Specialized turns the wheel design around in their new Roval Rapide

Specialized breaks one of the mantras that traditionally applied in the design of aerodynamic road bike wheels following the same paradigm that was incorporated in its current Tarmac and that, currently, other brands emulate. New Roval Rapide wheels arrive in three versions: the very fast CLX Sprint, the versatile CLX III, and the CL III, with similar characteristics but more affordable. Better aerodynamics and maximum lightness are their calling card.

More profile in front than behind, the new paradigm that comes with the latest generation of Roval Rapide wheels

Historically, the big problem with high-profile wheels was that they made it difficult to control the bike in crosswinds, making the use of some of the early models only suitable for very skilled cyclists in bike handling.

To solve this situation, the most common practice has been to use lower profile wheels in the front, where the steering, and therefore the bike handling, is more affected by crosswinds, while in the rear, where the weight of the cyclist keeps the bike more easily in place, use a higher profile that provides maximum aerodynamic advantage, an aspect that is taken to the extreme in time trial bikes with their disc wheels that have the highest possible aerodynamic profile.

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However, the engineers at Specialized, who had previously optimized the current Tarmac SL8 by focusing on the aerodynamics of the front end, which first receives the impact of the airflow in order to be able to reduce weight in the rear end, wondered why not apply the same concept to the Roval wheels of the brand. Taking advantage of the redesign of their wheels, they also conducted studies to determine the most aerodynamic tire width that also provided the least rolling resistance, reaching the conclusion that their new Roval Rapide wheels should be built around a 21mm rim for 28mm tires.

These conclusions come after numerous computer simulations using real race data and wind tunnel tests to confirm how the profile of the front wheel was the one that most defined the resistance offered by the system, 90%, allowing them, without compromising the results against the wind, to reduce the weight of the rear wheel to achieve a lighter wheelset, exactly the same concept applied in their Tarmac.

In fact, of the three wheel models that make up the new Roval Rapide range, the versatile competition model, the Roval Rapide CLX III, is not faster than its predecessors in terms of wind resistance, but they are much lighter wheels, 215g less, thanks to these differentiated profiles. In addition, the new Rapide CLX Sprint model features more generous profiles to offer superior aerodynamics, being only slightly heavier than its siblings.

In addition to adjustments in the wheel profile, which are a combination of 63mm in the front, 58mm in the rear for the Roval Rapide CLX Sprint; and 51mm in the front and 46mm in the rear for the CLX III and CL III, the significant weight reduction of this new Roval Rapide range also comes from other points of the wheels, starting with a sophisticated carbon layup of their rims, new Roval LF hubs, 50 grams lighter than the previous ones, and still maintaining the internal mechanism of DT Swiss 180 EXP 36T and ceramic bearings. Finally, both CLX Sprint and CLX III switch to carbon spokes, in conventional assembly, no integrated constructions like Lightweight, which save 96.6g per wheel.

The novelties of these new Roval Rapide wheels do not stop there. Specialized has also worked to give them greater reliability for competition use. To achieve this, they have redesigned the shape of the rim to make it more difficult to puncture due to a cut in the rim and, secondly, in case of a puncture, it is much more difficult for the tire to come off, allowing the cyclist to ride safely until stopping, precisely what traditional tubular professionals longed for.

To achieve both aspects, the rim lip is wider and has a flat surface that prevents cuts and also marks the tire sidewall hook much more, making it much more difficult for it to come off when riding without air. In addition, this wider section at the ends of the rim makes it much more resistant in case of impact.

Roval Rapide Wheels: Technical Specifications

Roval Rapide Sprint

• Weight: 1,395g
• Profile: 63mm front, 58mm rear
• Internal width: 21mm
• Spokes: Roval aero composite by Arris
• Hubs: Roval LF mechanism DT Swiss 180 EXP 36T

Roval Rapide CLX III

• Weight: 1,305g
• Profile: 51mm front, 48mm rear
• Internal width: 21mm
• Spokes: Roval aero composite by Arris
• Hubs: Roval LF mechanism DT Swiss 180 EXP 36T

Roval Rapide CL III

• Weight: 1,555g
• Profile: 51mm front, 48mm rear
• Internal width: 21mm
• Spokes: DT Swiss Competition Race stainless steel
• Hubs: DT Swiss 350