The big news this week is SRAM’s 13-speed gravel group and the ridiculously wide Zipp 303 XPLR wheels – I dive deep on both, be sure to read my Parting Thoughts at the bottom about why this matters and how they compare to the competition…it’s kinda crazy. And watch this week’s video recap here.
I also found three new road bikes, news from two cool brands, and lots of interesting tidbits in Small Bites. Here’s the best new stuff this week:
- SRAM RED XPLR 13-speed
- Zipp 303 XPLR
- Goodyear XPLR
- Ritchey Montebello
- Ari Bonneville
- Cervelo P-Series
- Shimano Trail Born Fund
- Chris King wheels
SRAM RED AXS XPLR 13-speed gravel group
The new SRAM RED XPLR AXS 1×13 gravel group brings the same excellent brake levers, hoods, bonus button, and full wireless shifting as the new RED group that launched earlier this year, but in a 1x specific design based on a new 13-speed cassette with 460% range and a direct-mount rear derailleur. Here’s what you need to know:
Full Mount rear derailleur
But the derailleur is different, using their “Full Mount” over-the-dropout design (same as Transmission) that puts its pivot concentric with the thru axle. The thru-axle runs all the way through the mount, adding strength and stiffness.
It’s a mid-length cage that’s specific to this 10-46 cassette, with a stronger clutch and their Magic Pulley that’ll spin even if a stick gets jammed in it. The battery is tucked into the B-knuckle, same as GX AXS, and the whole derailleur is mostly rebuildable.
13-speed cassette
What’s really impressive is they managed to fit this 13-speed 10-46 cassette onto the same 12-speed XDR freehub body as their 12-speed road cassettes.
That’s possible because the absence of a derailleur hanger frees up space near the dropout for the small cog, and the large cog is dished to sit closer to your spokes.
Cranks & Chains
It also uses existing 12-speed Flattop road chains, making it compatible with any SRAM-friendly 12-speed chainring, too!
Or, you can use the official new SRAM direct-mount chainrings or the Thread-Mount Quarq power meter chainrings that twist around the outside of the power meter to thread into place.
The crank arms are the same as the new RED road cranks, 27g lighter than the prior generation. They use SRAM’s “Wide” 47.5mm chainring offset for gravel bikes with chainstay lengths 415mm or longer. Or, you can use standard 45mm offset road chainrings with 405-415mm road bike chainstays, but it may limit clearance for wider tires.
Works with any AXS shifter!
What’s cool is that any AXS shifters (yes, all generations of AXS – D1/D2/E1!) will automatically recognize which derailleur they’re paired to and just work. There’s no update or AXS App setting you need to do to make them work with this 13-speed derailleur and cassette – just pair and go!
Specs & options:
- complete group weight: 2,706g (288g cassette)
- chainring options: 38T – 46T, plus 1x aero chainrings 48T – 52T
- cassette gearing: 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 28, 32, 38, 46
- crank lengths: 160, 165, 167.5, 172.5, 175mm
- compatibility: UDH-compatible frames only
It’s compatible with any road or gravel bike with a UDH interface. Available now at BikeTiresDirect.
Zipp 303 XPLR wheels go really, really wide
Joining the new group are an ultra-wide version of Zipp 303 wheels. They measure 32mm wide internally, which is wider than most XC mountain bike wheels. Outside width is 40mm, giving them broad ~4mm bead walls that should help prevent pinch flats. Here they are compared to Zipp 303 Firecrest:
Zipp says they’re optimized for 40-45mm wide tires, both in fit and aerodynamics, with a 54mm depth creating an ideal air foil shape with 40mm wide tires. This is good for a claimed 3-watt savings at “race speeds” versus a “leading competitor”.
Even more interesting is the tire pressure data. Zipp says the extra volume and broad bead wall allows much lower tire pressures, and their testing showed them to be most efficient between 17-23psi for an 80kg (176lb) rider. Meaning, it takes less power output to maintain 20mph (32kph).
Below that, tire deformation eats up more watts, and above that vibration does. Your ideal tire pressure is based on body weight, and they have a guide, but it’s only for these new wheels atm.
