# First Impression: 2011 Reynolds Assault Clinchers



## Bluffplace (Jul 30, 2008)

Here is some preliminary data
Bike: 2010 Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL-3 
Complete Sram Red Groupo
Brand new GP-4000s
Previous Wheels: Ksyrium SL
Road: George Washington Bridge to Nyack, NY via 9w about 30miles roundtrip
Price: $1230 plus tax

This is my first outdoor ride of 2011. I immediately notice how quiet and smooth these wheels rode. It was like going from a crappy car to driving a luxurious one. It absorbed the bumps and just felt comfortable. Maybe I’m use to the drivetrain noise using Sram, but this was much quieter than the Ksyrium SL. Coasted a few times trying to hear the rear cassette ‘clicking’, nothing whatsoever. Also, the rear wheel slipped out from me a few times, maybe it was the wax on the new tires and/or the wet roads. However, I did not fall.

I’m used to the braking surface of aluminum wheels. You definitely have to get use to braking with carbon wheels. There is a difference in carbon and aluminum braking surfaces. At one point, I barely was slowing down and that was because I was riding ona wet surface. On the dry side, there were areas of the road where it was nice and dry. I slammed on the brakes and did not lock up the wheels. Braking was good, no modulation, front brakes were noisy though. I need to double check and see if they were properly aligned.

On the rolling hills, I varied the speed every 30 seconds. I did not notice any difference in ride quality or anything else with the different speeds. A few times, I felt the crosswind push the front wheels. Not a big deal, I just was not holding on the handlebars tight enough. One thing that I did not try, was getting off the saddle and doing a few sprints. There is a nice downhill by Columbia Univ Lamont Observatory. The first part of the hill curves and since it was wet, I rode with the rear brakes doing about 15-16mph. Once the road straightened out, I easily went up to 32 and that was coasting. I did notice a little improvement climbing up some the hills. It felt a little easier.

Overall, I am very impressed and pleased with my purchase. I’ll be waiting for all the snow to go away so that I can really test out these wheels.


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## Squeegy200 (Dec 1, 2005)

*Request for future follow up*

I was interested in your impressions on this wheelset. One of my riding buddies also bought this same wheelset (Replacing a set of American Classic Magnesium wheels) and they've sparked my desire for a new set of wheels. 

I'd be very much interested in your observations after you've put in a few hundred miles and on dryer surfaces.


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## LandShark'n (Jan 10, 2011)

A guy I ride with has a new set too. I'm not sure what difference they make as he's only ridden them twice and had little feedback thus far, but man do they cause wheel envy!


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## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

Make sure you have the Reynolds blue brake pads. These are very good.


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## iploya (Apr 30, 2006)

It's a little premature for me to write a full review, but since this thread is entitled "first impressions" I thought I'd enter mine.

I got what appears to be an unbeatable deal on the 2011 Assaults on eBay, at a grand. I didn't serioiusly expect the offer to be accepted, but since it was I followed thru (otherwise I wasn't prepared to spend money on wheels at the moment, deal or not).

My first impression of the graphics is that Reynolds needs some work from the design department to come up with some sort of tasteful logo or design, rather than writing out the full name. The decals on this set were too loud for me, with a huge amount of white to obscur the nice carbon finish of the wheelset. That problem was easily remedied - the decals each came off in one careful pull. Better to do it new, than after the sun has faded the area around the decals.

I didn't have any problems installing or adjusting the blue brake pads (supplied). I was also pleased not to have to mess with toe-in or any other adjustments - there has been zero squeaking when braking. As another reviewer observed, the carbon braking surface does respond differently than the aluminum braking surfaces on the other wheels I have tried. It stops well enough, but I now appreciate that traditional aluminum rims (and carbon wheels with aluminum braking surfaces, like SRAM) do have an advantage in this area. I did have a little trouble initially with the brakes not being centered. I had to reposition them a few times. I'm not sure if there's anything about the way the pads grab the braking surface that would cause it to pull out of alignment. I doubt it though, it was probably just the brakes themselves. They are aligned well now.

In evaluating the wheels, my frame of reference has been from some of the popular wheelsets (e.g. Ksyrium ES), and more recently, custom-built wheels with pretty stout builds, like 28+ Sapim spokes. Those are some unusually solid builds by which to compare the Reynolds, having 20/24 spoke count. I have also logged quite a few miles on the SRAM S80 (aluminum rim with structural carbon aero section), although primarily on a TT setup, and just experimentally on an occasional road ride.

On the bike, the wheels did have a different ride quality than the aluminum wheels. It wasn't a ride quality I immediately fell in love with, and I think it will take some getting used to before I form an opinion. They did seem to mute surface irregularities fairly well, although I realize now how I appreciate the lively feel of aluminum rims provides road and handling feedback. The Reynolds do seem to handle corners competently well, though they didn't quite match the precision control of a stout aluminum wheel to which I am accustomed (though I realize that's an unfair comparison). 

Having already completed an interval workout on my other bike earlier that evening, I didn't take the wheels up much beyond speeds of mid 20s, so I need more ride time to really know their limits in corners. I feel like they did slightly "understeer" (if I'm using the correct term) in corners compared to my aluminum wheels, like the S80s do, but not nearly to the same extent. In these wheels and on the S80s, I feel like there is some noise or chatter in tight corners, and I'm not sure if it's due to the increased carbon surface area resonating during the lateral forces applied in cornering, or if there is some wheel flex sufficient to cause the pads to engage the braking surface. It's very subtle though, and I am not describing these as noisy. If anything, they are epsecially quiet overall.

I did get out of the saddle a few times and accelerate to test the rear wheel stifness. The wheels did seem to handle the increased torque well, although I perceived more flexing than with aluminum wheels, which is to be expected. I need more ride time to determine whether they will stand up well to an all-out sprint. Even with aluminum wheels, I have occasionally had the rims flex to the point of brake-pad rubbing in sprint situations or hard climbs.

(Update: added a fairly brisk 2-hour group ride the next evening. Did get some light sprints in to see how these do under higher torquing, and they seemed to do fine. Hit a max sprint speed of around 36mph and didn't have any issues with overflexing, although I still suspect my stiff aluminum wheelsets probably convert torque at the cranks into speed at the wheels a little more efficiently, with less force dissipated to flex.)

(Update 2: I'm liking these wheels more and more. I finally raced them over the weekend in a 42-mile road race, with some fairly steep hills, cattle guards, rough asphalt, dips, and turns. They held up great and didn't let me down in the fast down/up corners and in the final sprint.)


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