Nino Schurter spotted on prototype Scott gravel bike at The Rift
The frame is similar to the 32-inch-wheel Scott ridden by Cam Jones at Unbound Gravel
Nino Schurter was spotted riding a prototype Scott gravel bike on his way to a 10th place performance at The Rift gravel race in Iceland last weekend. The frame is similar to the 32-inch-wheel Scott ridden by Cam Jones at Unbound Gravel and, more recently, at the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder.
Photos posted on social media offer a view of the bike. The frame has a similar grey color scheme and aerodynamic design as Jones’ bike. A front view of the bike shows the same fork featuring increased tire clearance.
Schurter rode Zipp 303 XPLR wheels with Maxxis Aspen ST tires.
It’s unclear if Schurter was aboard a 29-inch or 32-inch bike, but given that Zipp has not released a 32 wheel model, it’s likely a 29er.
The frame also shared aero design details with the 2026 Scott Addict road bike. Gravel race bikes are beginning to share characteristics with their road race cousins, as evidenced by Specialized’s new Crux gravel bike and Tarmac SL6 road model.
At The Rift, Schurter finished 15-minutes behind winner Anton Stensby, who finished the 120-mile course after a tight battle with Rasmus Bøgh Wallin and Adne Koster. Schurter has been racing gravel and marathon MTB after retiring from World Cup mountain biking last year.
In the women’s race, Haley Smith took a solo win over Erica Magnaldi and Morgan Aguirre.
At Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, Jones won the overall GC contest aboard his 32-inch wheel Scott. Jones won the first stage and stayed ahead of additional stage winners Ian Boswell, Hayden Christian, and Tobias Mørch Kongstad to take victory.
The women’s GC was dominated by Specialized’s Geerike Schreurs, who took four stage victories. Karolina Migon nabbed a stage win on the second day, but ultimately couldn’t fend off the Dutch woman.
With 32” wheels making more appearances at top-level gravel and mountain bike races, it seems inevitable that the large wheel size will become more common and big brands will release production models soon enough.