They come in two versions – 303 XPLR S (1642g, $1,400) and 303 XPLR SW (1496g w/ valves & rim tape), $2,100). Both have the same shape rim, but the SW uses different molds and layups, and lighter/better hubs and spokes. Wheels launch alongside proprietary new Goodyear XPLR tires (below) and a select batch of other models from other brands that have been tested to fit. Read my Parting Thoughts at the bottom for more on why this matters a lot.
Goodyear XPLR gravel tires are made to match
The new Goodyear XPLR gravel tires are purpose built (and intended only for) the new Zipp wheels and come in a 700×40 Slick (440g, right) and 700×45 Inter(mediate, 525g, left), both with lightweight transparent sidewalls.
They have a dual-ply 120tpi casing that overwraps for three layers under the tread cap, plus a sidewall protection layer. MSRP $80 each. These and the wheels are also available at BikeTiresDirect.
Ritchey Montebello road bike goes the distance
The new Ritchey Montebello is a triple-butted Logic steel framed road bike that’s purpose built for really, really long rides with taller stack, longer wheelbase, and lower BB, plus more mounts and features for racks, fenders, dynamos, and lights.
The bike comes with an all-new Ritchey WCS Brevet carbon fiber fork keeps their 1-1/8″ straight steer and adds two accessory mounts per side, internal dynamo routing, and rack/fender mounts. A threaded drilling in the crown makes it easy to bolt on a headlight, too.
It fits 700×40 tires, or 700×36 with fenders installed, uses 27.2 seatposts, and works with 1x, 2x, mechanical, and semi- or fully-wireless electronic drivetrains. Framesets $1,699.
Ari Bonneville e-road bike goes flat out fast
The new Ari Bonneville is a mid-power, full-fast Class 3 (28mph max assist) e-road bike with a lightweight carbon frame and fork, endurance geometry, and Fazua Ride 60 motor with 430Wh battery.
Full stealth routing is dropper seatpost compatible. Dropped seatstays add a bit of compliance and keep the rear end sharp, so it handles like a performance bike but is approachable for newer riders just looking to keep up, too. Fits 40mm tires and comes with wide-range 1x drivetrains. Bikes come in under 29lbs (Pro build) and run from $4,999 to $7,999, frameset is $4,499.
Cervelo P-Series makes aero more affordable
The new Cervelo P-Series is the working man’s P5, starting at just $3,950, but gets most of the same updates and improvements. Internal storage hides a tube, CO2, and levers inside the frame, which frees up behind-the-saddle space for more hydration.
Wider tire clearance pairs with sister-brand Reserve’s 52/63 wheels and 29mm tires, which combines with improved aerodynamics for a 3.5 watt system savings. All bikes come with their top tube bag, and stack is 53mm taller with included spacers and revised cable routing to make it easier to customize your cockpit.
Shimano promises $10,000,000 for trail building
Shimano’s new Trail Born Fund will provide $10 million USD to trail building & advocacy efforts globally over the next 10 years. They say it costs $10k to $45k per mile to build good trails, which includes everything from permitting and impact studies to tools, materials, and labor. Let’s go!!!
Chris King ready to roll with new wheel builds
Chris King has added new “Ready to Ride” complete wheels, offering their hubs pre-built with their own FusionFiber rims (GRD23, MTN30 and ARD44), as well as rims from Stan’s, HED, and ENVE. Lots of hub colors available for most, prices from $800 to $3,000 per wheelset.
Small Bites
- Porsche’s surprisingly good eMTBs now paint match their cars
- Looks like Fox is prepping a wireless dropper post
- Help REEB & Can’d Aid get more folks on bikes
- Here’s gallery number 2 from the ENVE Grodeo
- And here is a BMX rider doing track and field
- Cane Creek Electric Wings Ti cranks are now $400 off
- Apply now to join Kamoot’s AZ women’s rally
- Silca added more Ti derailleur hangers
- Litespeed now takes any Ti bikes as a trade in
- Ever tried to film yourself riding? You’ll appreciate this
- Here’s how much the Olympic track bikes cost
- Cane Creek & I9 takeover Ride Rock Creek on 9/16
- Starling Cycles now sells complete bikes, too
- Roam Collective is raffling a Pivot Shadowcat
Hot Deals
- Get 20% off Sagan Life w/code SUMMER20 (ends 8/3)
- Backcountry’s Semi-Annual Mega Sale is on!
