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

These suggestions could save you thousands on a current top-end Tour de France pro bike if you shop around

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....

Obviously the goal is to take back the yellow jersey, but you never know, the four-time Tour de France winner said while warming down

On the fourth day of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar wore the yellow jersey and took to the start as the race leader for the first time this year. It was a short stint, as the day's breakaway took the spotlight and in the process, Torstein Traeen captured the race lead. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG...

The Superfast Edition 15 is the culmination of 15 years of Bike Ahead Composites hand-building carbon wheels and bikes in Germany. Just 15 of the limited anniversary-edition complete gravel bikes will ever be made. Each bike is entirely made by hand in Wrzburg, Germany. And each frame and cockpit is customizable for individual rider needs. All with the same symbolic 15,000 anniversary-honoring price tag.Bike Ahead The Superfast Edition 15 carbon gravel bike(Photos/Bike Ahead Composites)What started with their unique ultralight monocoque 6-spoke carbon BiTurbo wheel design in 2011 has continued to evolve, encompassing frames, cockpit components, and even the recent revitalization of European manufacturing as the founding technology partner for Carbon Team in Portugal. We first got a close-up look at The Superfast gravel race bike and its BiTurbo Gravel Aero wheels last summer. Now, The Superfast is back with an anniversary edition that includes a bike fit, the bottom bracket of your choice, with or without internal frame storage, and customizable The Cockpit bar & stem geometry. The Superfast Edition 15 with Bike Ahead Composites founder Christian GemperleinPlus, each of the fifteen complete Edition 15 bikes can be picked up in person at Bike Ahead Composites HQ for a personal tour of the factory that built your frame, fork, wheels, cockpit, seatpost & saddle with company founder Christian Gemperlein. Bike Ahead The Superfast Edition 15: Tech DetailsThe Superfast, The Fork, The Cockpit, The Hypersaddle, The Straight & BiTurbo Gravel Aero wheels are all manufactured with one-piece monocoque carbon constructionfully integrated internal cable routingoptional internal frame storage with a secure latch above the BB, opening under the downtube for a sealed, removable storage boxoption for PressFit OR threaded T47 bottom bracket53mm official max tire clearance1x standard, with optional 2x compatibility via fully removable front derailleur hangerUDH standard derailleur mounting optionshollow titanium bottle cage bolts789g frame & 388g fork weights (claimed)user-customizable The Cockpit dimensions4 stock sizes available (S, M, L, XL)straight-out-of-the-mold finish, no paint neededBiTurbo Gravel Aero wheels feature special 3K weave carbon finish to recreate the look of the original 2011 Bike Ahead wheels100% made in GermanyEdition 15 Complete Build SpecBike Ahead The Superfast gravel frame & The Fork with special 15th anniversary Acid green paint jobBike Ahead BiTurbo Gravel Aero 6-spoke wheels with special 3K weave finish & matching15th anniversary Acid green graphicsBike Ahead The Cockpit 1-piece integrated bar & stem, customized for each rider in bar width, flare angle & stem lengthBike Ahead The Hypersaddle short-nosed, carbon-rail saddle with 15th anniversary Acid green Alcantara synthetic coverBike Ahead The Straight ultralight carbon seatpost (all 100% made in-house by Bike Ahead Composites in Veitshchheim just outside of Wrzburg, DE) full SRAM Red AXS Xplr 113-speed groupset with powermeter & 160mm flat mount brakesAcros 1.5 ICR headsetCarbonWorks out-front cycling computer mountSchwalbe Thunder Burt 292.1 (700x53mm) cross-country race tirescomplete claimed weight <7kg for size M (~6.8-7.2kg across all sizes)Bike Ahead The Superfast Edition 15 Pricing, options & availabilityThe Superfast Edition 15 with Bike Ahead Composites founder Christian GemperleinBike Ahead will manufacture just 15 of the special anniversary edition The Superfast Edition 15 gravel bikes, with all of its unified Acid green design details. Complete bikes sell for 15,000 before shipping. That includes bike fitting through a Bike Ahead partner shop, in-person handover & factory tour, and an 80-page book detailing the development of The Superfast project. Delivery time is estimated to be 12 weeks from your order being received. (Photo/Cory Benson)But if you dont want all that anniversary edition detailing, dont fret. Pretty much every other option is still available in the standard edition. And it could cost you quite a bit less. A full SRAM Red build with the same cockpit, wheels, and customizable options will run about 14,200. Or pick a cheaper Rival Xplr or GRX build with alloy wheels, and you could land The Superfast for less than 6700.Bike-Ahead-Composites.deThe post Bike Aheads The SuperFast 15 is a 15,000, <7kg Gravel Race Bike with 6-Spoke Wheels appeared first on Bikerumor.

