Reserve 650b/700C Gravel Rim

Show up at a gravel event, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were transported back into the late 1980s. Gravel riding offers a bit of roll-your-own style, but these types of races and rides favor light weight over bump absorption, so most opt to leave the suspension at home.

This resurgence of rigid bike riding has borne a variety of ways to reduce the chatter and impact of these less-than-smooth surfaces. Whether it’s an undamped carbon leaf spring, a shortened version of a telescopic suspension fork, or simply stuffing the biggest tire possible into a bike frame, everyone’s looking to take the edge off. That’s what Santa Cruz set out to solve with the Reserve 700c and 650b rims.

The 650b rim (which is the same as 27.5” if the alphanumeric soup has you a bit spun) profile looks more like the Mountain Bike Reserve offerings we are already so fond of, largely because the needs of a 2.0” tire and a 2.3” tire aren’t as dramatically different as those of a 30mm tire. It’s still a fairly low-profile, 24-hole rim that’s been tuned the same way as the 700c rim, and at 25mm wide, it’ll work with tires from 40mm wide to about 53mm wide, or 2.1 inches.

The Reserve 700c, in particular, required special attention to ride tuning and layup, because there’s less air volume (read: cushion) in these tires. Most wheels in this category are deep-section, aerodynamically-optimized, and harsh-riding. Santa Cruz looked to the rims used in the notoriously-rough Spring Classics races for inspiration, and settled on a profile that looks and rides a lot more like a box-section aluminum rim, but with the strength of carbon rims, which allowed the spoke count to drop to 24. The spoke drillings are offset, just like the other Reserve rims, to equalize bracing angles and spoke tension on each side of the hub.

In another first for Santa Cruz, the 700c rim has a bead hook that looks a bit like a UST rim, which provides some added burp-resistance when you’re running low pressures with narrow tires. The Reserve 700c is 22mm wide, and will play nicely with tires between 30 and 45mm.

Key Features:

700c x 22mm; 650b x 25mm
Built with Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes
Optimized for ride feel and compliance on rough surfaces
700c rim features a slight bead hook to reduce burping at low pressures
650b rim is hookless
Lifetime warranty

Technical Specs

Backed by a no-nonsense lifetime warranty. Santa Cruz are so confident they have perfected the wheel that if they fail while you are riding they are replaced, simple as that.

Looking for a custom build? Give us a call on 01423 780 738