Anyone with a keen eye for cycling technology may have noticed that Demi Vollering, Tim Merlier and a handful of other Specialized-sponsored pros have won races on a new version of the brand’s Roval Rapide CLX wheels back in the day. last. Subscribers to Cycling News will have also seen them in our recent Giro d’Italia tech gallery and know they will be called the Rapide CLX II Team.
Today, we can bring you all the details, as Specialized has taken the covers off, confirming the name of the wheelset, what makes them different, and more pressingly, why they made the switch to silver hubs.
The headline figures are a weight of 1,390g (a loss of 130 grams compared to the CLX II), an aerodynamic gain of 0.5 watts (calm down now) and better wind stiffness, which basically translates into more acceleration. faster and better. braking response.
Specialized is being launched with a tagline “Fastest Racing Wheels. Period” but even if that’s true, it’s not really the story here.
These are a limited edition set of wheels, with a total number of 1,500 worldwide, with a different construction method than the CLX II wheels. They were made in the same factory, but using the “best craftsmen” they had, using different resins, smaller overlays and a redesigned hub.
However, what really sets them apart from the CLX II is that they come in a primo presentation box complete with a whole host of accessories.
This includes silver-stitched Roval wheel bags, a full complement of DT Swiss Zinc replacement bearings, Shimano HG bodies and SRAM XDR freehub, a stack of spare DT Aerolight II studs and nipples, a pair of alloy disc rotor locks silver with center lock, an S-Works Dynaplug Racer Pro tire plug tool, spare plugs, two Turbo RapidAir Specialized tires, a pair of S-Works water bottles and even a build card for each wheel showing the spoke tension, authenticity and more.
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More than just a slightly better set of wheels, Rapide CLX II Team wheels are a ticket to an exclusive club, a premium experience and a better product with a more complete service. It’s an all-inclusive holiday, an ad-free experience, a fast-boarding business class ticket.
The bad news is that to join the Team CLX II team, you’ll need to spend £3,000 / $3,800 / €3,700 / AU$6,000. That’s a £500 / $1,000 / €1,000 / AU$1,600 premium over and above the CLX II wheels.
We’ve spent the past week putting them through their paces, so read our Roval Rapide CLX II Team review to see if we think they’re worth the premium.
design
According to Roval, only 50 of these wheelsets were originally set, and they were designed specifically for specialist professional riders. With such a small number to make, the brand says it was able to attack the process with a different mindset than the Rapide CLX II, which is limited by the capabilities of a production line tasked with making tens of thousands.
The process began with rethinking the carbon ply of the rim, with smaller overlaps between each ply. This took more time, but resulted in 40 grams saved per lip.
With the rim design, the focus turned to the hub, and starting with the DT Swiss EXP internals, the brand designed its own low-flange hub shell. Roval claims the new hubs increase hub stiffness for quicker acceleration and braking response and save 50 grams across the pair. Two grams of that savings comes thanks to going from black to silver, taking the powder coating out of the equation and simply painting the hub clear.
Interestingly, while brands like Cadex and Hunt have recently switched to carbon spokes, Roval decided to stick with the DT Swiss Aerolight II spokes. I asked the Roval product manager why and his answer was an interesting insight into the whole bike system approach that Specialized and Roval take, one that independent wheel brands are less able to do.
Roval tested the weight and aerodynamic performance of seven different spoke models, and although the carbon fiber spokes would be lighter, Specialized concluded that they would be about 1.5 watts less aerodynamic. As the S-Works Tarmac doesn’t need help reaching the UCI minimum limit of 6.8kg, the brand was happy to take the weight gain and retain the aero benefit.
Is this S-Works meets Roval?
The Rapide CLX II wheelset will continue in the line and continue to be specified on the S-Works Tarmac SL8, so while there are parallels to be drawn, this is not the equivalent of the Roval S-Works.
Instead, the CLX Team wheelset will be a limited edition aftermarket upgrade while stocks last. With that said, Specialized’s marketing material for the new wheels states “This is just the beginning”, so we’ll have to watch this space.
They are available for purchase at select dealers and on the Specialized website immediately.