VecchioJo paints new life into an old bike...

The Tour de France is often shaped as much by survival as by strength. Across three weeks of racing from the Grand Dpart in Barcelona on 4 July to the final stage in Paris on 26 July, crashes, illness, heat, fatigue and withdrawals can quickly reshape the peloton, from nervous sprint stages and exp...

Tri-spokes are back in a big way, and Scope Cycling knows it. The Dutch wheel brand has officially pulled the cover off its new Artech Tri Spoke project, developed with Netcompany INEOS. The wheel is still officially a prototype, but after national titles and a near-miss in the opening Tour de France team time trial, its safe to say this one is a little further along than the usual concept bike leaning in the corner of a booth situation.(All photos/Scope)Artech Tri Spoke Netcompany INEOSScope says the Artech Tri Spoke came together in just six months. Thats a wildly fast turnaround time. The wheel was built around direct feedback from Netcompany INEOS riders and the teams performance staff. That means CFD and wind tunnel work, but also plenty of input from riders who actually have to hold the thing straight at 60kph in the sticks.The result is a new aero platform for Scope. The Artech Tri Spoke uses Scopes Algorithm-Enhanced Aerodynamics (AEA) along with its patented Aeroscales surface texture. Scope says that the combination improves aerodynamic efficiency, stability, and stiffness, with the Tri Spoke producing the lowest drag of all wheels tested during the joint development program.As always, wed love to see the full tunnel numbers, yaw angles, and benchmark wheels before calling anything the fastest outright. But the race results are already doing a decent job of making Scopes case, but thats with Filippo Ganna riding it. Arguably, that man can make a square wheel fast.Ticking Off Win The first major outing came at the national time trial championships, where Filippo Ganna took the Italian TT title, and Micha Kwiatkowski won the Polish TT title, both riding the new wheel. Not a bad soft launch.Then came the Tour.The 2026 Tour de France opened with a 19.6km team time trial in Barcelona, and Netcompany INEOS rolled out as one of the clear favorites. With Ganna, Tobias Foss, Kwiatkowski, and a fresh aero setup, they had the horsepower and equipment to make a real run at yellow. They nearly pulled it off.Netcompany INEOS finished second on the stage, eight seconds behind Visma-Lease a Bike. Ganna crossed as the teams first rider, putting him second overall after stage one, just behind Jonas Vingegaard. So no yellow jersey, but very much a yep, the new gear works kind of day.Did the Artech Tri Spoke make the difference? Thats always the tricky part. A wheel does not win a team time trial on its own. Pacing, rider order, course profile, and how much everyone has left for the final drag all matter. Barcelonas opener wasnt just a flat aero shootout either, with the Montjuc finish adding enough sting to make weight and timing matter.Still, finishing second at the Tour by eight seconds is about as strong a public test as Scope could ask for. The wheel didnt look like a prototype; it looked like sellable race equipment. Fast race equipment.What about the Artch 8T?Scope is also clear that the Tri Spoke wont make the Artech 8T obsolete. The 8T, at a claimed 690g, remains the lighter option for courses where climbing and acceleration matter more than pure aerodynamic gain. That gives Scope two distinct time-trial choices: the Tri Spoke for maximum aero advantage and the 8T for days when weight still matters.For now, the Artech Tri Spoke remains in the prototype phase. Scope says the next step is to industrialize the design and prepare it for production. Pre-orders are expected by the end of 2026, with commercial availability planned for mid-2027.Price is set at 2,998 / $3,298. scopecycling.comThe post Scopes New Artech Tri Spoke Hits the Tour, Nearly Puts Ganna in Yellow appeared first on Bikerumor.