The new Boyd Cycling Reiver gravel wheelset is aimed at riders favoring technical terrain that looks more like early 90’s mountain bike trails than today’s champagne gravel roads.
The Reiver has 26mm internal-width carbon rims with a shallow 25mm depth profile, designed to optimize for vertical compliance over aerodynamics. Pair them with high-volume tires ranging from 35-55mm wide and they’ll smooth even the chunkiest fire roads.
Rims weigh just 380g and have a hookless design with reinforced construction to handle impacts. By the numbers, that’s an impact rating of 140J, which is 3.5 times the UCI standard. Spoke holes are offset 2.8mm from center to balance spoke tension side to side.
Hubs use Boyd’s Grade 36 ratchet mechanism with 36-tooth engagement providing 10-degree pickup intervals. They spin on TPI ABEC 3 bearings, have a Center Lock disc brake mount, and stick with standard Pillar TB2016 J-Bend spokes with brass nipples.
It’s a durable build based on easy field serviceability over weight weenie-ness, making them a good choice for big adventure rides, and heavier and more aggressive riders.
Complete wheelset weight is 1385g, which is competitive for a tough wheelset. If you need something lighter, there’s the recently introduced Jocassee SL, a still-tough wheelset with slightly more aero shaping and a weight of just 1145g.
The Reivers ship tubeless-ready with pre-installed rim tape, tubeless valves, and Boyd’s wingnut valve stem retention system. They’re handbuilt in Greenville, SC, and MSRP is just $1,200.
