Reynolds AR 25 disc brake wheels

Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Reynolds says: "The Reynolds AR series delivers the standout performance of the AR series by utilising the same carbon fibre rims but in a more competitively priced wheel offering. Whether you're looking to lighten the load in search of your next KOM, seeking speed through aerodynamic advantage, or wanting a wheel that can confidently carry you anywhere in search of adventure, the AR collection offers you the widest assortment of quality carbon wheels at a competitive price to complete your quest for the ultimate ride."

I'd say that's pretty accurate. They're plenty light enough for most riders, and the 21mm internal rim width is well suited to more modern tyre widths of 28 or even 30mm.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?

The wheels come in at 1,432g, which is light – but not that light for a 25mm-deep rim. They have 24 Sapim Sprint straight-pull spokes front and rear laced to Reynolds' own hubs, a 3-pawl freehub with 10-degree engagement, and a hooked tubeless rim.

Upgrade, Reynolds' UK distributor, lists these features:

* Industry leading aerodynamic performance and cross wind stability with our dispersive effect termination (DET2) rim profile

* Wide, hooked, tubeless ready rim provides better fit for higher volume tires that increase grip, lower rolling resistance and provide greater comfort

* Features Sapim Sprint spokes and durable brass nipples

* Equipped with fast rolling and smooth Reynolds/Ringle SRX road DB hubs, providing 10° of engagement

* Shimano HG -Road and SRAM XDR freehub bodies included, Campag N3W freehub bodies available

* Tubeless Tape installed

* 45mm Tubeless Valve Stems included

* 12mm thru-axle front and 12x142 end caps fitted, 15mm thru-axle front included

* Lifetime warranty

The wheels are really nicely made. The rim bed has a deep centre channel, the valve holes are drilled to a very tight tolerance, and the box includes a handful of spare parts – including a SRAM XDR drive body, alternative 15mm end caps for the front hub, and tubeless valves.

Despite their unassuming appearance, the wheels felt very stiff when I got out of the saddle and really started cranking on the pedals. I'm not the biggest or most powerful rider, but I couldn't discern any meaningful amount of flex from the wheels – despite their shallow rim (which obviously leads to a longer spoke and, in theory, scope for more flex). They were very stable in crosswinds, given their very shallow 25mm depth. They felt quick to accelerate – which I would expect from a wheel where the majority of the weight is concentrated towards the hub. As with any shallow wheel, they definitely felt like they lost speed as quickly as they found it; once I'd accelerated and settled into a steady power output, I got a niggling feeling that the wheels weren't urging me on in comparison to the deeper wheels I'm used to riding.

I used the wheels for a good few weeks of riding around my local roads, which are typically rough, full of potholes, and generally quite poorly maintained. I also tackled some tough cobbled streets around Bristol, and a little bit of light gravel on maintained bikepaths. The wheels are still running perfectly true, and even after a few unintentionally hard 'dings' on the edges of potholes, show no signs of wear.

One benefit of a shallower rim is there's actually just less material to show damage. Deep-section carbon rims wear scratches and scrapes very prominently from rock strikes and the like, whereas a shallower rim presents less surface area altogether, so generally stay looking in better shape for longer.

Although 1,432g is not heavy by any stretch of the imagination, it isn't as light as I'd expect for a wheelset with just a 25mm-deep rim.

There are lighter models, such as the Blacklabel that upgrades the hub to the Reynolds/Ringlé Super Bubba X Road and come with a quoted weight of 1,286g (more in line with what I'd expect from a 25mm rim), but compare these AR25s with something like the Vel 38 RSL 2s at 1,410g, which are £150 less and feature a rim that's 38mm deep, or the Hunt 44 UD Carbon Spoke wheels that cost £40 more but step up to a 44mm deep rim and still weight almost 100g less, and the AR25s' weight seems a little harder to justify.

Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?

No issues; after about 20 hours of riding on poor quality roads these wheels remain true as they were when I first fitted them.

How easy did you find it to fit tyres?

This is where I faced some real challenges with these wheels.

