Most gravel wheels make a quiet concession: depth costs you handling when wind picks up, so keep the rims shallow and accept the aerodynamic drag as the price of stability. Reserve's 40|44 GR gravel wheelset challenges that assumption directly. Built on the same Turbulent Aero development process that drives their road lineup, the 40|44 GR applies rim profiles validated with real-world wind data — not idealized laminar tunnel flow — to a carbon wheelset designed specifically for gravel riding and racing. The goal was an aero gravel wheel that behaves predictably in the variable crosswinds that open terrain actually produces, rather than one optimized for conditions that don't exist outside a testing facility.

The mixed-depth profile distributes the aerodynamic and handling work deliberately between the two wheels. Up front, the 40mm rim runs wide: 27.4mm internal and 36mm external, creating a broad tire bed that supports everything from 30mm racing rubber to 50c adventure tires while keeping steering input calm when wind arrives from the side. The rear runs 44mm deep and slightly narrower at 27mm internal and 34.4mm external — a taller profile tucked into the rider's draft, where extra depth contributes speed without influencing how the bike handles in gusts. A 2.7mm asymmetric offset built into the rear rim pulls spoke tension toward balance, compensating for the driveside dish that modern drivetrain spacing demands. The semi-hooked rim bead spans the gap between hookless simplicity and traditional hooked compatibility, making tubeless setup more predictable while retaining tube compatibility for situations where tubeless isn't practical.

DT Swiss 180 hubs anchor both wheels, built around the 36-tooth star ratchet EXP engagement system. The 36-tooth count translates to 10 degrees of pickup — enough to feel nearly immediate when power returns to the pedals coming out of a technical section or loose corner. Straight pull spokes lace 24 per wheel, eliminating the bend at the elbow that introduces fatigue stress in J-hook designs. Reserve reinforces the spoke holes internally using purpose-engineered carbon plies around the nipple interface, the area that sees the highest concentrated load in a carbon rim. Center Lock rotor mounts on both hubs accept rotors with a standard bottom bracket tool, and the wheelset ships with an XDR freehub installed along with an HG-EV freehub body included in the box, covering both SRAM and Shimano drivetrain compatibility without an additional purchase.... Read More