The aero wheels arrive at MTB: the CFR mounts some unprecedented Reserve wheels with a 53mm profile on its Cannondale Scalpel

The aerodynamic battle is also coming to XCO, and in Nové Mesto, we just witnessed probably one of the most radical tests so far. During training this Friday, Cannondale Factory Racing has been riding with a completely atypical setup on their competition Scalpel. Cole Punchard and Charlie Aldridge have tested some very high-profile gravel aero wheels that completely transform the aesthetics and possibly the behavior of the bike.

The most radical Scalpel ever seen in competition: Cannondale tests gravel aero wheels at the World Cup

The images make it quite clear that this is a prototype developed by Reserve Wheels within their GR range for gravel. These wheels do not match any of the current models from the Californian brand. Reserve currently markets three GR configurations with profiles of 25, 30, and 40|44 mm, the latter specifically designed as an aero "mullet" option for fast gravel and competition.

In that 40|44 GR setup, Reserve uses a 40 mm rim in the front and a 44 mm rim in the back, aiming to maximize aerodynamic efficiency without adding weight. But what we have seen in Nové Město seems to go much further. By proportions and visual depth of the profile, everything suggests that CFR is testing rims close to 50 mm in the front and about 53 mm in the back, unusual figures even within modern gravel.

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The evolution doesn't seem so far-fetched when looking at where competitive gravel is heading. In just a few years, the discipline has shifted from prioritizing versatility and comfort to becoming a clearly performance-oriented terrain, where aerodynamics is starting to play an increasingly important role. What is truly surprising is to see that philosophy directly transferred to mountain biking.

However, the World Cup has been entering a new phase where aerodynamic efficiency is starting to gain prominence in Short Track. Last season, we already saw how many riders began using aero helmets, shoe covers, increasingly narrow tires, and extremely lightweight setups in search of any small speed gain.

In this case, Cannondale Factory Racing has gone even further by combining those Reserve GR wheels with prototype tires from Schwalbe also intended for competitive gravel. We have seen that they are testing several different models, some practically semi-slick and others with minimal, very low, and uniform tread, all clearly aimed at maximizing rolling speed.

What we still don't know is whether 50 mm and deeper wheels can provide a real aerodynamic advantage on an XCC circuit. Mountain bike speeds are still far from those of road or gravel, and sensitivity to crosswinds or behavior in technical areas could become important factors. But what seems evident is that the obsessive search for speed is already part of the World Cup grid.

Pending confirmation of whether this trend will be established, the image of an XCO Scalpel with deep aero wheels completely changes the bike's personality. Visually, it looks much more aggressive, closer to an extreme competition gravel machine than to a classic cross-country bike. And seeing how material evolves in the elite, it no longer seems so impossible to imagine that in a few years this will no longer seem strange.