To begin with, I tried fitting a pair of 28mm Specialized S Works Turbo tyres, with the intention of running them tubeless. I tried a standard track pump, CO2 canisters, and a Bontrager TLR Flash pump – and just couldn't get the tyres to mount. I tried fitting a tube to seat one side of the bead, I tried using soapy water around the bead, I even tried wrapping a few belts around the tyre to hold it against the rim while I tried to inflate it – all to no avail. I repeated all of this with a 30mm pair of Specialized Turbos, and a 32mm pair of Specialized Roubaixs – all with the same result.

Eventually I gave up with tubeless and decided to run the wheels with inner tubes. Even then, the bead of all three varieties of Specialized tyres I had to hand just would not seat cleanly on the rim – even when inflated up to (and accidentally above) Reynolds' maximum quoted pressure of 100PSI. I just couldn't get that satisfying (and scary) snap as the bead finds its place in the hooked rim wall.

I spoke to Reynolds about the issues I was having, and was very kindly sent a set of 30mm Schwalbe Pro Ones. Alas, I faced the same issue. The tyres slipped on very easily without tyre levers, but the slack tolerance meant a tubeless setup simply wasn't possible.

Eventually, a pair of 30mm Michelin Power Protection tyres (which I'm reviewing separately for road.cc) broke my unlucky streak, and I was able to inflate them tubeless with just a track pump with very few issues. Once set up (using the supplied 48mm tubeless valves), they held pressure and sat nicely on the 21mm internal rim.

It's not clear if the issues I had setting them up tubeless came from the variety of tyres I used or the rims themselves, but it wouldn't fill me with confidence recommending them if you were dead set on running tubeless and had a strong preference for a particular tyre.

How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?

The wheels came with tubeless tape fitted, a pair of 48mm tubeless valves, 15mm front thru-axle adapters, and a SRAM XDR freehub body – should you be running 12-speed SRAM AXS. I didn't need to use anything other than the tubeless valves, but did have a go at swapping the freehubs over – which was very straightforward. It would have been nice to see some rear QR adapters included, given the inclusion of 15mm thru-axle adapters for the front, as this used to be a popular combination before the industry standardised around 12x100 front, 12x142 rear thru-axles.

Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Overall the wheels performed well. They felt stiff when accelerating, sturdy over rough terrain, and unfazed by windy conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel

I liked the responsiveness of the wheels. I'm used to riding much deeper rims, so it was refreshing to ride a wheel where the majority of the weight is at the hub rather than the rim. This isn't necessarily a feeling unique to the Reynolds wheels, more a comment on really shallow wheels in general. However, when you consider the shallowest wheels available from most other brands are a good bit deeper (for example Roval's carbon road range starts at 33mm deep), there are only a handful of worthwhile shallow options, and it's nice that Reynolds still offers something to serve that part of the market.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel

I found the initial setting up with tubeless tyres incredibly frustrating. My own wheels are a set of Roval C38s, which have the same internal rim width as the Reynolds AR25s, and the exact same tyres I failed to set up on the Reynolds rims can be inflated tubeless on my Rovals without breaking a sweat. I'm not sure what it is about the Reynolds that made it so difficult, but in 2024 – after a few years of consistently standardised tubeless options – I'd have expected things to be a bit more straightforward.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

At £1,350 the AR25s sit in line with a lot of other carbon wheelsets, such as the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 37 (£1,349.98), FFWD RYOT33 (£1,349) and Mavic Cosmic SL 40 (£1,350). The Reynolds are built to a very high standard at a competitive weight for the price, albeit at the cost of rim depth. But, not everybody wants deep aero rims for a whole host of reasons, and if that's what you're after these are a good option.

There are cheaper competitors, though – the Roval Rapide C38s are £999, and Scribe's Elan Wide 42s are £1,190. Again, both offer a slightly deeper rim, but a comparable width.

Use this box to explain your overall score

They're pretty good. They're well built, but I'd have expected them to be a bit lighter given the rim depth. Also, the issues I faced trying to set them up with tubeless tyres were frustrating, and not something I'd expect to experience with modern wheels and tyres.