Canyon Endurace: Reynolds Assault Limited Edition Disc Wheelset

One of the main reason I bought the complete Canyon Endurace bike, instead of buying the frameset and installing all the components myself, is because it comes with a good set of wheels. Canyon is known for choosing good quality wheels for its complete bikes, with a quality level corresponding to the grade of bicycle. For some high end models, high grade DT Swiss or Zipp wheels are selected, which adds a lot to the value of the complete bike.

The Canyon Endurace CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2 comes with the Reynolds Assault Limited Edition (LE) wheelset, which differs from the standard model in appearance. This is a wheelset that has a MSRP of USD 1800, which is considered a relatively high end wheelset, although it is not as high end as Enve or Zipp wheels. Let's take a closer look at this good looking wheelset!

All components on this wheelset are stock. Looking good with the stealthy matte black finishing!

These stock wheels come with an inner tube that has a short valve, and thus it comes with a valve extender. However, these valve extenders are not threaded on the outside, which means that I cannot use Lezyne pumps with pump heads that need to be threaded onto the valve.

It should have come with inner tubes that simply have longer valves, but since it does not, I will have to change the inner tubes to ensure that I can use my Lezyne pumps on these wheels. These wheels are tubeless compatible, but the stock tires are not. In any case, I am not so keen to go tubeless as using the sealant will be messy. Sure, it may be more comfortable or have lower rolling resistance or be more puncture resistant, but getting messy installation and maintenance as a trade off is not worth it for me.

Therefore, the main objectives of removing the components on these wheels are to weigh them individually, and also to change the inner tube to one with a longer valve.

Ultegra 6800 11-32T 11 speed cassette, weighs 280 grams.

XTR Ice-Tech rotor, SM-RT99 in 160mm diameter. Weighs 115 grams each.

Aluminium rotor lockrings are 8 grams each

Continental GP4000 tires, 28mm width, weighs 266 grams each. Not too bad at all!

Stock inner tubes are Schwalbe Extralight tubes, which is a surprise. Can fit 28mm to 44mm wide tires.

These inner tubes are quite lightweight, at only 105 grams for this rather wide size.

Replacement inner tube with longer 60mm valve. Can fit 18mm to 28mm wide tires.

Even though these are slimmer tubes, they are not of the Extralight variety and so weigh slightly more at 109 grams.

Comparing the size of the stock inner tube on top (28-44mm) to the new inner tube (18-28mm), there is quite a significant difference in diameter.

Wheelset stripped of all the components on it, such as the cassette, rotors, tires, inner tubes.

Each wheel has its own QC sticker and date of inspection.

The wheel specifications on the website states that the rim width is 17mm internal, 25mm external. I did not measure it myself initially, until someone told me that the specifications is wrong. In order to confirm this, I removed the tires again to measure the actual rim width myself. To my surprise, the rim width is quite wide!

As the rim shape bulges out slightly, the widest area is about 30mm wide. 

At the lip of the rim, the width measures about 28.8mm, which is quite a lot wider than the 25mm stated on the website.

The internal rim width of 21mm is also wider than the stated 17mm on the website.

These rims are actually very modern in the sense that the width is much wider than conventional rim designs. With a rim width of 21mm internal and 28-30mm external, these are very wide rims which are great for comfort and maybe aerodynamics, as the rim profile joins the 700x28C profile smoothly.

These look like tubeless rim tape, as it is securely stuck on the rim bed, instead of loosely like normal rim tape.

Large 12mm hole at the front hub for the E-thru axle. Note the straight pull spokes used.

Same 12mm E-thru axle size for the rear wheel

763 grams for the front wheel

874 grams for the rear wheel

This gives a total wheelset weight of 1637 grams inclusive of rim tape. Compare this to the Ultegra 6800 wheelset which I installed on the Merida Scultura 5000, which weighs 1650 grams (without rim tape), and about 1690 grams with rim tape.

The carbon Reynolds Assault wheelset has a rim height of 41mm, and yet weighs slightly less than the aluminium Ultegra 6800 wheels with a rim height of 24mm. Also, the rim width is much wider. This is a great weight considering the wide and tall rim profile.

Before reinstalling the wheels back onto the frame, let's take a look at the E-thru drop outs and the E-thru axles themselves.

Front E-thru dropout of 12mm, this is the non-threaded end. There is a curved profile that guides the hub axle into the dropout.

Rear E-thru dropout of 12mm. This is the non-threaded side.

Rear E-thru dropout, at the threaded end. It threads into the derailleur hanger, which is also part of the dropout.

Weight of rear E-thru axle, which is 142x12mm. 38 grams.

Weight of front E-thru axle, which is 100x12mm. 29 grams.

Quick release lever which can be used for either of the E-thru axles. 31 grams.

In total, the quick release axles and lever weigh 98 grams, which is considered pretty lightweight. This is mainly due to the shared lever which means that only one lever is needed.

On the road, these wheels roll nicely and comfortably. The freewheeling sound is audible but not overly loud, which is how I like it. Appearance wise, the matte black finishing with glossy black details on the rims makes it look more expensive that it is, and also matches the Kerosene Red of the Endurace frame very well. No wheelset upgrade is necessary as these wheels are already very nice!