Interview with Joel from Reserve Wheels

Interview with Joel from Reserve Wheels

This interview was originally published in our weekly ICYMI email newsletter. Click to subscribe 📫


Reserve Wheels Joel Smith Riding Mountain Bikes in the Desert

Joel Chats Reserve

We had some questions about wheels, so we went to the source. Joel Smith has been just about everywhere and done just about everything a person could do in the bike industry, and now he’s heading up Reserve.


For those that may not be as familiar with the Reserve brand, what's your elevator pitch?

"The Reserve brand is focused on making wheels that help riders win races. Whether that’s a stage of the Tour de France or a mountain bike World Cup, we design for the upper echelons of racing with the idea that every rider can benefit from the performance that world-class athletes require. And then we support all of our products with a lifetime warranty because we want our customers to have 100% confidence in what could arguably be called the most important component on their bike. In the end, we strive to be the best bicycle wheel company in the world, with the most developed, most well-thought out and easy to use components that in the end improve the experience of riding a bicycle better for the end user."

Woman on Cervelo Bike on the Road with Motorcycle Behind

So you guys kind of did reinvent the wheel...

Tell us a bit about the moto testing (pictured above).

"It was the idea of our engineer Nic McCrae. He recognized during his wind-tunnel testing that the wind speed and direction he was using to test wheels was not necessarily indicative of real-world conditions. With another Reserve engineer, Joe Doty, he came up with the idea to put wind sensors on a vehicle to actually capture real world wind conditions which he could then replicate in the wind tunnel for more accurate aerodynamic testing. The three-wheeled scooter made sense to hold the devices they developed as it was stable but relatively close to a bicycle dimensionally (especially vs an automobile)."

What question are you most asked about Reserve? Let's answer it for the masses here and now.  

"Is there a weight limit on the wheels? And the answer is no."

The Front Wheels of Multiple Bikes with Reserve Carbon Wheels

What wheels are you rockin' at the moment?

"I ride the 40|44s. For being such a deep section wheel, they are surprisingly comfortable to ride. The roads are NOT so smooth around us here in Santa Cruz. And the 40|44s are tall enough to be quite fast. At this point in my life, every little bit helps."

Any sneak peeks or hints of things to come?

"There is still a lot of speed and stability to be gained with future wheels and Turbulent Aero tech. We are not even sure where it will take us, but it’s pretty cool to see the results of our developments so far and I think the future only sees faster wheels on the horizon."

Two Men in an Engineering Lab Testing Wheels

Have more questions about racing, engineering, or wheel warranties? Schedule some time to talk one-on-one with Joel—he’d be stoked to get you up to speed on all things Reserve. 

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