New Roval Rapide & Alpinist CLX II & CL II Tubeless Wheels

Two years after the release of the Rapide and Alpinist wheels – high-end wheels that have been very successful with both amateurs and professionals – Roval is launching evolved versions of its two best-sellers, which can now accommodate tubeless tires.

Source: Press Release*

Since the launch of the Roval Rapide and Alpinist, no other wheel can boast of having won as many legendary professional races. To be exact, during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Rapide and Alpinist won 155 World Tour events. Classics, cobbles, Tour stages, mountains, sprints, not to mention the World Championships; Roval wheels are the most victorious in the world.

Rapide II and Alpinist II: Tubeless-Ready

For 2022, the Rapide II and Alpinist II are now Tubeless compatible. Building on undeniable performance and a track record of success, these two wheelsets now benefit from the low rolling resistance, undeniable handling, and of course, puncture protection inherent in a tubeless setup.

Rapide II CLX: Absolute Speed

The new Rapide CLX II combine the aerodynamics of deep-section time trial wheels with the featherlight weight of shallow climbing wheels. The Rapide CLX II combine the efficiency and unparalleled handling of Tubeless to achieve absolute speed in all riding conditions. The Rapide CLX II improve aerodynamic efficiency and climbing performance while remaining perfectly stable and secure, regardless of wind strength.

The Rapide CLX is actually two wheels in one, each optimized for the unique aerodynamic challenges of its position. At the front, there’s a 51 mm rim depth with an external width of 35 mm, and at the rear, a 60 mm rim depth with an external width of 30 mm. This results in a Tubeless wheelset that is faster than most 65 mm wheels, but 25% more stable than the old CLX50 in strong winds.

Speed is nothing without stability to enjoy it. This is where the unique dimensions of the Rapide front wheel come in: 51 mm depth and 35 mm width. The brand created this shape using the same optimization algorithm that developed Specialized’s FreeFoil library. The team developed a computer model that takes into account the rider and their reaction times. It’s the first algorithm that assumes the cyclist is not just a passenger.

The brand knows, through extensive studies on automotive and aeronautical reaction times, that wind gusts between 0.5 and 2.0 seconds are what cyclists struggle with the most. Indeed, on the bike, you cannot react to wind gusts shorter than 0.5 seconds; they are too short. A cyclist reacts to gusts lasting between 0.5 and 2.0 seconds, but with a time delay, after the gust has ended. This causes over-correction that must be corrected again, which is why strong crosswinds are so difficult to manage on the bike. Roval therefore asked its algorithm to optimize stability within the 0.5 to 2.0 second time window. Below this range, it’s too fast and you can’t react quickly enough to overcompensate. Above this range, you can easily adapt and compensate for the lateral force of a crosswind. For days, the algorithm randomly mutated, virtually eliminating the least performing shapes and iterating on the best performing profiles.

The resulting Rapide shape is the best combination in terms of drag reduction and stability thanks to this work on the cyclist’s reaction window. There are no limits in terms of layering, shapes, or textures for this rim. Artificial intelligence does not take into account the marketing team’s wishes to sell a wheel. It solved the problem by creating the rim shape.

Of course, a wheel is the sum of several elements, including the tire, and the Rapide II CLX is a rather special system. Now Tubeless compatible, with a hooked rim, the new wheels take advantage of everything a Tubeless tire brings to ride quality. From puncture protection, to low rolling resistance, or a wider range of tire pressures, the ride quality and stability are unprecedented, regardless of the surface. The outer diameter dimensions of the rim have also been modified to create additional clearance (1.4 mm) at the tire bead. This offers a much better installation and repair experience when you’re on the side of the road.

The Aeroflange hubs use the latest version of the DT Swiss EXP freehub body with new SINC ceramic bearings and a lighter, simplified ratchet system. The design also spreads the bearings for increased stiffness, while making the freehub more reliable and simplifying freehub body conversion.

Rim Dimensions: Front: 51 mm Depth/35 mm Width – Rear: 60 mm Depth/30 mm Width – 21 mm internal width for Front and Rear
1500 grams
Aero Flange Hubs with EXP freehub body and SINC ceramic bearings
DT Swiss Aerolite Spokes: Front: 18 / Rear: 24
Tubeless Ready
110 PSI Max Tubeless with 26 mm tires
Structural Limit: 125 kg
Hand-built
Price: 1100 € (front wheel), 1500 € (rear wheel)

Alpinist II CLX: Reach New Heights

Feel your bike come alive on the roads with the new Alpinist CLX II, the lightest and most agile clincher wheels ever designed by Roval. Lively on accelerations, precise in corners, reassuring on rough roads, all enhanced by the performance of a Tubeless system. Finally, there is no room, nor excuse, for a single excess gram when seeking the best riding sensations. Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to remove. The Alpinist CLX II are the embodiment of functional minimalism.

