# Reynolds Alta Aero Comp wheelset



## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

I need another set of wheels like a whole in the head, but having not come to terms with my addiction, decided that I should/would order a set.  I found a dynamite price of $229.08 at www.blueskyclycling .com - https://www.blueskycycling.com/product2627_54_-Reynolds-Alta-Aero-Comp-Alloy-Road-Wheelset.htm and went ahead and ordered them. Nice little adrenaline rush once I hit the submit button. :thumbsup: I rationalized that I could use/need them because the silver rims would look "great" with my TST Titanium and moved forward. It's always nice to have sound reasoning behind a purchase decision.

Ordering from Blue Sky was simple and the wheels arrived in a few days in excellent packaging.

The listed weights in the ad are, Front 719g, Rear 904g. The actual weights came in at Front 700 grams, Rear 890 grams for a total weight of 1590 grams. Not too bad for wheels with a deep section rim, I confirmed that measurement as well. 

I've included some pictures below. Please note I didn't clean the wheels and the flash brought out some heavy duty dust that doesn't do the wheels justice.

Great Packaging 

















Side View of Wheel









Very Dusty Front Hub









Equally Dusty Rear Hub









Rim Depth









Skewers









I thought the Aero Comps would look great on my TST Titanium once the stickers were removed and now I think that was a good call. The Aero Comp's replaced a set of FSA RD-400's I've been running on the bike and I really like the way they look compared to the FSA's. The bike gained a total of 1.44 ounces after the change, which of course is totally meaningless. 

Ride Report:

As I mentioned above, the Aero Comp's replace my FSA RD-400's which are the only wheels I have ever run on my TST. They are similar given they both have 24 spokes on the rear wheel and 20 on the front, but differ a bit in rim depth, 31 mm on the Aero Comp's and 27 mm on the FSA's. That being said, they do ride quite a bit differently. The Aero's are much stiffer with no noticeable flex which I can't say for the FSA's. Not a night and day difference, but very noticeable. Given that they are stiffer and don't really flex, you'd think the ride would be harsher than the FSA's, not true, they ride very smoothly and did not pass on much if any road chatter. Hubs are very smooth and roll nicely, the rear hub has a pleasant subdued clicking sound on coasting that is quieter than my Spinergy Xaero's or the hubs on my Primavera's.

All in all, for $229 I'm very, very happy. I got an upgrade in the ride on my TST and a solid upgrade in appearance as well
Rear Wheel









Rear Hub









Front Wheel









Front Hub









Full Bike


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## emv3003 (Feb 9, 2005)

*After my own heart*

Your bike looks great. I am thinking about doing the same. I have been looking at wheels for about a month now and have been hoping to make an upgrade from my Bontrager Race's on my Trek 5000. I have been waiting for the new Reynolds Solitude's which will be available in November before making the purchase. I think they are almost identicle to what you now have. Thanks for the pictures and the positive review. It only makes my decision that much easier.


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## MTBRBrian (Feb 5, 2005)

Do you know the difference between those and the Alta Race? I have the Alta Race and yours look to have the same rim strips. You should toss those rim strips for some better ones. I got 2 flats on my first ride from the spoke holes as the strips move around in the rim.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

*Nice man....*

Also price point has the Alta Comp (27mm) for $149.98 (shimnao only) and Cambria Bike will beat that price and has Campy availabe.

Looks like I found my back-up/trainer/rollers wheels...

Still between these and Campy Ventos.


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

MTBRBrian said:


> Do you know the difference between those and the Alta Race? I have the Alta Race and yours look to have the same rim strips. You should toss those rim strips for some better ones. I got 2 flats on my first ride from the spoke holes as the strips move around in the rim.


I would very much like to know the difference, some people say they're the same, but given mine weigh more than the specs on the Race's, I'd have to say they're probably not.

As to the rims strips, I removed them right away and replaced them with Velox cloth tape. I just don't trust those thin plastic things, and your experience would seem to confirm that.


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

DIRT BOY said:


> Also price point has the Alta Comp (27mm) for $149.98 (shimnao only) and Cambria Bike will beat that price and has Campy available.
> 
> Looks like I found my back-up/trainer/rollers wheels...
> 
> Still between these and Campy Ventos.


