RESERVE 40|44 – JACK OF ALL ROADS
There’s not much that the Reserve 40|44 wheelset doesn’t do well for the cycling enthusiast who wants one wheelset for road and gravel riding.
It gives you a comfortable, smooth rolling, and quiet ride. The compliance my fellow tester Miles and I felt on paved and unpaved surfaces with a range of 28mm and 40mm Conti, Michelin, and Schwalbe tubeless tires was likely due, in part, from some of the widest all-road rims I’ve measured – 33.5mm external, 26.0mm internal on the front wheel, 31.5mm and 25.6mm in the rear – on the Reserve 40|44 wheels.
While both of us are light and prefer tubeless setups with sealant inside, the Reserve 40|44’s hooked rims and strength testing allow you to use tubes inside clincher or tubeless tires and inflate far beyond what most riders of modern wheels and tires would want to ride comfortably. There are also no weight limits for heavier riders to be concerned about.
Our test set came with DT Swiss 240 Ratchet EXP hubs, though you can also order the 40|44 with DT 180 or DT 350 models. While not always the case in our experience on other wheels, the DT 240s on the Reserves were absolutely silent. I always find a quiet freehub a bonus when combined with a comfortable wheelset.
The Reserve 40|44 also climbs well, is stable in sidewinds, tracks wells in corners, and is responsive to line changes on gravel and accelerations on the road.
But against the field of all-road wheels, a highly competitive one to be sure, other wheelsets do many of these things better.
Even with its “40” front wheel (my calipers actually measured it at 41.5mm deep), its aero performance was good but not great. Miles raced these Reserves in a fast, technical criterium and was not overly impressed with their straight-line speed or lateral stiffness during sprints.
For someone like me, pushing average watts and sprinting only when I need to go to the bathroom, I enjoyed the Reserve 40|44’s speed and found them stiff enough but wasn’t wowed by them on days when the workout plan called for threshold or long VO2 intervals.
All-road wheels, including the slightly more expensive Roval Terra CLX II, still more expensive ENVE SES 3.4, and way expensive Zipp 353 NSW ride faster and are more responsive than the Reserve on paved, dirt, and gravel roads.
And while I respect your unique aesthetic tastes, I’ve got to say the Reserve 40|44 look rather blah. Their matt black finish with small, simple logo and model name labels make them look underwhelming and not nearly as proud of what’s rolling with those labels as they should be.
A rather “reserved” aesthetic
Perhaps the look is consistent with the meaning behind the Reserve brand.
Regardless, these are solid all-road wheels. But the US$2200 price for the DT 240 model makes me want to stretch a bit for the added performance I get with the US$2500 Roval Terra CLX II or even more for the ENVE SES 3.4.
Instead, I see the DT 240 equipped Reserve 40|44 as good competition for those who want hooked rims and a bit more comfort than the slightly less expensive Zipp 303 Firecrest.
You can order the Reserve 40|44 while supporting the site’s ability to provide more ad-free and subscription-free reviews like this one at no additional cost to you when you buy it through these links to Competitive Cyclist, BTD (BikeTiresDirect), BikeInn, and Sigma Sports, stores I’ve vetted and recommend for their competitive prices, selection, customer satisfaction, and reader support.
See how this wheelset compares to others in my review of the Best All Road Wheels.
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Thanks, and enjoy your rides safely! Cheers, Steve
Thanks for the review. I’ve been wondering about these watching Jumbo riding on seemingly very shallow wheels all season relative to most of the rest of the peloton. I had no idea they were so (relatively) expensive for what seems to be an altogether fine but otherwise hardly exceptional wheelset. Princeton Carbonworks 4550’s would probably be my pick in this sort of depth. I haven’t rode 353 NSW’s (because they’re even more $$$ than the Princeton’s), but based on my PCW 6560’s, I’d include PCW in any wheel comparison/consideration. Hey, if nothing else, they look cool, which is good for at least 10 watts, right? (joking, of course, but I do actually love them).
