Eurobike 2017: New XC259 Carbon Wheels From Reynolds

As purveyors of fine carbon fibre wheels, Reynolds Cycling had one new off-road wheelset to show off at Eurobike, and it just so happened to be the lightest set of mountain bike wheels the Utah-based brand has ever produced.

Coming in above the existing 29 Trail wheels, the new XC 259 (the 25 stands for a 25mm internal rim width, and the 9 refers to the 29in diameter) are a new superlight XC racing wheelset designed for those who count grams, Watts and calories. Or just those who appreciate things that do not have much mass.

Reynolds has released its lightest mountain bike wheelset to date, called the XC 259.

The XC 259 wheels fall under the ‘Black Label’ line, which means they feature a high-end build that’s centred around Industry Nine hubs that are custom made just for Reynolds with extra wide spoke flanges, along with Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes and lightweight alloy nipples.

Like the rest of the Reynolds carbon wheel range, the XC 259 wheels come with a mightily impressive lifetime warranty. I queried Pivot’s marketing crew about that claim, and they said that even crash damage (within reason) is covered by the warranty. So if you break the rims or destroy the hubs, Reynolds will warranty the wheels for you as the original owner – how’s that for a guarantee!

Claimed weight is just 1380 grams for the set.

Reynolds XC 259 Wheelset Features

Application: XC Riding & Racing
29in diameter only
Suited to tyres between 2.0in – 2.3in wide
Internal rim width: 25mm
External rim width: 30mm
Rim depth: 26mm
24 spokes front & 28 spokes rear in a 3x lacing pattern
Industry Nine Torch hubs
Centrelock rotor mounting
Boost hub spacing only: 110x15mm front & 148x12mm rear
Shimano and SRAM XD freehub bodies available
Complete weight: 1380g

The external and internal rim dimensions are the same as the rims used on Reynold’s 29 Trail wheelset, but a different layup and a shorter profile leads to a lower rim weight and more compliance.

The hookless carbon rims feature a 25mm internal width that is ideally suited for tyres between 2.0-2.3in wide.

Custom made Industry Nine hubs feature outward angled spoke flanges to increase triangulation for a stiffer and stronger build.

The machined hubs see 24 spokes used for the front wheel, and 28 spokes for the rear.

Also on display at Eurobike was a set of Bernard Kerr’s prototype carbon downhill wheels.

Apparently these wheels have over 200 hundred runs on them, and they’re still looking surprisingly round-shaped considering the efforts Bernard Kerr goes to landing sideways.

According to the Pivot World Cup downhill race mechanics, the team riders are yet to break a carbon rim in the time they’ve been running them. That’s pretty darn impressive given other teams lace their riders a new wheel almost every run!

The 27.5 Downhill wheels are now available in a Bernard Kerr edition with super loud graphics, and weight a claimed 1900 grams – significantly lighter than other brand’s DH wheels.

Internal rim width is 28mm on the DH wheelset, with 3mm thick hookless sidewalls.

Snazzy blue hubs.

Reynolds hinted that there would be more new wheels coming in the future, and given the new naming nomenclature of the XC 259s, perhaps we can expect some wider and burlier numbers on the horizon?

Wil Barrett