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Reynolds Blacklabel DH on the NICOLAI R20 MGU AON Edition
Aug 19, 2026
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Built to Race. Built to Last: REYNOLDS, NICOLAI, AON
World Cup downhill is remarkably good at exposing weak components.
The combination of speed, impacts, rocks, compressions and repeated race-week abuse means equipment is tested far beyond what most riders will experience in ordinary use. That makes the NICOLAI R20 MGU AON Edition especially interesting for Reynolds. The R20 may be a new and unconventional machine, but its wheels arrive with years of accumulated proof behind them.
Created by NICOLAI and GAMUX from the shared AON Racing environment, the R20 combines the downhill-specific geometry and suspension foundations of the GAMUX Sego with a NICOLAI chassis designed around the Pinion Motor.Gearbox.Unit and Gates Carbon Drive. Its component selection deliberately reflects the same partner ecosystem supporting AON Racing in World Cup competition, including Reynolds Blacklabel DH carbon wheels.
Performance: Elevated
For the mixed-wheel R20, that means a Blacklabel 309 DH Expert 29-inch front wheel and Blacklabel 307 DH Expert 27.5-inch rear. The combination matches the bike’s 29/27.5 architecture while bringing a wheel platform refined through seasons of riding, testing and racing at the sharp end of gravity competition.
But for us, the most compelling part of the Reynolds story is not simply outright performance.
It is what happens after the race.
But for us, the most compelling part of the Reynolds story is not simply outright performance.
It is what happens after the race.
Don't Cure, Prevent
Many World Cup programs proudly highlight the level of support surrounding their equipment: mechanics rebuilding wheels, replacing damaged rims and turning equipment around overnight. That support is valuable. But AON Racing’s experience with Reynolds has increasingly demonstrated another kind of support.
Not needing intervention in the first place.
Across the 2025 season, the entire AON Racing team broke only three Reynolds rims in total. Even those damaged rims continued holding air. Individual Reynolds wheelsets have survived not merely single weekends, but extended periods of training, testing and racing, in some cases continuing through seasons of use.
That is the kind of durability that changes the value equation completely.
Not needing intervention in the first place.
Across the 2025 season, the entire AON Racing team broke only three Reynolds rims in total. Even those damaged rims continued holding air. Individual Reynolds wheelsets have survived not merely single weekends, but extended periods of training, testing and racing, in some cases continuing through seasons of use.
That is the kind of durability that changes the value equation completely.
The Obvious Choice
A high-performance wheel is not simply something that feels fast on its first ride. It is an investment in performance that continues delivering without demanding constant rebuilding, replacement or attention. For racers, that means fewer variables and more confidence in familiar equipment. For mechanics, it means less time solving wheel problems. For riders buying an extraordinary machine such as the R20, it means knowing one of the most heavily loaded components on the bike has already survived conditions far beyond normal expectations.
This durability is particularly relevant here. The R20 combines 200 mm of travel, downhill-focused geometry, a mixed-wheel configuration and a complete-bike weight approaching 30 kilograms. This is not a lightweight trail bike asking its wheels for an easy life. It is a machine intended to descend aggressively, repeatedly and with the added forces of an electric platform.
Which makes Blacklabel DH the obvious choice.
This durability is particularly relevant here. The R20 combines 200 mm of travel, downhill-focused geometry, a mixed-wheel configuration and a complete-bike weight approaching 30 kilograms. This is not a lightweight trail bike asking its wheels for an easy life. It is a machine intended to descend aggressively, repeatedly and with the added forces of an electric platform.
Which makes Blacklabel DH the obvious choice.
Ride Better, Ride Reynolds
Over multiple seasons, Reynolds, GAMUX, NICOLAI, Hayes and Manitou have worked inside the same AON performance environment, learning how their individual components interact as a complete system. The R20 represents an opportunity to transfer that accumulated experience onto a limited Team Replica that is far more than a matching paint scheme.
And when it comes to wheels, we think the lesson from racing is wonderfully simple:
The best race support is sometimes the support you never need.
World Cup performance. Season-long durability. Minimal maintenance.
Reynolds Blacklabel DH. Built to race. Built to last.
And when it comes to wheels, we think the lesson from racing is wonderfully simple:
The best race support is sometimes the support you never need.
World Cup performance. Season-long durability. Minimal maintenance.
Reynolds Blacklabel DH. Built to race. Built to last.
For riders who want to own the complete expression of this collaboration, the NICOLAI R20 MGU AON Edition is far more than a Team Replica. It brings together the downhill DNA and geometry of the GAMUX Sego with NICOLAI engineering, the Pinion MGU and Gates Carbon Drive, and a component package closely modeled on the equipment trusted by AON Racing in World Cup competition, including Manitou suspension, Hayes Dominion brakes and Reynolds Blacklabel DH wheels.
Production is deliberately limited to a small series, making the R20 MGU AON Edition as exclusive as the collaboration behind it. The limited order window opens August 19 and runs through September 30, 2026, with pricing starting at €14,999 including 19% VAT with the 800 Wh battery, or €15,199 with the 1060 Wh option. For the small number of riders who will have the opportunity to own one, the R20 represents something genuinely rare: the tangible result of several brands, engineers, athletes and race programs working together to create a complete bike shaped by shared experience at the highest level of gravity performance. Availability is intentionally limited. The order window opens August 19.
Production is deliberately limited to a small series, making the R20 MGU AON Edition as exclusive as the collaboration behind it. The limited order window opens August 19 and runs through September 30, 2026, with pricing starting at €14,999 including 19% VAT with the 800 Wh battery, or €15,199 with the 1060 Wh option. For the small number of riders who will have the opportunity to own one, the R20 represents something genuinely rare: the tangible result of several brands, engineers, athletes and race programs working together to create a complete bike shaped by shared experience at the highest level of gravity performance. Availability is intentionally limited. The order window opens August 19.
