Reserve 42|49 Turbulent Aero DT 240 Disc Brake Wheelset

The Reserve 42|49 Turbulent Aero DT 240 Disc Brake Wheelset is built around a clear premise: stop forcing riders to choose between a shallow rim that handles well and a deep rim that goes fast. The asymmetric 42mm front and 49mm rear depth is designed to give you a wheelset that climbs without fighting you, holds a line in crosswinds, and delivers genuine aerodynamic performance on every flat and rolling course you put it on. Reserve makes the case plainly — this is a wheel raced at Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d'Italia, used by professionals including multiple world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, and backed by a lifetime warranty so you can ride it without treating it like a race-day trophy.

Turbulent Aero is Reserve's proprietary aerodynamic surface treatment and what distinguishes the 42|49 from conventional smooth-rim carbon. The treatment applies a dimpled texture to the rim's exterior surface, a design that works on the same boundary-layer tripping principle as golf ball dimples: rather than allowing airflow to separate abruptly at the rim's leading edge, the surface disruption encourages flow to stay attached across a wider range of yaw angles. Reserve developed the Turbulent surface using real-world wind data alongside CFD modeling and wind tunnel validation — the explicit goal being a wheel that performs in the conditions riders actually encounter on the road rather than the controlled airflow of a lab. The result is a wheelset Reserve positions as both faster and more stable than smooth-rim alternatives of similar depth, particularly in the variable crosswinds and turbulence of real riding.

The front-rear depth split is intentional engineering. The front wheel carries the steering consequences of crosswind loading — a deeper rim generates more lateral torque on the bars when a gust hits, and that torque is what makes riders nervous on exposed sections. Running a 42mm front rim keeps that sensitivity manageable while still delivering aerodynamic return at speed. The 49mm rear picks up additional efficiency without the same handling trade-off, since the rear wheel doesn't steer. Front rim weight comes in at 375 grams; the deeper rear rim is 415 grams. With DT Swiss 240 hubs, the wheelset totals 1,390 grams. Rim dimensions are 25.4mm inner / 34.4mm outer on the front and 24.8mm inner / 32.1mm outer on the rear. Reserve recommends tires from 29mm to 40mm; the wide inner widths pair best with tires in the 30-35mm range where the tire casing shapes correctly over the rim shoulder.

The DT Swiss 240 is the mid-tier hub in Reserve's lineup — between the DT 350 and the DT 180 DICUT — and for a wheelset intended for regular use, its durability and serviceability put it in the right place. The DT 240 uses DT Swiss's Ratchet EXP system, a 36-tooth ratchet mechanism that provides 10-degree engagement per click. The Ratchet EXP is user-serviceable and broadly supported through DT Swiss's global service network, which matters for a hub you expect to run through multiple seasons. Spoke count is 24 front and rear, straight-pull, with Center Lock disc brake mounts and 12x100mm front / 12x142mm rear thru-axle spacing. Two freehub options are available: HG11 for Shimano and SRAM 11-speed road cassettes, or XDR for SRAM's 12-speed road groupsets.

The rims use a semi-hooked bead design, which means the 42|49 supports both tubeless and standard clincher setups — you're not locked into tubeless-only tires and can run an inner tube when needed. External nipples keep spoke tension accessible for routine truing with a standard spoke wrench, without requiring the rim to be stripped down. Reserve imposes no rider weight limits and backs the 42|49 with an industry-leading lifetime warranty. The minimum recommended tire is 700x29; the upper end is 40mm. For riders who want a single wheelset that handles race day and everything leading up to it without compromise, the 42|49 with DT 240 hubs makes a direct argument at $2,199.