Classified Cycling has announced three new wheelsets for gravel and road and a new gravel factory racing team with Ridley called the Classified X Ridley Factory Team.

Classified developed the Powershift rear hub out of frustration with the performance and inefficiency of front derailleurs, and this system has grown in popularity over the past few years. The brand and technology have gained support from ambassadors Tom Bohnen and Philippe Gilbert. We reviewed the Classified x Hunt 40 wheelset in the fall as well. Classifieds has expanded its lineup even further, launching three carbon fiber wheelsets and a new race team. For those not familiar with the Classified Powershift system, the technology is a two-speed shifting system built into the rear hub that eliminates the front derailleur and friction from using smaller chainrings in a cross chain or 2x drive train can be eliminated.

Until now, Dutch racer Piotr Havik has been the only rider sponsored by Classified to compete in gravel races. He joins the newly formed Classified X Ridley Factory team along with Belgian rider Daan Grosemans and British riders Toby Perry, Annabelle Fisher, and Freya Rawlins, who won the Gravel Earth Series last year.

According to the brand's press release, the team will compete in international gravel races, including the UCI Gravel World Series and the Gravel Earth Series, and envisions the UCI Gravel World Championships in Leuven in October.

The team will race with a Ridley frame and a wheelset featuring the Classified Powershift system. Ridley was the first bike brand to spec Classified, and a review of the Ridley Grifn with Classified Powershift can be found here. [Mathias Plouvier, co-founder and CEO of Classified Cycling, says:

"Classified and Ridley have both gravel and innovation in mind, and our longstanding collaboration with the Belgian cycling factory It is great to see the collaboration take on a new dimension. With nutrition specialist Foodmaker and bike rental company Cyclis also on board as co-sponsors, we will soon be sending a strong team to the World Championships in their home country for the first time."

Classified also announced three new carbon fiber wheelsets for gravel and road bikes. The new wheelsets are the R36, R50, and G42 models; the R50 and R36 models receive updated rim profiles with wider inner and outer rims to accommodate larger capacity tires. They are also specially designed to fit the Powershift rear hub.

The brand claims that the new wheelsets are up to 12% lighter, up to 10% stiffer, and 14% more aerodynamic than previous Classified wheel models. (There is no specific data on this at this time.) Brand cites wider rim profiles and the ability to run lower tire pressures as ways to increase comfort and reduce rolling resistance.

The weight of the entire wheelset is listed excluding the Classified rear hub. Classified powershift systems can be purchased in several different ways. A complete Classified wheelset costs €2,599, a kit for integration into a partner wheelset costs €1,299, and integration into a custom wheelset costs €1,399. The Powershift set includes a Powershift hub, smart through axle, handlebar unit and shift button, cassette of your choice, and optional hub shell.

The G42 gravel wheels are clincher, tubeless-ready, and feature an asymmetrical rim profile, 42 mm deep, with Pilar straight pull spokes. The asymmetrical profile is claimed to result in more uniform spoke tension.

The R50 wheel is (you guessed it) 50 mm deep and, as noted, has a wider rim profile inside and out. They also have pillar wing 22 spokes and are designed around 28-42 mm tires.

R36 wheels are medium 36 mm deep and designed for 28-42 mm tires. All wheels are disc brake only. Official pricing for the new wheelsets has not yet been announced, but will be posted here as soon as it is.