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Just thought I'd share in case anyone is in the market. I needed a new pair of wheels and was looking at the usual £500-£600 Alu options, particularly at the Reserve 30 AL wheels that are going for £520 right now. Then I stumbled on an offer for slightly mis-matched carbon wheels from Merlin for £200 more. They arrived today and look great.
Reserve 30 V2 with i9 1/1 front hub, 15x110 at 65% off
Reserve 30 HD with DT370 XD rear hub, with 36t star ratchet (it's not the old 3 pawl 370) at 50% off
£724 for a pair of carbon rims seems like a no brainer, especially with pretty good hubs too. The logos are slightly different and the wheel shape is subtly different, but they look like a matched set.
Anyway, thought I'd share.
The only have the combo I bought - 15x110 29er front, 12x148 boost XD rear 29er.
So so tempted. Those wheels are such a bargain. Do I really need spare carbon wheels though? Step away from the buy button, step away.
.....
with 36t star ratchet
Have you confirmed that as ratchet LN (which is what those 370 hubs are) normally come fitted with the 18t ratchet. 36t now comes as standard on 350s.
As ever with Merlin these days, they have great prices for lots of things they don’t have and will never get back in stock. They’re dangerously close to becoming the new CRC.
Got them installed. Yes it is definitely LN ratchet not 3 pawl. They are quite lovely. Quiet too. But then my last wheels were ARC27 with novatech hubs that came on my old 2018 Hightower and made their way across two other bikes over 6 years.
My chain and cassette were worn so I had a couple of other purchases too.
That logo alignment on the front wheel is going to annoy me lots but I can’t be bothered taking off the tire 🤣
Proper ride tomorrow.
Edit: no I have not confirmed it’s 36 vs 18 but it feels like it. Not sure how to check but there’s way more engagement than the novatechs and I’d read somewhere DT had moved everything to 36t.
The current 370 hubs have Ratchet LN freehubs which use an 18 tooth ratchet (mine are old 3 pawls). If they've 36 tooth ratchets might Merlin have misreported them as 370s when they're actually 350s? Ratchet LN freehubs are usually marked as such on the freehub body.
For those that buy (and once the hub's confirmed) Merlin also have some stupidly cheap DT Swiss freehubs.
Are they the newer reserve branded ones or Santa Cruz branded?
DTs website is listing the 370 as coming with ratchet LN 36. I’m pretty sure that’s what is in it. It definitely says Ratchet LN on the free hub body.
The front wheel is branded Santa Cruz and is a 30 V2 with i9 1/1. The rear is branded Reserve and is a 30 HD.
Full res image for branding…
I get exactly 36 clicks in a 360 rotation so I am confident it’s 36t ratchet.
I'd be on these like a tramp on hot chips if they had a 27.5 rear in stock.