It takes much more than a lightweight rim to deliver the incredible responsiveness and handling of the Alpinist CLX II Tubeless. Roval designed the wheelset as a system, and to do so, engineers controlled and tested every part of this system – hubs, rims, spokes, lacing – and developed it hand-in-hand with the Specialized Tire team. The result is a 1250-gram Tubeless wheelset with an otherworldly ride quality designed for real-world conditions.

The Alpinist CLX II rim is a work of art. It benefits from the most precise carbon layup ever created by Roval. This is the result of over 50 different iterations, hundreds of impact tests, and countless hours on the road. They react to the slightest increase in power with immediate acceleration and carve the purest lines in corners. They can also withstand impacts almost twice as severe as those recommended by certification bodies. This is instant acceleration and supreme durability born from two years of research.

Like the Rapide, the Alpinist is now Tubeless compatible with a hooked rim to take advantage of everything a Tubeless tire brings to ride quality. Roval has also modified the outer diameter dimensions of the rim to create an additional 1.4 mm of clearance at the tire bead. This offers a much better installation and repair experience when you’re on the side of the road.

The new LightAF hubs are at the heart of the Alpinist CXL II’s development. Roval managed to save 50 grams compared to the previous Alpinist CLX, notably thanks to the low profile of the new hubs and the machining on the disc mount. Inside, DT Swiss EXP internals and SINC ceramic bearings offer refined efficiency and exceptional durability.

Rim Dimensions: 33 mm Depth – 21 mm internal width
1250 grams
LFD Hubs with EXP freehub body and SINC ceramic bearings
DT Swiss Aerolite Spokes: Front: 18 / Rear: 24
Tubeless Ready
110 PSI Max Tubeless with 26 mm tires
Structural Limit: 125 kg
Hand-built
Price: 1100 € (front wheel), 1500 € (rear wheel)

The Alpinist are also available in a CL version, with less advanced hubs, priced at 1700 €.

Only the Fastest System Matters

With all these successes over the past two seasons, why change now? It’s simple, there’s no technology favored by the brand. Tubular, tubed, Tubeless, Roval always strives to find the best system for the cyclist, regardless of tradition or current trends. Until now, Roval proved with the Rapide and Alpinist that a tubed system was the fastest option. With 80 podiums including 29 victories in the current season, the Tubeless Rapide II and Alpinist II take over and prove their undeniable speed.

Why Tubeless

The reduced rolling resistance of a Tubeless setup is undeniable. The benefits of improved handling and incredible puncture protection are just as undeniable. The development of the Rapide CLX II involved the most rigorous and extensive engineering and testing program ever undertaken by the brand. The result is a wheelset whose impact standards are almost double those currently used by the cycling industry, while maintaining the lowest possible weight. The Rapide CLX II and Alpinist CLX II use a hooked rim (allowing real-world riding pressures up to 110 psi, if that’s your thing) for secure tire bead retention and an easier-than-ever mounting experience. That’s Tubeless.

Lower internal friction equals more speed and grip. When the tire rolls and is in contact with the ground, its casing deforms. This causes internal friction which increases rolling resistance and consumes energy that could have been used to propel you forward. Using a tube means there is more material deforming (casing and tube), so more friction is created and more energy is dissipated.

Tubeless operation significantly reduces the amount of material that deforms (the tire only), which reduces friction and lost energy to propel you ever faster. Less material to deform also leads to a tire that conforms more easily to road imperfections for better grip and a more comfortable and controlled ride. These are benefits that do not depend on speed or terrain. From the moment your tire rolls, you are faster with Tubeless.

“We can say that the average decrease in rolling resistance is 8%. For a performance-oriented road racing tire, at 40 km/h. That’s a saving of 1.7 watts per tire, 3.5 watts in total,” according to Oliver Kiesel, Product Manager for Tires at Specialized.

The Inside Story

“Peter broke a wheel…”

It’s no secret that Roval develops products with its professional riders. They carry out tests, providing feedback and information as the brand seeks optimal performance, pushing the boundaries of design and engineering.

In December 2019, a WhatsApp message from the Bora-Hansgrohe team training camp, where new wheels under development were being tested, created a turning point. The Roval team’s iPhones started vibrating around 6 AM on a Saturday: “Peter broke a wheel.” Attached to this brief message, a photo of a cracked Alpinist CLX wheel with a disassembled tire. Immediately, the engineering team sent the wheel to their HQ in California.

Peter is no ordinary cyclist. Specialized and Roval have developed products with him for years. He places unique stresses on everything he rides. In this case, was Peter simply being Peter, jumping, skidding, or riding off-road… Perhaps all three at once? In reality, he had jumped a roundabout and hit the curb; Peter had done a Peter! He didn’t expect the wheel to survive the impact, but he did expect the tire to stay on the rim.

Back to the Lab

Once the wheel arrived, the Roval engineering team inspected it and found a small crack on the rim bed. Yet these wheels had passed and even exceeded all certification body standards, including the UCI 40 joule impact test, without a tire, but the brand knows that Tubeless wheels have a different failure mode. Cracks in the rim bed can propagate into the internal cavity of the rim. The resulting air pressure creates a failure of the entire system. Repeating the same test with a tube results in less damage. Indeed, the tube mitigates the phenomenon in the long term, by distributing the pressure over the cracks and delaying its release.

