The latest example? Cannondale Factory Racing (CFR) showed up to Nove Mesto with a LAB71 Scalpel supporting a set of Reserve gravel wheels. Deep-section gravel wheels. On a World Cup XC bike. At one of the fastest short-track courses on the calendar. You can see all the details on the RideCannondale Instagram.
According to CFR, they’re the first team to race the Reserve 48/53 GR wheelset in short track, possibly the first in top-level XC racing altogether. The wheels in question are paired with Shimano’s new XTR Di2 drivetrain and an aggressively fast Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1 tire setup, which tells you pretty quickly what the goal was here: outright speed.
Gravel Wheels on an XC Bike?
At first glance, the Reserve 48/53 GR wheels look a little ridiculous on a mountain bike. Deep carbon rims usually belong on aero gravel bikes or road bikes built by people who know exactly how many watts their socks save (I’m that guy… and it’s 2-12 watts, sock-dependent). But short-track XC has changed, and it’s all about the demands of race day.
Teams can’t swap frames between events, but they can change almost everything bolted onto them. Narrower bars, shorter-travel suspension, firmer setups, and even gravel tires are becoming increasingly common. Chris Blevins won Nove Mesto short track last year, running a Specialized gravel tire, so the line between modern XC and gravel equipment is already getting blurry.
Today’s short-track courses are smoother, faster, and much more draft-heavy than traditional XC racing. Riders are spending long stretches above 20mph, and once speeds reach that level, aerodynamics start to matter, whether mountain bikers like it or not.
That’s what makes this setup interesting. Reserve didn’t design the 48/53 GR wheels specifically for XC, but modern gravel racing and modern short track are starting to ask for similar things:
- high sustained speeds
- quick accelerations
- smoother terrain
- tight packs
- and efficiency over outright forgiveness
XC keeps drifting toward gravel, gravel keeps drifting toward XC, and somewhere in the overlap, you get bikes like this.
The Wheel Choice Is the Story
The wheel setup itself is the headline:
- Reserve 48/53 GR wheelset
- 48mm front rim / 53mm rear rim
- Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1 SPEED tires
That combination isn’t about surviving rough terrain. It’s built for fast laps, rapid accelerations, and carrying speed once the course opens up.
And visually? It works way better than it probably should.
The deep rims tucked into the LAB71 Scalpel make the bike look equal parts futuristic and slightly questionable – I love it. Plus – it feels pretty close to where elite XC equipment is heading anyway.
Cannondale Factory Racing Nove Mesto Build
CFR rounded out the build with:
- Shimano XTR Di2
- Fox Float SL rear shock
- Fox Transfer SL 75mm dropper
- FSA KFX carbon cockpit
- Prologo Nago 3D saddle
- Reserve 48/53 GR wheelset
- Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1 SPEED tires
The slammed -12° FSA KFX stem really finishes the look for me. Combined with the deep wheels and low-profile tires, the whole bike gives off a very clear “we are absolutely not wasting watts today” vibe.
Aero Is Just Part of XC Now
The bigger takeaway probably isn’t the wheelset itself; it’s what it says about where XC racing is going.
For years, aerodynamics sat pretty far down the mountain bike priority list. Weight mattered, and suspension needs to be dialed, same with tire choice. Aero was mostly road-bike territory. That’s changing.
As XC speeds keep climbing and courses keep getting smoother, teams are becoming much more willing to experiment with equipment that would’ve looked completely out of place only a few seasons ago.
This won’t seem weird for very long.
Because once a factory team shows up with deep-section gravel wheels and proves they work, somebody else is going to copy it. That’s usually how these trends start. I’m guessing it’s about 3-4 weeks out from hitting your local short track series.
