Reserve has been busy blurring the line between road aero and off-road punishment. Most recently, we got a sneak peek of these new gravel wheels at the Nov Msto World Cup. The Cannondale Factory Team used them as a secret weapon for the fast and power-heavy short track. Now they are pulling the curtain back and letting us see what they are actually for: gravel racing.Cannondale Factory Racing using the 48|53 GR for the short track at the Nov Msto World Cup (Photo/Cannondale)Go Big or Go Home So Reserve went big. The new 48|53 GR wheels use a 30mm internal rim width and a 44mm external width. They also use staggered rim depths: 48mm up front and 53mm in the rear. (Photo/Cannondale)Wide Enough For Cross-CountryReserve says the wheels are optimized for tires from 40mm to 57mm (2.25 inches). Which means these arent just road wheels with a gravel sticker slapped on the side. These guys are good for everything (XCO XXC included), but youre gonna need a custom build with boost spacing. (Photo/Reserve)That 30mm internal width is doing a few things. First, it gives bigger gravel tires a more supported shape, spreading the casing, but its not overkill for moderate tires. The wider rim, paired with the bead support, means less tire squirm when youre smashing through fast, rough sections. (Photo/Reserve)Aero Enough For New Gravel The aero side comes from the big 44mm external profile. Reserve says the wide rim helps air transition more cleanly from the tire onto the rim, reducing drag and improving speed. Thats the trick with modern aero gravel wheels: the rim cant just be deep. It has to work with the tire, and gravel tires are not exactly delicate or predictable. The 48|53 GR is designed to create a smoother airflow buffer around larger tires, which Reserve says is where the speed gains come from.Hollow HookThe other big talking point is Reserves new Hollow Hook construction. Essentially, Reserve found a way to remove material from the outer section of the rim hook without sacrificing strength or impact resistance (waiting on some reviews to validate this). That matters because when rims get wider, they usually get heavier. Hollow Hook is Reserves way of keeping the rim profile wide enough for aero and tire support without turning the finished wheelset into a boat anchor. But will it be enough to meet the demands of modern gravel well have to wait and see. (Photo/Reserve)Builds: Reserve 48|53 GR Gravel Race WheelsWeights are competitive, especially given the rims size. The DT Swiss 350 build comes in at a claimed 1,528g. The higher-end DT Swiss 180 version drops that to 1,433g. Both builds come laced with Sapim CX-Ray aero bladed spokes. Rim-only weights are listed at 445g front and 465g rear, which again is pretty tidy for a 30mm internal, aero-shaped gravel rim.Reserve also keeps things refreshingly normal where it counts. The 48|53 GR uses external nipples, centerlock disc mounts, and 24 spokes front and rear. Hub spacing is the usual 100x12mm front and 142x12mm rear, with XDR or HG driver options. There are no rider weight limits or tire limitations, and the wheels feature a semi-hooked rim design. (Photo/Reserve)Pricing: Reserve 48|53 GR Gravel Race WheelsDT Swiss 350 build at $1,599 USD / $2,249 CAD / 1,799.DT Swiss 180 build comes in at $2,499 USD / $3,889 CAD / 2,799. Rim-only pricing is listed at $699 USD per rim.Reservewheels.comThe post Reserve Goes Wide, Deep, Aero & Hollow Hooked w/ New 48|53 GR Gravel Race Wheels appeared first on Bikerumor.

Reserve's new 48|53 GR gravel wheels bring differential rim depths of 48mm at the front and 53mm at the rear, combined with a wide 44mm external dimension in line with the trend for wider, aero-optimised rims.The shift towards wider aero rims started with Zipps revolutionary 303 XPLR SW design, which combines a 54mm depth with a huge 32mm internal width.Hunt followed with the Limitless Gravel rim, bringing a 40mm depth and 27mm internal width. Newmen then upped the ante with the Streem G.62, blending a 62mm-deep rim with a massive 45mm external width and 27mm internal.ENVE has pushed the boundaries even further with the 67mm-deep G SES 6.7 Pro, which has a huge 35mm internal width. The new 48|53 GR wheelset combines a 48mm front and 53mm rear rim depth. Reserve wheels Reserve says the aero shape is a development from its road-going wheelsets, as used by Team VismaLease a Bike, which have differential rim depths front and rear.It also claims to have combined the aero knowledge gained from the Tour de France with the toughness of Reserves wheels, as used by the Santa Cruz Syndicate downhill team and the Cannondale Factory Racing XC team.That includes details such as the asymmetric spoke offset to increase the bracing angles, to provide a stronger, stiffer wheel build, along with the carbon fibre construction at the heart of the rims.The new gravel wheels are built around an all-new rim design Reserve is calling 'hollow hook' construction. It claims this semi-hook rim shape shaves weight from the outermost section of the rim without sacrificing strength.Reserve backs up its claims with not only a lifetime warranty but also by putting no rider weight limit on the wheelset. The 48|53 GR wheelset makes for a smooth transition between rim and tyre. Reserve wheels The wheel construction is kept simple and user-friendly, with external spoke nipples and off-the-peg Sapim spokes, and tubeless compatibility with the semi-hooked rim design.Rim details The new semi-hook rim profile has a 30mm-wide internal dimension. Reserve wheels The rim has a broad 30mm internal width that helps the tyre to sit wider. Reserve claims this means a wider contact patch for enhanced grip.The brand says the problem with gravel wheel rims is the sport has shifted to ever-wider tyres. On traditional narrower rims, this means the tyre lightbulbs, where the sidewalls taper in narrower than the widest point of the tyre. This makes the tyre more unstable on rough terrain and reduces the contact patch, limiting grip. The premium model comes with lightweight DT Swiss 180 Dicut hubs. Reserve wheels The new 48|53's rim is also very wide externally, at 44mm. This means the transition between rim and tyre is much smoother, reducing drag, which means more speed.Its a similar design solution to the Streem G.62, and G SES 6.7 Pro. Reserve 48|53 GR specs Rim 30mm internal/44mm external width 24 spokes front and rear XDR or HG freehub Standard model: DT Swiss 350 hubs, Sapim CX-Ray Aero spokes, 1,528g pair Premium model: DT Swiss 180 hubs, Sapim CX-Ray Aero spokes, 1,433g pairPricing Reserve 48|53 GR / DT 350 1,599 / $1,599 / 1,799 Reserve 48|53 GR / DT 180 2,399, $TBC / TBC Rim only: 599 each / $TBC / TBC

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Stage 4 of the Tour de France was a hilly day that was seen as hard to control. Mads Pedersen won the stage as the pre-race favourite, however in circumstances that few would've expected - a breakaway triumph, in which he had two teammates control the finale for him to win in a small group sprint....