Product news: Roval should be known to many cycling fans as THE brand for attachments, wheels and more from Specialized. Two years ago, a new performance benchmark was set with the Roval Alpinist and Rapide wheels. The goal was to build road wheels that were faster and more manageable than ever before. No matter for which use, whether on cobblestones, in mountain stages, for sprints or high-speed races. Now the two tried-and-tested wheels have been revisited and equipped with contemporary tubeless technology. The manufacturer himself says about his new wheels: "If it's not about winning, then we've made a huge mistake."
Rapide II and Alpinist II: Now tubeless-ready
We apologize in advance to the rest of the field for making the fastest wheels on the road even faster. The new Rapide II and Alpinist II versions will be tubeless-compatible from 2022. In doing so, we complement the undeniable performance of these wheels and their amazing record with the advantages of a tubeless system with lower rolling resistance, unimaginably good handling and puncture protection.
Making the fastest system even faster?!
The Roval wheels are among the constant contenders for victory in the tests, and even in the professional peloton there is hardly a wheel manufacturer who can boast of success like Roval. You ask yourself why you should change something about the wheels after all the successes of the last two years. The answer is very simple: 1. You want to stay with the most successful and 2. the tubeless tire technology is becoming more and more mature and is also becoming more popular in competitions. With 80 podium places and 29 victories on the new Roval models in the current season, it has once again been impressively shown that the Rapide II and Alpinist II tubeless wheels are even faster.
“We want the fastest option, the closest setup – we know it's tubeless. We have already used tubeless in races. We've already won with tubeless.” – Ricardo Scheidecker, Technical and Development Director, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
The lower rolling resistance, the better handling and the excellent puncture protection of a tubeless setup are now also recognized by racing cyclists and are undeniable. The development of the Rapide CLX II included the most rigorous and extensive design and testing program ever undertaken by the manufacturer. The result is a wheelset that exceeds current industry standards for impact resistance by nearly twice, while achieving the lowest possible weight. The Rapide CLX II and Alpinist CLX II feature hooked rim flanges that hold tire beads securely and make installation easier than ever. A maximum possible tire pressure of up to 7,5 bar is even specified.
How hard the new Roval wheels were really tested can be seen quite impressively in one of the videos on the manufacturer's own YouTube channel.
Roval Rapide CLX II for maximum speed
The Rapide CLX II wheelset consists of two different wheels - each specially adapted to the unique aerodynamic requirements of its position on the bike. The front rim is 51mm deep and 35mm wide, while the rear rim is 60mm deep and 30mm wide. This makes this tubeless wheelset faster than most wheelsets with 65 mm deep rims. As a result, the Rapide CLX II achieves maximum speed. Thanks to the new tubeless system, the Rapide CLX II has increased aerodynamic properties and better climbing abilities, while remaining unsurpassedly stable and convincing in handling, regardless of the wind conditions.
The AeroFlange hubs use the latest EXP freewheel technology from DT Swiss with SINC ceramic bearings and thus have a lighter and simpler ratchet system. With this design, the bearings are further apart to generate more rigidity and make the ratchet freehub more reliable. The conversion to different freewheel bodies is therefore even easier than before.
Roval Rapide CLX II – details at a glance:
- Rim dimensions: front 51 mm deep/35 mm wide, rear 60 mm deep/30 mm wide, front/rear 21 mm inner width
- Weight: 1505g, 1520g with rim tape and valves
- AeroFlange hubs with EXP technology and SINC ceramic bearings
- DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, front 18 spokes/rear 24 spokes
- Tubeless-ready: maximum 7,5 bar with 26 mm tires
- 125 kg maximum system weight
- Price: about 2800 Euro
Roval Alpinist CLX II for mountainous adventures
Should it ever go into the mountains, the 1250 gram weight of the new Roval Alpinist CLX 2 is definitely something to be proud of. To achieve this, they used the most precise arrangement of carbon fiber mats that the manufacturer has ever used. More than 50 prototypes were necessary for this. Then there are the new and super-light Alpinist CLX 2 hubs: the new, even narrower hub bodies with milled brake disc mounts are 50 g lighter than the previous Alpinist CLX hubs. Inside, EXP technology and DT Swiss SINC ceramic bearings ensure silky-smooth efficiency and outstanding durability. All this is taken to the next level by the performance of a tubeless system, because it takes more than just lightweight to be really fast.
Roval Alpinist CLX II – details at a glance
- Rim dimensions: 33 mm deep/21 mm internal width
- Weight: 1250g, 1265g with rim tape and valves
- LFD hubs with EXP technology and SINC ceramic bearings
- DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, front 21 spokes/rear 24 spokes
- Tubeless-ready: maximum 7,5 bar with 26 mm tires
- 125 kg maximum system weight
- Price: about 2650 Euro