Video: Reynolds Cycling wheels guru Paul Lew talks aerodynamics & sidewinds

Paul Lew, the chief aero engineer at Reynolds Cycling, recently talked road.cc through the latest Reynolds wheel range, dubbed simply Aero. In particular, Lew described how his latest design tackle the bugbear of deep-section wheels, stability and handling in cross-winds.

Paul Lew is a former pro triathlete, an aero expert and a composites engineer – a genuine big cheese in the world of bicycle design. He set up Lew Racing and is with Reynolds Cycling. When he’s not reinventing the bike wheel he's been known to work on unmanned aircraft for the US government – drones, to you and me.

The Reynolds Cycling Aero wheel range was launched this year and uses their Dispersive Effect Termination (DET) rim design that was first introduced on the really expensive RZR 92 wheels. There are three rim depths, 58, 72 and 90mm, and prices start from £2,099. Expensive, yes, but half the price of the aforementioned RZR 92 wheels.

What is DET? Well, if you watch the video above Paul explains it in detail. In short, it's a rim shape that improves the handling of wheels in cross-winds.

The wheels are built with DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, G2 alloy nipples and DT Swiss 180 straight pull hubs. The complete weight of the three new wheelsets is competitive. The Aero 58 hits the scales at 1,570g, the Aero 72 is 1,680g and finally the Aero 90 is 1,900g.