Delayed Start

While these development wheels met and exceeded all relevant standards with a tube, the engineering team wanted to achieve an even higher internal standard: doubling impact resistance compared to existing Tubeless standards. The goal was simple. If a cyclist can withstand an impact without letting go of the handlebars and get through it without falling, they deserve a wheel where the tire stays on the rim so they can stop safely, even if the rim has cracked.

The teams were informed that Roval would continue to develop these wheels, and that they would start the season on the CLX 32, 50, and 64 used in 2019. But the athletes had already tasted the magic of Rapide and Alpinist. They wanted more. They wanted to race with these wheels as soon as possible. They wanted to put aside the previous generation of CLX clinchers and tubulars and ride the new wheels with tubes. They were convinced that even with tubes, the new Rapide and Alpinist, when combined with Specialized Turbo tires, were the fastest system ever designed – the greatest combination of lightness, aerodynamics, and stability ever raced. With the cyclist as the boss, Roval provided the pros with the wheels they wanted – Rapide and Alpinist with tubes. They started winning and Roval set to work launching the largest testing and development project in its history.

Tests, Tests, and More Tests

Knowing that the UCI 40 Joule impact test was not powerful enough, in terms of energy, to guarantee, according to Roval, rider safety in the event of failure, the development team set out to create new wheel and tire tests, as well as rider surveys. The objective was to determine the type of damage a cyclist might encounter from an impact to develop and exceed tests for the entire Tubeless wheel and tire system.

To ensure that lab tests replicated real-world conditions, engineers conducted field tests. A question then arose: “How can we ensure that we accurately reproduce the impact energy with all the variables of the wheel, tire, carbon frame, and rider?” The solution is as simple as most brilliant ideas. Don’t measure the cyclist, measure the impact. Instead of placing sensors on the cyclist, the obstacle itself was equipped to obtain precise force information at each stage of the impact.

Tests begin with energy levels significantly higher than those equivalent to hitting a 5 cm² pothole at 32 km/h, an impact that typically generates about 30 joules of force. Two different types of impactors are used, one pointed and the other rounded, and a force range of 40 to 70 Joules is covered, a colossal impact that would make even holding the handlebars unlikely.

40 Joules/Pointed impact: although the potential for damage exists, you can finish your ride or race without issue.
50 Joules/Pointed impact: the wheel may be damaged, but the tire will remain on the rim and the system intact, so you can ride to a safe stop.
55 Joules/Rounded impact: no damage
60 Joules/Rounded impact: although the potential for damage exists, you can finish your ride or race without issue.
70 Joules/Rounded impact: the wheel may be damaged, but the tire will remain on the rim and the system intact, so you can ride to a safe stop if you managed to keep your hands on your handlebars.

Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat Again

The engineers thus determined new standards, aligned with rider perceptions and real impacts, with the addition of a reinforced concrete test protocol that uses entirely new impactors and force profiles. All that remained was to design and build the new Rapide and Alpinist that would deliver the expected performance for a World Championship, with the added benefits of a Tubeless system. Easy, right?

There were two objectives for these new wheels. First, to provide a solid structure that withstands the impact of a rounded impactor at 60 joules, without damage; second, to ensure no cracking in the rim bed and sidewalls after a 70 joule impact with the same impactor, with the force then dissipating at the spoke nipples. This latter solution, although it may condemn the rim, allows the tire to remain in place and guarantees the wheel’s structure for a safe stop.

To address these issues, the solution was simple: hard work. The profiles of the Alpinist and Rapide being literally the decisive factors of their efficiency, there was no question of considering modifications to their shapes. The work focused on the carbon layup and material selection. Over 1000 wheels were manufactured and tested during this process, encompassing 150 different assemblies for Alpinist and Rapide.

It was a very fine and repetitive process to adjust the carbon layup, using fibers of different grades and stiffnesses. Test samples of each of these iterations were then created and subjected to our new battery of tests.

It took 21 months, but the resulting rims are the strongest ever made by the brand, with optimized weight. As a Tubeless system, they now meet the rigorous test standards created and perform even better than the Rapide and Alpinist with tubes, which were so successful in the most prestigious World Tour events.

New Standards for the Future of Tubeless

The Tubeless future we dreamed of has arrived. Roval is convinced that they have developed the best combination of aerodynamics, lightness, efficiency, and durability. Thanks to their hooked rims, the new Rapide and Alpinist guarantee all cyclists a multitude of options, from tire choice to pressure. And most importantly, a system that meets relevant and strict test standards, far beyond what is currently required for a wheelset.

After two years of development, the brand has no doubt about its high-energy impact tests on a complete system (wheel and tire). They have therefore proposed these new standards to the relevant governing bodies, so that all cyclists can benefit from the work done.

*Articles in this News section are based on press releases and are intended for informational purposes only. They have been selected by the editorial team for their relevance to your sport.

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