Reynolds have a long association in the production of steel tubing for the cycle industry, but in recent years they have shifted their focus to the production of carbon forks and, more recently, wheels, headed by their lightest and aptly named King Of The Mountains model.
Race wheels are generally grouped into two types - the hooked rim of a clincher as fitted to the large majority of production bikes, and the sprint-type rims used here. Sprints or'tubs'as they are sometimes called, remain the first choice of serious roadies and indeed the pro ranks. This is because they are on average 10 per cent lighter compared to the equivalent wheel fitted with clincher rims that are built to withstand the forces of the fully inflated innertube acting upon the wall of the rim.
The KOM's have 24 rear and 20 front spokes and use cartridge bearing hubs that are manufactured by the highly regarded Swiss DT company to Reynolds'own spec. The spoking pattern is 2-cross on the rear drive side and the front is radial, and both wheels remained perfectly true during 200K of road testing.
The advantage of such a wheel compared to an aluminium Shimano Dura-Ace or Mavic Ksyrium SL wheel is that they feel incredibly easy to get up to speed with and are on level terms with the previously tested Campagnolo Hyperon at 1,240g and £1,700. That said, what you gain on the climbs will be lost by all but the bravest soul on the descents because the carbon braking surface tends to bite abruptly rather than allow the rider to feed-in where the brakes are applied for more than 10-seconds at a time.