, too wide and a small tire is left square and harsh. Tell the configurator what tires you run and it will steer you inside the right band.

What to pair with a Reserve rim

A wheel is a system: the rim decides the tire and the braking, the hub decides the drivetrain and the axle fit, and the spokes have to suit both. Start from whichever end matters most to you and the configurator will keep the other end compatible.

Popular Reserve rim and hub pairings

Hubs our customers build with each Reserve rim, led by the pairings they choose most often in our build records since 2009. Every hub listed is in the builder today in a drilling and brake type that fits; tap a rim to start that build.

Every model of both brands that fits, on one page: Reserve wheels with Chris King hubs, Reserve wheels with Industry Nine hubs, Reserve wheels with DT Swiss hubs, Reserve wheels with Onyx hubs, Reserve wheels with Bitex hubs, Reserve wheels with Boyd hubs, Reserve wheels with Hope hubs, Reserve wheels with Paul hubs, Reserve wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Reserve wheels with Shimano hubs, Reserve wheels with SON hubs, Reserve wheels with Velo Orange hubs, Reserve wheels with Velocity hubs, Reserve wheels with White Industries hubs, Reserve wheels with Wolf Tooth hubs

Popular hubs brands for these builds:

Want to check spoke lengths for a Reserve rim before you order? Our free spoke length calculator has the measured dimensions for it.

Reserve custom wheel questions

Can you build a wheel with a Reserve rim I already own?

Yes. Choose the supply-your-own rim option in the configurator, ship it to us, and we will lace it into a new wheel with new spokes cut to the right length for that exact rim. You pay for the parts you need and the build labor.

What tire width suits a Reserve rim?

The Reserve rims we carry are mostly 22.8-30.0mm internal, which covers most modern tire choices for their intended use. Tell the configurator what you ride and it will keep you in a sensible tire-to-rim ratio rather than leaving you to work it out.

How many spokes should a Reserve wheel have?

It depends on your weight, the terrain and the rim, not on the brand. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, and will not offer a count that cannot be laced to the parts you picked.

How long will my Reserve wheel take?

Build time comes down to parts availability rather than bench time. Your estimated ship date is shown in the configurator before you check out, so you know the date before you pay.

Not sure what to pick? Email info@prowheelbuilder.com (fastest) or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.

Not sure which rim or hub?

Tell the Build Assistant how you ride and what you want to spend, and it ranks complete builds for you.

Open the Build Assistant →

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