Certainly not a match to the Primavera's you and I both have, but for the money these things are great. I think I would recommend the Aero Comp's or the Race's over the plain Comps given the deeper section rim and lower weight, but any of them are a great buy at today's clearance prices.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

problem for me is those are too depp of a profile for my riding. With a big crosswind, I will go off the bridge and to the bottom of the bay  

I bought soem Fulcrum Racing 5 wheesl for $199. Regular 25mm semi-aero rims! Plus their Italian . These will be back-ip/trainer/rollers wheels.

I might get a pair the the Alta comps as a back-up for the wife and my rain bike.


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

MTBRBrian said:


> Do you know the difference between those and the Alta Race? I have the Alta Race and yours look to have the same rim strips. You should toss those rim strips for some better ones. I got 2 flats on my first ride from the spoke holes as the strips move around in the rim.


New information directly from Reynolds:

The Alta Race and Alta Aero Comp are the same wheels but different decals. The Alta Aero Comp wheels were slated for bike builders like Kuota and Fuji. The Alta Comp wheel uses a different rim profile, nipple and spoke. 

The Alta Race wheel was originally spec’d with Sapim spokes but with a problem of repeated breakage we couldn’t continue using that spoke so we changed to the DT spokes and KT hubs. The hub has gone through some mechanical improvements as well to give it more durability.

I hope this information is helpful, if you have any additional questions please feel free to let us know. We’d be happy to help.

Regards,

Jonathan

Jonathan Geran
Reynolds Cycling
Director Sales and Marketing
866-798-3040 x128
www.reynoldscycling.com


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## MTBRBrian (Feb 5, 2005)

Great! Thanks for the info. I thought that they looked the same but now it's certain. I sure hope I don't have problems with spoke breakage, but at 145 lbs I don't think that it is likely. How do the regular Comp wheels hold up?


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## Guest (Oct 3, 2006)

I have a set of the RAce wheels which scaled at exactly 1549 gms for the pair. This less than a set of Neutrons for less money. I think they are a great set of wheels and am very happy so far.


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

I've been riding the wheels pretty regularly and I really am enjoying them, however I still have an unanswered question. Reynolds supposedly changed from Sapim spokes to DT Swiss, but I don't recognize the mark on the spoke heads. Does anyone know who makes these?


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

Just found out the spokes are made by Pillar, thanks anyway for looking.


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## amwintx (Oct 17, 2006)

*Removing stickers*

Hi,

Love the look of your bike and the wheels with the stickers removed. I was wondering what technique you used to remove the stickers? DId you have a problem with the glue residue being left behind? I want to get the same look on my Reynolds wheels. Thanks!

Adam


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

amwintx said:


> Hi,
> 
> Love the look of your bike and the wheels with the stickers removed. I was wondering what technique you used to remove the stickers? DId you have a problem with the glue residue being left behind? I want to get the same look on my Reynolds wheels. Thanks!
> 
> Adam


Removing the stickers was more tedious than problematic as the lettering is all but individual cutouts with only a thin strip of decal connecting them, which means you can't take it off as a single sticker. My technique was to catch the edge of each letter with my finger nail and peel away. Once I got all the stickers removed, a little goo gone got rid of the the sticker residue. It was well worth the effort, but a bit of a pain in the butt and time consuming to do it.


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## amwintx (Oct 17, 2006)

Thanks so much for the info. Sounds like I have a little work ahead of me.


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## Minimalist (Apr 20, 2005)

I am looking at these wheels as well but am wondering if they are strong enough for me? Currently I am 200lbs with the goal of going down to 180lbs by the end of April. 

Another question would be if they are overkill for what I am doing/planning to do? I don’t race but may do some road races (no TT or crits) in the future. Most of the time I ride by myself and train for long distance MTB events. 

Finally, how is the support from Reynolds?


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## blandin (Jan 9, 2005)

I am over 200 lbs as well, and to date I have had no problems. At the price they are selling for, I can't imagine how they would be overkill. Buy, ride and enjoy!


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