Reynolds 27.5 Plus Blacklabel Wheelset
Like a certain kind of Scotch whisky, the Reynolds 27. 5 Plus Blacklabel Wheelset connotes a particular brand of class, with an appreciation for rugged, dusty trails and not too much fuss. The brand designed its Blacklabel line with its top-of-the-line technology and for its third year in existence, a few more developments to send it stepping confidently into the future. Reynolds managed to make the rims stronger and stiffer with Boost hub standards, while striving to create a suppler, more responsive ride with a new carbon rim profile and an exclusive version of Industry Nine's legendary hubs. Of course, it also kept the smart, sleek aesthetics that have been a part of the wheelset's revered reputation since it was first introduced. Our Northern Utah neighbors at Reynolds are no strangers to dusty singletrack and hand-numbing lines, and they've spent enough time rallying over slickrock to understand what a high-end enduro wheelset needs to be up for in a day. That's why they decided to make the interesting decision to shape the carbon fiber rims asymmetrically, strengthening the wheels on the drive side where it's needed most so they can avoid adding unnecessary extra weight to the non-drive side. With this construction, Reynolds lends the entire wheelset strength and rigidity, without a total compromise of ride quality, giving you the confidence to roll over just about anything you dare to without being tossed around painfully in the saddle the way you would be with some ultra-stiff sets of carbon rims.Notably, Reynolds also joined the growing list of wheel manufacturers eliminating bead hooks, and the Endurance 27. 5's now feature a completely hookless bead. We were skeptical at first about this new trend, but with the huge gains made in tire composition over recent decades, the interface between the rim and tire has already improved enough that a hooked rim is nowhere near as essential to holding a tire on a rim as it was a half century ago. During testing,...