Hi there, thanks for the review. How do these compare against the DT Swiss ERC1400 45 that you reviewed previously please?
TP, The Reserve are more versatile, go uphill a bit better, a bit more comfortable. Same hubs, similar depth. DT is better looking IMHO. Steve
I’ve run several sets of Reserve, Shimano, Hunt, Mavic, and Zipp wheels. I’ve been leaning on reserves for both road, mtb, and gravel lately for a giant reason. Lifetime warranty, and testimonials that I have read say that they are quick and accommodating. The DT Swiss hubs ensure that I can jog down to the LBS and grab a new free hub without fuss and service without tools.
As far as performance, i swapped some 30c GP5000 tubeless on my 40/44 on the gravel bike and took it this years Ragbrai which totaled about 530 miles , and the wheels performed great in crosswinds and certainly rolled faster than many other riders on downhill coast sections.
Thanks for posting this review. I have a question about the how these wider internal rims handle descents and off camber turns? Rolling hills, flat valleys and some good long climbs here. I assume more tread on the pavement will be more grippy. I have been riding the stock wheels that came with my new road (a bit of a racing frame) bike over the summer and now am ready to upgrade. Reserves sound like the right match or Zipp 303 Firecrests. Any real preference? Not much gravel here so only road.
DT 240 Silent?? Wow, I have not found this hub to be quiet. Every bike shop I have visited or Youtube sound check has been chainsaw loud. Only the DT 350’s seem quieter and more tame in comparison. Are you sure you’ve got this right?
Jonathan, The performance and specs on those two wheelsets are remarkably similar – aero, stability, stiffness, compliance, responsiveness, weight, depth, internal and external width. The Zipp rims are hookless; the Reserve’s has hooks. Unless you ride clinchers or are over 200 lbs, that shouldn’t make a difference. The biggest difference, especially now is the roughly $600 lower price of the Zipps. You can see and link to the stores I recommend that are running the Zipp sale on my home page.
As to the hubs, they’re both good ones. The DT 240 were surprisingly silent on the Reserves we tested. We’ve tested DT 240s on other wheels and they’ve not been silent nor have they been as loud as what you report. Those sound checks you refer to on YouTube or in bike shops aren’t representative of what you hear when there is weight on the rear wheel and freehub when you’re rolling down the road. The right amount of freehub lubrication and maintenance helps too. Believe me, I’ve heard chainsaw loud out on the road from some freehubs no matter how much I grease them and even a dry DT240 isn’t anywhere near as loud. Steve
I am doing a wheel build and I really liked the attributes of the reserve 40/44, which are no weight limit because I am not a tiny rider and could get a life time warranty on the hoop. I will be doing nerd spokes and i9 hubs. Which hoop would you go for given your review of the reserve wheels?
Jason, Hard to suggest without knowing your riding profile. The 40/44 is a good depth for a range of terrain you might ride from flats to rollers to hills and long climbs. Steve
I plan to do 80% gravel in an area that is pretty close to mid south style roads. The rest of the time I do short road rides just to squeeze in miles
Thanks for this review. Any thoughts about weight compared to the competition? These post as under 1400g with the 250. I am thinking of getting these for a Soloist custom build (I know they are already standard) but I want to run a clincher, as don’t see the sealant need/maintenance for road (one flat in my past 15,000 miles maybe). I have a set of Reserve GR25 I run tubeless on my gravel and love them, but I see the sealant value better off road. So, wanting some clincher-hooks, I sort of feel like this is my “best” option, and I’m doing this custom build to be as light as I can get it. Where I live I can ride a century with no fewer than about 3,500’ of climbing, and I can get 10,000’ east on a variety of routes. It’s also generally windy, as I live in a valley between 2 mountain ridges. That said, any other suggestions other than these?
Adam, Take a look at the Roval Terra CLX II. Steve