Anyone with a keen eye on cycling tech may have spotted that Demi Vollering, Tim Merlier and a handful of other Specialized-sponsored pros have been winning races aboard a new version of the brand's Roval Rapide CLX wheels recently. Subscribers to Cyclingnews will have also seen them in our recent Giro d'Italia tech gallery, and know that they're set to be called the Rapide CLX II Team.
Today, we can bring you all the details, as Specialized has lifted the covers, confirming the wheelset's name, what makes them different, and most pressingly, why it made the switch to silver hubs.
The headline figures are a weight of 1,390g (a loss of 130 grams when compared to the CLX II), an aerodynamic boost of 0.5 watts (calm down now), and better wind-up stiffness, which essentially translates to faster acceleration and better braking response.
Specialized is launching with the tagline "The fastest race wheels. Period" but even if that is true, it's not really the story here.
These are a limited edition wheelset, totalling 1500 in number worldwide, with a different construction method to the CLX II wheels. They're made in the same factory, but using the "best craftspeople" they had, using different resin, smaller layup overlaps, and a redesigned hub.
Where they really stand apart from the CLX II, however, 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 replacement DT Swiss Sinc bearings, both Shimano HG and SRAM XDR freehub bodies, a hoard of spare DT Aerolight II spokes and nipples, a pair of silver alloy centre-lock disc rotor lockrings, an S-Works branded Dynaplug Racer Pro tyre plug tool, spare plugs, two Specialized Turbo RapidAir tyres, a pair of S-Works water bottles, and even a build card for each wheel showing the spoke tensions, trueness and more.
More than just a marginally better wheelset, the 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 business-class ticket with speedy boarding.
The bad news is that to join the CLX II Team team, you'll need to fork out £3,000 / $3,800 / €3,700 / AU$6,000. This is 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 whether we think they're worth that premium.
The design
According to Roval, there were originally only ever set to be 50 of these wheelsets, and they were designed specifically for Specialized pro riders. With such a small number to make, the brand says it was able to attack the process with a different mindset to the Rapide CLX II, which is constrained by the capabilities of a production line tasked with making tens of thousands.
The process started with rethinking the carbon layup of the rim, with smaller overlaps between each layup. This was more time-consuming, but it resulted in 40 grams saved per rim.
With the rim designed, attention 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 boost spoke wind-up stiffness for faster acceleration and braking response, and save 50 grams across the pair. Two grams of that saving comes courtesy of the switch from black to silver, removing the powder coating from the equation and simply clear-coating the hub.
Interestingly, while brands like Cadex and Hunt have recently switched to carbon spokes, Roval decided to stick with DT Swiss Aerolight II spokes. I asked the Roval product manager why, and his response was an interesting insight into the whole-bike-system approach that Specialized and Roval takes, one that independent wheel brands are less able to make.
Roval tested the weight and aerodynamic performance of seven different spoke models, and although carbon fibre spokes would have been lighter, Specialized concluded they'd have been around 1.5 watts less aerodynamic. Given the S-Works Tarmac doesn't need any help hitting the UCI's 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 line, and it will continue to be specced on the S-Works Tarmac SL8, so although there are parallels to be drawn, this isn't Roval's S-Works equivalent.
Instead, the CLX Team wheelset will be a limited edition aftermarket upgrade while stocks last. With that said, in Specialized's marketing material for the new wheels, it says "This is just the beginning," so we'll have to watch this space.
They are available to buy at selected dealers and at Specialized's own website straight away.
