Description It’s a strong, stiff, lightweight aluminum rim with low spoke count, internal spoke nipples, and a shallow-v profile for acceleration. The Solitude is hand-built and loaded with quality for the long h...
Summary: At the suggestion of a friend and a customer I decided to look into Reynolds wheelsets. I was looking for something fairly inexpensive yet light(er) as a dedicated race wheelset. I originally was set on picking up a Shimano wheelset possibly their Ultegra or Dura Ace scandium wheels. Shimano isn't necessarily going for the lightest weight in the market, but they are solid solid wheels like the rest of their race component lines. I decided that I would give the Solitudes a shot since they weren't terribly expensive and are lightweight. The hubs are incredibly smooth, this wheel will just keep spinning and spinning. I also noticed a big difference on this wheel at speeds of 25mph or higher. The rim profile is deeper than most others at this price point offering slightly better aerodynamics. I took these to north GA with me for a week and trained in the mountains with them. They felt stable on the descends and were stiff for climbing and sprinting. Overall, I was extremely happy with the performance of the wheel at first. Literally a couple of days into training, I began noticing this nasty grinding when I would brake. At first I thought something was wrong with my brake caliper or pads, but on closer inspection I noticed that the rim surface began developing burrs. I was braking fairly regularly coming down these mountains at speeds between 35-45 mph, but a higher quality race wheel should be able to handle that without an issue. I cleaned the rim surface and pads and hoped that this would help. The next day, the wheel was not chattering as bad, but I tried to brake as little as possible. By this point I began to lose some confidence in the wheel integrity. Finally on the last day of my trip, some of these burrs began to break off the rim and became lodged in the brake pad. When this happened, I would brake and the pieces of aluminum stuck in the pad began to literally shave off the machined surface of the rim. I plucked out all of the metal pieces in my brake pad and inspected the rim. After this I took the wheel off and went back to my old wheelset.I called Reynolds to warranty this wheel. I was told that they would inspect it and replace it if needed. The rep was saying "well I wouldn't know why a machined aluminum rim surface would do this".. Well I'm not sure either, but if this doesn't get fixed, this will be my first and last purchase of a Reynolds product and I will also be very reluctant to offer their products to my customers.
Strengths: Light weight, very smooth hubs, deeper rim profile, non exposed spoke nipples, good looks, inexpensive
Weaknesses: horrible rim surface compromises ride quality and rider safety. rim surfaces naturally wear down from braking over time,. but not within one week.. very chinsy braking surface of rim
Summary: I used these wheels sparingly, roughly 500 miles and have had multiple problems. The front wheel developed a bad pulse and actually started losing metal at the seam from brake wear. The rear wheel did not stay true and I had multiple rim side punctures from loose spokes (rim flex?)even though the tension was correct. after first retentioning (truing)I had a non drive side spoke break off at the rim, something I have never seen in 20+ years of riding especially with a DT butted spoke. The hubs do roll smooth and seem to be the strong point of the wheels. I think if Reynolds spec'd a better/stronger rim then these would be great whels but probably not as light or as inexpensive. In this case you get what you pay for.
Strengths: Great looking.
Smooth rolling.
Light weight.
Weaknesses: Poor rim quality.
Poor rim quality.
poor rim quality.
Similar Products Used: Ritchey Aero Pro
Mavic Classics Pro
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Bike Setup: Blue Competition Cycles NX7/Ultegra 10sp.
Summary: This is a follow-up review from a year ago. I have since put 3ooo miles on these wheels.I am a 170lb rider who rides about 100 miles a week on these wheels.(I ride mountain bikes as well)I am very pleased with this wheelset. They have never gone out of true even though I frequently torque them pretty hard on interval sprints. The bearings are still super smooth. I was worried that the decals would not hold up but I am pleased to say that they are still perfect.In my opinion this wheelset is a great all arounder and can't be beat for the money. I'm gonna get another set.
Strengths: Good looks,stays true,smooth bearings,Decals don't peel.
Weaknesses: Rear hub ratchet is loud( I don't care)
Similar Products Used: American classics,Mavics
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Summary: I got these wheels from ecyclingstore, and right out of the box they were pretty solid. lightweight, smooth rolling rims and smooth hubs, aero. i read the reviews previous and thought I might have the same machining issue with the rear freehub body, but I was able to get the lockring on nice and tight and there have been no issues, no small cog slipping, nothing.
however, like some other reviewers, i have had issues with the front wheel pulsing under braking. initially i thought it was due to be slightly out of true, so i had them trued up by my lbs. this diminished the pulsing, but it still wasn't completely smooth. after maybe 300-400 miles total of MN riding (not the smoothest roads but i try to ride pretty clean lines) and only 1 race (no crashes), my rim joint became uneven; the outer half of the braking surface was askew from the rest of the braking surface. i was afraid the rim joint might just fail altogether, as some inopportune time! i asked my lbs about this and they said that i could just sand down the irregularity, and due to the fact that the rims were 500g rims (560 according to reynolds) it wouldn't affect the wheel's performance. i have yet to do this, as i also contacted reynolds, sending them pictures of the rim, and am awaiting their reply. if they settle this with a new rim without these issues, 6 stars no problem! however, if they do not and i can sand the rim down without problems, 3 stars at best for the below average durability.
once i get an answer from reynolds and check with my lbs (if necessary) i will amend this review.
Strengths: lightness, smooth and fast hubs
Weaknesses: tight fit for cassette (though manageable), yet unresolved issue with front rim joint
Similar Products Used: stock wheels with 06 Specialized allez elite
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Bike Setup: 2008 Cannondale SuperSix, SRAM Red Group, Zero G Brakes, FSA K-Force Bars, Ritchy Carbon Stem, EC 90 seat post.
Summary: I've had this wheelset for about three months now with about 1200 miles on them, and I have had no problems to date. I purchased these as training wheels and now I like them more then my Mavic ES's. The Wheels spin up fast and hold speed on the flats. I climbed to the Blue Ridge Parkway via Rt. 80 and 226 and didn't notice the weight.
Strengths: Cost, spin up, climbing, looks.
Weaknesses: None yet
Similar Products Used: Mavic ES, Bontrager Race Lite
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