Reynolds Renew Blacklabel 307 & 309 Wheels with More Compliance for Better Tracking

Carbon wheel manufacturer, Reynolds, has renewed its lineup of 29″ and 27.5″ wheels for Enduro and Downhill, now boasting shallower, more compliant rims said to offer improved tracking. Maintaining a 30mm internal width and an asymmetric profile, the new carbon rims lose 6mm in depth, now down to just 20.5 mm.

The new wheelsets are lighter, and are said to offer improved impact resistance over their predecessors. In fact, Reynolds go so far as to say these Blacklabel 307 & 309 wheels represent the absolute fastest wheel solutions available for DH and Enduro, but also lead the industry in terms of impact resistance and durability.

Here's an overview.

Like many wheel manufacturers, Reynolds are appreciating the merits of a bit of compliance in a wheelset, with the testing carried out by team riders revealing a preference for a more forgiving wheel. As such, the latest Blacklabel 307 & 309 (27.5″ and 29″) Carbon Wheels from Reynolds look to offer improved comfort and tracking over rough terrain with a shallower rim depth of just 20.5mm.

Reynolds tells us this 6mm reduction in rim depth has led to a rim that is almost 40% more vertically compliant. Internal width remains at 30mm, but the external width grows a little to 37mm, with a slight asymmetry to the profile that allows for more equally balanced spoke tensions between the drive and non-drive sides.

This is true for all four new wheelsets released today: Blacklabel Enduro Pro, Blacklabel Enduro Expert, TR Enduro, and Blacklabel DH Expert. All see rims composed of Reynolds’ IDM Matrix, said to combine the highest-quality carbon fibers with a unique resin with exceptional impact dispersing characteristics.

The Reynolds Enduro Wheels see just 28 spokes front and rear, largely to ensure the extra compliance of that shallower rim can actually be felt by the rider, but also to keep weight down. Meanwhile the Downhill offering runs 32 spokes in a bid to maintain a higher stiffness, and more precise ride quality as a result.

Top of the range for Enduro is the Reynolds Blacklabel Enduro Pro wheelset, retailing at £2,200 ($2,299.99 USD). This one benefits from the brand's lightest carbon layup, referred to as the MR5 layup. The set weighs a claimed 1,834 grams in 29″, and 1,728 grams in 27.5″. Its 28 Sapim CX-Delta spokes are laced to an Industry Nine Hydra Hubset with an industry-leading engagement of 0.52°.

A little heavier, and a little more affordable, is the Reynolds Blacklabel Enduro Expert wheelset, priced at £1,800 ($1,899.99 USD). It gets the very same rim with the lighter MR5 carbon layup, but is laced via Sapim CX-Delta spokes to a Ringle Super Bubba X hubset offering a slower, but very respectable engagement of 4°.

This could be the preferred option if intended for a bike that suffers with pedal kickback, unless of course it is paired with an OChain. The Enduro Expert wheelset weighs a claimed 1,870 grams in 29″, and 1,762 grams in 27.5″.

The most affordable wheelset in Reynolds’ Enduro range is the TR Enduro, priced at £1,350 ($1,449.99 USD). This one weighs a claimed 1,861 grams in 27.5″ – a claimed weight for the 29″ option has not yet been specified. The TR Enduro wheels are laced with 28 Sapim Sprint spokes, secured with EXT brass nipples, to a Ringle SRX MTN hubset. The drive mechanism sees 3 pawls engaging every 12°.

All three new Enduro wheelsets from Reynolds come with CL hubs, only, but are each available with Shimano HG, MicroSpline and SRAM XD driver bodies.

The Reynolds Blacklabel Downhill Expert Wheelset is priced at £1,800 ($1,899.99 USD). It runs the very same MR5 carbon rim as the Blacklabel Enduro wheels, but here that rim is laced to the hubs via 32 Sapim Sprint spokes (J-Bend), front and rear. Hubs come in the form of Ringle Super Bubba hubs, with the option for 4° or 8° engagement, and they are 6-bolt only. Claimed weight in 29″ is 1, 943 grams.

All Reynolds Blacklabel and TR Carbon Wheelsets for Enduro and Downhill are available on the Hayes Bicycle website now in 29″, 27.5″ and MX pairings, retailing at the following prices:

hayesbicycle.com/reynolds