- Spot is blowing out Mayhem 130/150 trail bikes
- Primal’s Outlet Sale has cycling kits up to 80% off
- $300 off Cane Creek Helm MKII29 forks w/code HELM300OFF
Parting Thoughts
I love Zipp 303 wheels.
I have several pair, both 303S and Firecrest. 404 Firecrests, too.
I’ve used them for bikepacking with 32mm tires on them, and ridden in the desert with 50mm tires.
They’re great, durable, fast, and very light.
They’re also just 25mm wide internally, with hookless beads. Which is on the wider side for road bike wheels, but not outlandish. I’ve had no problems running 28, 30, and 32mm tires on them. Or even 50s, which was definitely not aero.
But 32mm internal? Have they gone too far?
Even compared to recent ultra-wide aero gravel wheel launches, Zipp went way beyond what already seemed way beyond.
Parcours’ FKT wheels have a 27mm internal width and match Zipp’s 40mm external width. They’re aerodynamically optimized for 40mm gravel tires, and specifically the Panaracer Gravel King SK.
Gulo’s GGA 44 measure 30mm internal, which also seems really wide but they use a quasi-hookless design that has a slight inward curve to help with tire retention. And those bead walls are much more rounded on the edges, so they should be kinder to your sidewalls at low pressures. These are also 40mm wide externally and are designed for 38-42mm tires.
Or are they ahead of the curve?
When mountain bike tires first started getting wider, the rims had to catch up. Then all of a sudden everyone wanted wider rims. The brands that delivered what the people wanted thrived.
Some (like Ibis) went too wide too early and had to wait for tires to catch up with new casing designs (thanks Maxxis!) that were specifically designed to have a normal, rounded profile on ultra-wide rims. Before that, they would give tires a very square profile that didn’t transition smoothly into a corner.
Others (like Mavic) stuck to ETRTO standards and remained narrow, even though those standards weren’t keeping up with wider tire designs. They paid the price with declining popularity and are only now beginning their comeback.
Here’s what’s crazy:
For 32mm internal width rims, ISO standards recommend tires from 58-84mm wide.
Zipp recommends 40-60mm wide tires on the 303 XPLR rims.
They require separate in-house testing by both Zipp and the tire manufacturer of each tire before, for each model, before they’ll add it to their (currently very small) list of tires approved for use with these rims, and they make no apologies for any of it.
What does all that mean for gravel?
Gravel riders progressed from using 32mm cyclocross tires to 38-40mm tires quickly. Within a few years, 42-45mm tires became standard for all but the fastest pros who prioritized rotational weight over comfort and grip.
Some of us ride 50mm and wider tires, but probably not on a daily basis. Tires that big are heavier, can make the handling feel sluggish, and are usually reserved for loaded bikepacking or extremely gnarly terrain.
But, what if…
What if the availability of extremely wide rims like these are the tipping point to having lighter, faster 45-50mm “race” tires?
What if tire brands redesign their 40-45mm gravel tires specifically for rims with 30-32mm internal widths?
I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’ll probably take a couple of years for completely new casing designs to roll out en masse…if they ever do.
Maybe a fast-rolling 29×2.0 or 2.2 mountain bike tire is the right choice for rims this wide, and we can leave gravel tires where they are.
Or maybe, 38-42mm gravel tires are the 1.9″ XC tires of yesterday, soon to be mocked as everyone’s riding 2.4″ XC tires and 50mm gravel tires and loving it.
Maybe.
What do you think? Comment or reply and lemme know.
PS – I haven’t ridden the new RED XPLR group yet, but I have spent time on the new RED Road group and the brakes, hoods, and levers are everything they’re cracked up to be. As for the wheels, I’m hoping for a set soon, but reviews are mixed…Josh at Velo thinks they’re God’s gift to gravel, but Jordan at Bikerumor has some concerns. Before you click over to those, if you liked this, please share it with a friend. Thanks!
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