Zwift’s latest release added two new wheelsets from Reserve – the first road wheelsets from the company to arrive in game. Their 34/37 wheelset (34mm front wheel, 37mm rear wheel) is optimized for climbing:
Just how fast are these hoops? Well, you may have seen Jonas Vingegaard sporting these very wheels on his Cervelo S5 (also released in Zwift’s latest update) on his way to winning last year’s Vuelta. That says something.
Here’s how the Reserve 34/37 wheelset is described in the Drop Shop:
Climb fast. Descend faster. The Reserve 34|37 is built for riders who want lightweight responsiveness without giving up free speed. Tuned with Turbulent Aero technology for stability in changing winds, these wheels feel right at home on punchy climbs, rolling terrain, and technical descents. The perfect setup for riders who want one wheelset that can do it all.
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for 550,000 Drops. They are rated 3 stars for aero and 4 for weight, like other top climbing wheelsets. But how do they compare? Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our tastes, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets.
Let’s dive in and learn all about the in-game performance of Swiss Side’s first disc wheelset in Zwift!
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The Reserve 34/37 hoops don’t stand out for aero performance. Like other newer pure climbing wheels, they finish sort of midpack in terms of a percentile ranking when the road is flat and fast.
The 34/37 puts 27.6 seconds into our stock wheelset across an hour of climbing, which is comparable to the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532 at 28.8 seconds and the Zipp 353 NSW at 27.4 seconds. In contrast, the fastest non-disc hoops (Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650) turn in a time savings of 46.8 seconds.
Climb Performance
The 34/37 wheelset from Reserve performs nicely when the road tilts upward, clocking the 4th best time of any wheelset on Zwift.
The 34/37 puts 10.4 seconds into the stock wheelset, which is less than 1 second slower than the new CADEX Max 50, and ~4 seconds behind the best climbing wheels in game, the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
On Zwift, Reserve’s 34/37 are strong climbing wheels with midpack aero performance. Their tested performance puts them just ahead of the Zipp 353 NSW both on flats and climbs, which means they’ll replace that wheelset on our list of Top 10 Wheelsets in Zwift.
But it’s hard to recommend them, at a level 29 unlock, when you’ve got the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 super wheels available at level 35, the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532 as stronger pure climbers at level 32, and even the new CADEX Max 50 at level 29. All three of these wheelsets outperform the 34/37 in all respects, so unless you’re just a big fan of Reserve, or perhaps like the nondescript (“reserved?”) look, you probably won’t be rolling these wheels.
These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:
- Master Zwift Wheels List (added)
- The Top 10 Wheelsets in Zwift
- Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
- Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
- Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet) (added)
Questions or comments?
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Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
