Back in June 2014, I posted a first ride review on the fantastic Reynolds 58 Aero wheelset. To be honest, it was a little more than a first ride and in reading it back before writing this post, I have to say that 2 years on and many thousands of kilometres riding these wheels on a variety of bikes – that I still find the Reynolds 58 Aero a deeply impressive wheelset and one that’s become a benchmark for me, for Aero wheels. As a result of this, the 58 Aero’s are the newest product to join my “Hall of Fame” category for fantastic cycling products that represent the best ridden and tested to date on this blog site.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have ridden a number of Reynolds wheelsets over the last few years and the 58 Aeros are my all time favourite … even over the 46 Aero that Reynolds say is their signature wheelset. The 58 Aero are a fast, comfortable, stable, stiff and reliable wheelset. They’ve become a go to wheelset that I’ll try on any caliper braked bike in on review.
The 58 Aero’s fly on the flat, help you maintain speed beautifully on rolling terrain and even climb well on the steep stuff as they’re not that heavy (only about 150gm real world weight differ
Reynold’s DET designed rim works beautifully at this 58mm depth and in fact, when the wind picks up, my experience is that wind helps you get faster rather than be an obstacle to speed. In same way a good sail makes a yacht faster, my experience is that more wind means more speed with these wheels.
To that end, the 58 Aero’s have continued to help me achieve the fastest rides I’ve ever managed on the bike during the last couple of years when I’ve been fit and in good form. When I’ve not been so fit, the 58 Aero’s speed has helped me keep up on rides that I really oughtn’t have been able to.
In 2,000km of riding potholed UK roads, I’ve not managed to knock the wheels out of true … and I have tried. The hubs with their DT Swiss internals have also not missed a beat and the only “maintenance” I’ve had to do is lubricate the quick release and replace the brake pads. Speaking of the brake pads, the latest Reynolds Cryo Blue pads last really well. I’ve only just replaced them after 2 years of riding.
The trade off you make with a slightly deeper set of wheels like this that of acceleration versus outright speed. A shallower wheel like the 46 Aero do have a bit more snap to the way they accelerate thanks to slightly lower weight but the payback of the deeper rim is more aero benefit at speed. I’ve only ever found the extra weight (150gms at the most) a hindrance on steep climbs but everyone I ride with is struggling on them and we’ll all going slowly. Everywhere else on my rides, the extra aero speed from the 58 Aero’s are a big plus. There’s much more gain than loss in my experience.
Other than the £2,099 a pair cost, the only down sides I’ve been able to find is that the braking isn’t amazing in the wet, you do need to plan ahead and the 58mm depth won’t look great on every bike. If a 58mm rim is too deep, then consider the 46 Aero it’s effectively a scaled down (depth) version of the 58 Aero and still very quick.
The Reynolds 58 Aero are a terrific product and earn a well-deserved spot in the girodilent Hall of Fame.
You can find out more about them here: http://www.reynoldscycling.com/wheels/58_Aero
You can read my previous post, that’s still bang on the money 2 years later: http://girodilento.com/reynolds-aero-58-first-ride-review/
Thanks for reading
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